The cast of 1993’s Jurassic Park.
Here, as the film celebrates its 30th anniversary, catch up with the original cast, then and now.
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Sam Neill (Alan Grant)
Starring as the film’s hero, Neill played a paleontologist brought onto the island to analyze the park. His love and awe over the dinosaurs helped make them feel as real as the film’s special effects.
Also in 1993, he starred in the acclaimed foreign filmThe Pianoand reprised hisJurassic Parkcharacter in the series' third installment in 2001. He had prominent roles in 2008’sMerlinand 2007’sThe Tudors,and also starred as the villainous Chief Inspector Chester Campbell inPeaky Blinders.
In 2014, he reconnected with his son, Andrew, who was adopted after Neill fathered him in his early 20s. The actor toldThe Timesthe two “went looking for” each other and that they had a “much more grownup” reunion than he expected.
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Laura Dern (Ellie Satler)
Dern, who also played a paleontologist invited to evaluate the park, has thrived since appearing in the thriller, starring in numerous films and earning critical praise along the way.
She now has an Oscar, Emmy and five Golden Globe Awards to her name (we can’t even count the nominations!), and has stayed busy with popular projects like HBO’sBig Little Liesand last year’sJurassic World: Dominion.
Dern, daughter of actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd, is mom to teens Jaya and Ellery with ex Ben Harper.
03of 08Ariana Richards (Lex Murphy)Amblin/Universal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock;Richards has come along way since her days cowering from Raptors. She’s made a name for herself as an artist, traveling around the world painting and promoting her work. Though she acknowledges that life afterJurassichas been much quieter, she admits she wouldn’t mind acting again.“If some great role or project finds me, absolutely that could be a nice thing to do, for sure,” she previously told PEOPLE.As of 2015, Richards was living in South America promoting her art tour. On top of that, she announced to PEOPLE that she and her husband, Mark Bolton, welcomed a daughter that year.
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Ariana Richards (Lex Murphy)
Amblin/Universal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock;
Richards has come along way since her days cowering from Raptors. She’s made a name for herself as an artist, traveling around the world painting and promoting her work. Though she acknowledges that life afterJurassichas been much quieter, she admits she wouldn’t mind acting again.
“If some great role or project finds me, absolutely that could be a nice thing to do, for sure,” she previously told PEOPLE.
As of 2015, Richards was living in South America promoting her art tour. On top of that, she announced to PEOPLE that she and her husband, Mark Bolton, welcomed a daughter that year.
04of 08Joseph Mazzello (Tim Murphy)Amblin/Universal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock; VALERIE MACON/AFP/GettyRichards' on-screen brother, Mazzello, stuck with the film industry, going on to earn a degree in cinema and television from the University of Southern California. In fact, he got some help from director Spielberg.“Steven wrote me a recommendation for USC to go to film school. Believe it or not, I got in,” Mazzello told PEOPLE. “He’s been there for me throughout my life whenever I really needed him.“Besides Jurassic Park,the actor’s most prominent role came in 2010 when he played Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz inThe Social Network. He also starred that same year in HBO’sThe Pacific.
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Joseph Mazzello (Tim Murphy)
Amblin/Universal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock; VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty
Richards' on-screen brother, Mazzello, stuck with the film industry, going on to earn a degree in cinema and television from the University of Southern California. In fact, he got some help from director Spielberg.
“Steven wrote me a recommendation for USC to go to film school. Believe it or not, I got in,” Mazzello told PEOPLE. “He’s been there for me throughout my life whenever I really needed him.”
Besides Jurassic Park,the actor’s most prominent role came in 2010 when he played Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz inThe Social Network. He also starred that same year in HBO’sThe Pacific.
05of 08Samuel L. Jackson (Ray Arnold)Amblin/Universal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock; Michael Tran/FilmMagicAfter delivering a memorable performance as the park’s chain smoking chief engineer, who likes to remind fellow characters to hold on to their butts, Jackson appeared in numerous hit films.One of his most acclaimed performances came the next year with Quentin Tarantino’sPulp Fiction, and he continued starring in hits likeDie Hard with a Vengeance, Jackie Brown, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Shaft, Django Unchainedand many more. He also joined the Marvel Universe as Avengers leader Nick Fury.He and wife LaTanya Richardson have one adult daughter, Zoe.
