By Wonderwall.com Editors
9:38am PDT, Jun 13, 2023
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Jeff Goldblum played Dr. Ian Malcolm in "Jurassic Park." The doc was a a self-proclaimed "chaotician" who applied the Chaos Theory to practical real-life situations.
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After "Jurassic Park," Jeff Goldblum reprised his role as Dr. Ian Malcolm in 1997's "The Lost World: Jurassic Park," 2018's "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" and 2022's "Jurassic World Dominion." He also appeared in another high-profile sequel, 2016's "Independence Day: Resurgence." Not only has he starred in many films over the years, but he's had success on the small screen as well on shows ranging from "Portlandia" to "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" to "The World According to Jeff Goldblum," his own show that aired on Disney+ from 2019 to 2023. In 2017, Jeff starred alongside "Jurassic Park" co-star Sam Neill in "Thor: Ragnarok" as the Grandmaster. More recently, he starred in Wes Anderson's 2023 film "Asteroid City." Jeff married former Olympic rhythmic gymnast Emilie Livingston in 2014. They welcomed son Charlie Ocean in 2015 and son River Joe in 2017.
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Laura Dern played paleobotanist Ellie Sattler in "Jurassic Park."
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Laura Dern reprised her role as Ellie in 2001's "Jurassic Park III" as well as 2022's "Jurassic World Dominion." Her most notable movies since include everything from "October Sky," "I Am Sam" and "The Master" to "Wild" (for which she earned an Oscar nomination) and "Star Wars: The Last Jedi." She's won three Golden Globes for her work in the 2009 TV movie "Recount," the 2017 series "Big Little Lies" and the 2012 TV series "Enlightened." The eight-time Emmy nominee finally won her first Emmy for her performance in "Big Little Lies" in 2017. In 2020, she received critical acclaim for her work in the film "Marriage Story," earning an Academy Award, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe and a SAG Award. Laura married Ben Harper in 2005, but they divorced in 2013. They have two children together, son Ellery and daughter Jaya. Laura was linked to rapper Common in 2016 and was rumored to be dating retired NBA player Baron Davis in 2017.
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In the 1993 film, Ariana Richards played park creator John Hammond's granddaughter, Lex Murphy. As a child star, she faced some scary dinosaurs and won our hearts.
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After "Jurassic Park," Ariana Richards appeared in "Angus" in 1995 and the "Lost World: Jurassic Park" sequel in 1997. She was also on an episode of "Boy Meets World" in 1996 and starred in TV movies "The Princess Stallion" in 1997 and "Broken Silence: A Moment of Truth Movie" in 1998. She also appeared in Ben Folds Five's music video for "Brick" in 1998. She ultimately took a break from acting for 12 years and focused on painting. She graduated from Skidmore College in 2001 with a degree in fine art and drama. Ariana briefly went back to acting and starred in the TV movie "Battledogs" in 2013 but her primary focus these days is running her Oregon painting studio, Gallery Ariana. In 2013, she married Mark Bolton; the couple welcomed a daughter in 2015. Despite stepping away from the cameras, fans can keep up with her busy life on her active Instagram account.
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Joseph Mazzello played Tim Murphy — Lex Murphy's brother and John Hammond's grandson — in "Jurassic Park."
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Joseph Mazzello came back as Tim Murphy for "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" in 1997. He attended college at the University of Southern California — his "Jurassic Park" director Steven Spielberg even wrote him a recommendation for USC's prestigious film school! Joseph went on to star as Dustin Moskovitz in "The Social Network" in 2010 and that same year re-teamed with Steven for HBO's epic miniseries "The Pacific." He's also won roles in hit TV shows including "Elementary," "Justified" and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," among others. In 2016, he starred in "Undrafted," a film he also wrote and directed. Joseph took on the role of Queen guitarist John Deacon in the 2018 Freddie Mercury biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody." He more recently appeared on "Impeachment: American Crime Story" in 2021. The actor keeps his personal life under wraps.
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Sam Neill starred as Dr. Alan Grant, a paleontologist who gets invited to tour the titular park by its creator, John Hammond. When the dinosaurs escape, Alan is stranded with John's grandchildren.
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Sam Neill went on to star as Dr. Alan Grant again in the 2001 film "Jurassic Park III" and 2022's "Jurassic World Dominion." The New Zealander has continued to act in many buzzy projects since then including the "Thor" franchise. He's also delivered solid performances in a series of hit TV shows including "The Tudors" in 2007, "Alcatraz" in 2012 and "Peaky Blinders" in 2014. He and his second wife, makeup artist Noriko Watanabe, with whom he has two daughters, married in 1989 and separated in 2017. Sam then had a relationship with Australian journalist Laura Tingle until their split in 2021. He fathered a son, Andrew, in his early 20s who was given up for adoption. Sam and Andrew reconnected in 2014 and have since built a relationship. In 2022, he was diagnosed with stage 3 blood cancer, angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, but underwent chemotherapy treatments and in 2023 reveal he's cancer free.
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The dinosaur park's chief engineer, Ray Arnold, was played by Samuel L. Jackson.
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Samuel L. Jackson has been in countless movies since his "Jurassic Park" days. His acting skills can be seen in "Pulp Fiction," "Jackie Brown," "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace," "Shaft," "Snakes on a Plane," "Django Unchained," "Iron Man" and the "Avengers" franchise, to name just a few. In 2022, the actor was presented with an honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement in recognition of his lengthy and successful career in Hollywood… but that doesn't mean it's over! Next up, he'll reprise his role as Nick Fury in "The Marvels." Samuel has been happily married to LaTanya Richardson since 1980. They share daughter Zoe.
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Wayne Knight took on the role of Dennis Nedry in "Jurassic Park." Dennis is the computer network engineer who shuts down the park's security systems so he can steal dinosaur embryos for corporate rivals.
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Wayne Knight continued to have a successful acting career after "Jurassic Park." Most memorably, he starred as Newman on "Seinfeld" (actually pre- and post-"Park," from 1992 to 1998), Officer Don on "3rd Rock from the Sun" and Haskell Lutz on "The Exes." In addition to acting in films including "Space Jam" and "Rat Race," he also lent his voice to animated movies including "Tarzan," "Toy Story 2" and "Kung Fu Panda." He more recently performed in the 2022 teen film "Darby and the Dead." In 1996, he married makeup artist Paula Sutor, but they divorced in 2003. In 2006, he married his second wife, Clare de Chenu, with whom he shares son Liam.
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Richard Attenborough played John Hammond, the founder of Jurassic Park and CEO of genetic engineering company InGen.
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Richard Attenborough passed away on Aug. 24, 2014, at 90. Before he died, Richard starred as John Hammond once more in "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" and in "Elizabeth" and the TV series "Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story." In 2002, he wrote and directed "Puckoon." Richard published his autobiography, "Entirely Up To You, Darling," in 2008. He married Sheila Sim in 1945 and the couple, who welcomed three children, were together until his death. His last request was for his ashes to be placed with those of his daughter Jane Holland and granddaughter Lucy. Jane and Lucy died 10 years earlier in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
