Steven Spielberg, Nicole Kidman and Cillian Murphy and more mourn the death of Sam Neill

Fellow actors and fans of Sam Neill mourned his passing after the New Zealand actor died Monday following a diagnosis of a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Neill achieved his highest level of fame in “Jurassic Park” playing paleontologist Alan Grant, who is summoned to an island off Costa Rica where a theme park has been built to house herds of cloned dinosaurs. He co-starred alongside Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough.

Neill earned an Emmy nomination for his performance in the title role of the 1998 miniseries “Merlin” and another as narrator of 2017’s “Wild New Zealand.” Neill also earned three Golden Globe nods — for “Merlin,” “One Against the Wind” and “Reilly: Ace of Spies.”

Some notable reactions:

“Sam was exceptionally collaborative. It was a stretch for him to play a character who acted as though children were messy and smelly because this was the opposite of the loving father he was to his children. I adored making all the Jurassic movies with him. Along with Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, we will always have our Jurassic family and Sam will never be forgotten by us or his many millions of fans around the world.” — in a statement.

“Sam was my beloved lifetime friend… He showed me the depths of loyalty, protectiveness, and love, always with the driest of wit. He was a true and noble gentleman, wrapped up in my dream leading man. I will love you forever, Dr. Alan Grant.” — via Instagram.

“Knew @samneilltheprop for 3 decades and finally worked with him on ‘PALM BEACH’ in 2018. An officer and a Gentleman in the truest sense. Guided and helped me through a very difficult time in my Life … Sail on, kind Sir. — via Instagram.

“Like everyone who knew and worked with Sam, I admired him and adored him in equal measure. He was one of the kindest, funniest and gentlest people, and one of the finest actors … RIP.” — in a statement.

“Sam was one of the greats, a joy to be around,” she said. “We met when I was just 18 and he took me under his wing and we stayed friends for life. He was charming, kind, funny and intelligent. He will be greatly missed, and my heart goes out to his family.” — in a statement to the Sydney Morning Herald.

“I’m deeply saddened by the untimely loss of my dear friend, @samneilltheprop. We first crossed paths years ago through our work, but what I came to treasure most was the man himself—funny, endlessly curious, wickedly intelligent, generous, and always able to make you feel at ease. ... He carried himself with grace, humility, and a wonderfully mischievous sense of humor that made every conversation a pleasure. ... Rest peacefully, Sam. You’ll be missed more than words can say.” — via Instagram.

“Sam Neill was a deeply soulful and beautiful man. He was a friend and collaborator at a challenging time, and his strength gave us all strength. I’ll remember him for his tranquility, his love of wine, and for the calm assuredness he brought to his characters. It’s not every lifetime you get to befriend a legend. Forever grateful.” — via Instagram.

“Sir Sam Neill was one of the greats. He started out when there was barely a film industry in this country to speak of. For more than fifty years he took New Zealand stories to the world and his talents helped make our film industry into what it is today — one of our greatest cultural exports.” — via X.

"It was just a few weeks ago that I had the profound joy of sitting with Sam Neill, talking about life, politics, and home. He was such a thoughtful, curious, and decent person. Someone who was principled, unafraid of speaking his mind, and willing to take up a fight when he saw injustice. ... We’ve lost another incredible kiwi, and I feel profoundly sad. All my aroha to his whanau and friends. And to you, Sam, you have our gratitude and admiration. Rest easy. Moe mai rā" — via Instagram.

“Sam Neill starred in so many beloved Australian stories and he earned a special place in Australian hearts. Wry and dry, thoughtful and laconic, Sam fought illness with the same dignity, humour and conviction that gave strength to his every performance. He will be much mourned and long remembered. May he rest in peace.” — via X.

“My condolences and appreciation for the immense joy and mastery Sam Neill brought our industry. Do yourself a favor and find ‘DEAN SPANLEY’ on a streamer- he’s wonderful and it will soothe someplace in your spirit that needs it now. — via Instagram.