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Samuel L. Jackson (Ray Arnold)
Amblin/Universal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock; Michael Tran/FilmMagic
After delivering a memorable performance as the park’s chain smoking chief engineer, who likes to remind fellow characters to hold on to their butts, Jackson appeared in numerous hit films.
One of his most acclaimed performances came the next year with Quentin Tarantino’sPulp Fiction, and he continued starring in hits likeDie Hard with a Vengeance, Jackie Brown, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Shaft, Django Unchainedand many more. He also joined the Marvel Universe as Avengers leader Nick Fury.
He and wife LaTanya Richardson have one adult daughter, Zoe.
06of 08Wayne Knight (Dennis Nerdy)Amblin/Universal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock; Tiffany Rose/GettyAfter wreaking havoc on the park and allowing the dinosaurs to escape, Knight’s character was rewarded with one of the film’s most memorable death sequences.The actor already was a fan favorite as Jerry Seinfeld’s curmudgeonly mailman neighbor Newman on the hit sitcomSeinfeld, a role he returned to after the film. He later had recurring roles on the shows3rd Rock from the SunandHot in Cleveland, and did voice work for films likeKung Fu Panda.
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Wayne Knight (Dennis Nerdy)
Amblin/Universal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock; Tiffany Rose/Getty
After wreaking havoc on the park and allowing the dinosaurs to escape, Knight’s character was rewarded with one of the film’s most memorable death sequences.
The actor already was a fan favorite as Jerry Seinfeld’s curmudgeonly mailman neighbor Newman on the hit sitcomSeinfeld, a role he returned to after the film. He later had recurring roles on the shows3rd Rock from the SunandHot in Cleveland, and did voice work for films likeKung Fu Panda.
07of 08Jeff Goldblum (Ian Malcolm)Amblin/Universal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock; Mike Marsland/WireImageGoldblum was famous before playing mathematician Dr. Ian Malcolm inJurassic Park, but his charismatic, wise-cracking role in the film — not to mention his chest hair and unbuttoned shirt — helped make him an icon.AfterJurassic Park, Goldblum starred in more blockbusters, likeIndependence Day, and also earned critical praise for films likeThe Grand Budapest Hoteland for his Emmy-nominated work onWill & Grace.He’s also joined the Marvel Universe as the Grandmaster, appearing recently inThor: Ragnarok.In addition to reprising his role inJurassic World: Fallen KingdomandJurassic World: Dominion,Goldblum has been soaking up married life with his wife Emilie Livingston. The duo, who tied the knot in 2014, welcomed a son, River Joe, on April 7, 2017. Their firstborn son, Charlie Ocean, was born on July 4, 2015.
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Jeff Goldblum (Ian Malcolm)
Amblin/Universal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock; Mike Marsland/WireImage
Goldblum was famous before playing mathematician Dr. Ian Malcolm inJurassic Park, but his charismatic, wise-cracking role in the film — not to mention his chest hair and unbuttoned shirt — helped make him an icon.
AfterJurassic Park, Goldblum starred in more blockbusters, likeIndependence Day, and also earned critical praise for films likeThe Grand Budapest Hoteland for his Emmy-nominated work onWill & Grace.He’s also joined the Marvel Universe as the Grandmaster, appearing recently inThor: Ragnarok.
In addition to reprising his role inJurassic World: Fallen KingdomandJurassic World: Dominion,Goldblum has been soaking up married life with his wife Emilie Livingston. The duo, who tied the knot in 2014, welcomed a son, River Joe, on April 7, 2017. Their firstborn son, Charlie Ocean, was born on July 4, 2015.
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Sir Richard Attenborough (John Hammond)
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The acclaimed actor and Oscar-winning director, who played the park’s creator in the original film, died at the age of 90 in 2014.
Many younger fans ofJurassic Park, and his other hit ’90s film, the remake ofMiracle on 34th Street,might not have appreciated his long career and artistic range. As a director, Attenborough made several successful movies, fromOh What a Lovely War!in 1969 toChaplin and Shadowlandsin the 1990s. His greatest success wasGandhi, a film that was 20 years in the making and won eight Oscars, including Best Picture.
source: people.com
