Sam Neill’s “Jurassic Park” director Steven Spielberg and co-star Laura Dern are among those leading the tributes to the late New Zealander actor.

Neill’s family announced in an Instagram statement that he “was surrounded by family” when he died Monday in Sydney, Australia, “with the dignity that has characterized his whole life.” He was 78.

“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,” Spielberg said in a statement to Variety. “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.”

Dern, who played Dr. Ellie Sattler opposite Neill’s Dr. Alan Grant and Goldblum’s Dr. Ian Malcolm, similarly had only the warmest of words to describe Neill, her “beloved lifetime friend,” who she said had shown her “the depths of loyalty, protectiveness and love always with the driest of wit.”

Dern added that Neil was “a true and noble gentleman, wrapped up in my dream leading man.”

Neill was remembered by his “Peaky Blinders” co-star Cillian Murphy as “one of the kindest, funniest and gentlest people, and one of the finest actors.”

“Like everyone who knew and worked with Sam, I admired him and adored him in equal measure,” the “Oppenheimer” Oscar winner, 50, said in a statement shared with Deadline.

“Sam was one of the greats, a joy to be around,” Nicole Kidman, who acted alongside Neill in 1989’s “Dead Calm,” said in a statement to The Sydney Morning Herald. “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.”

Other former co-stars who honored Neill include Toni Collette, Richard E. Grant and Cary Elwes.

“I love you, dear Sam. You hero. You legend. You sweetheart. Our great friend. You are already missed so very much,” wrote Collette, who worked with Neill in 2002’s “Dirty Deeds” and 2014’s “A Long Way Down.”

In an Instagram Story, she also remembered Neill as “a big hearted king with a dry, hilarious wit. … When I think of Sam I always see him giggling. It is a terribly sad day.”

“He was everything you hoped he would be,” wrote Elwes, who worked with Neill on “The Jungle Book” in 1994. “Beautiful in every way possible. Gentle, wise, compassionate, giving, funny and, of course, immensely talented. … Those of us who were fortunate to share time with him on this planet are better for it.”

“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,” wrote Grant.

Though the “Hunt for the Wilderpeople” star was diagnosed with lymphoma in early 2022, Neill’s family stipulated in their statement that his “sudden and unexpected” death was “blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free.”

Neill’s family requested that their privacy be respected “as they navigate this immeasurable loss.”

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