“This man made me feel like I could fly. Even when I was all over the place in his presence he made it ok. We loved to talk rugby. RIP my old mate. Sam Neill, a true gentleman.” — via Instagram.

“Such a shock — loved by so many — I’ll be cracking two paddocks tonight,” referring to wine from the actor’s vineyard, via Instagram.

“Vale Sam,” a Latin term for “farewell” that’s often used in Australia and New Zealand, via Instagram.

“I love you, dear Sam. You hero. You legend. You sweetheart. Our great friend. You are already missed so very much. Continue in peace wherever you are.” — via Instagram.

“Sending love and condolences to your family. A remarkable man and artist. NZ loses a giant and one of its greatest gifts.” — via Instagram.

“It was the greatest of honours to shout at Sam onscreen and to laugh ourselves silly offscreen. He was truly the most wondrous human. Not was. Still is. Will always be. Such is his incredible legacy of life, art, advocacy and love.” — via Instagram.

FILE - Actor Sam Neill poses at the premiere of "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" during the 2016 Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 22, 2016, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP, File)

LONDON (AP) — A technical issue afflicted the U.K.'s national air traffic controller on Monday, the second in two weeks, prompting more travel disruption and renewed calls for the organization's chief to quit.

Although NATS, formerly known as National Air Traffic Services, said the issue at its Prestwick center in Scotland has been fixed, the repercussions were expected to continue at least through the end of the day, with flights in and out of Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England canceled or delayed.

“We are working with airports and airlines to safely lift air traffic regulations as quickly as we can to minimize any further disruption,” the agency said in a statement. “We apologize for the disruption.”

Analytics company Cirium said 227 flights departing from or arriving into the U.K. had been canceled by late-afternoon Monday and that Manchester, Belfast International, Edinburgh and George Best Belfast City airports saw the most disruption.

Nikki Ferguson and her husband were taking their two daughters to Disneyland Paris, but had their morning EasyJet flight from Glasgow canceled. The family, from Aberdeen, rebooked to leave on a later flight but were anxious about whether that would happen.

“My youngest daughter was crying, thinking we were not going to get to go,” Ferguson said, adding that she was “still feeling stressed” about whether their trip would get off the ground. "We booked the holiday a year ago. It was the girls’ big Christmas present."

NATS said the disruption is unconnected with the software glitch that led to the cancellation of over 2,000 flights in and out of the United Kingdom two weeks ago. The chaos prompted mounting calls for its chief executive Martin Rolfe to stand down.

In a report on the outage published on Friday, NATS said a software defect in the National Airspace System, which allocates codes so air traffic controllers can identify flights on radar, was behind the decision to ax the flights.

Unlike that national disruption, NATS said airports south of Manchester, including those in and out of London, are “broadly unaffected."

Airlines and airports were aghast at the latest technical problem involving air traffic control over the U.K. and demanded urgent action.

Ryanair was particularly vociferous in its response, saying more than 25,000 of its passengers were expected to face disruption as a result of the latest problem and said the company's CEO should stand down immediately or be fired by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander.

“Martin Rolfe has presided over repeated system failures, repeated passenger disruption and repeated failures to deliver an effective backup system,” Ryanair chief operations officer Neal McMahon said. "Enough is enough. Martin Rolfe should resign today.”

EasyJet said the latest flight disruption “once again, calls into question the resilience of NATS’ systems and demonstrates the need for firm actions to prevent these repeated failures."

And British Airways said it was “disappointing” that some customers may experience disruption after “yet another technical fault" involving NATS.

The U.K. government owns 49% of NATS, making it the largest shareholder and giving it an effective veto over key decisions. Airlines, airports, investors and employees own the remaining shares in the public-private partnership.

“I know this will be deeply frustrating for passengers after the previous issue,” Transport Secretary Alexander said.

A departures board at Belfast International Airport, Co Antrim, following disruption to flights due to a "technical issue" at an air traffic control centre in Scotland, Monday Sept. 21, 2026. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)