Where are the Jurassic Park cast now? In 1993, Steven Spielberg brought dinosaurs back from extinction in one of his finest films. More than just a great bit of cinema, his resurrection of the prehistoric era changed Hollywood as we know.
Known now as the Jurassic World franchise, many roles in the original with established character actors who’d already worked on favourites from the world of independent and arthouse cinema. Some got their big break in what became one of the best adventure movies ever made and have kept giving us great performances as some of the best actors in Hollywood, and one or two have retired from the business altogether.
We’ve decided to remind you of Isla Nublar’s first guests and where you might have spotted them since you saw one of the best Steven Spielberg movies. Most have left the prehistoric creatures behind, but they’re still excavating some great cinema, albeit without a T-Rex in sight. When you watch the Jurassic Park movies in order, you can’t blame them, really. As the great Richard Attenborough might say — welcome to our Jurassic Park cast guide.
Who’s in the Jurassic Park cast list?
- Sam Neill as Dr Alan Grant
- Laura Dern as Dr Ellie Satler
- Jeff Goldblum as Dr Ian Malcolm
- Richard Attenborough as Dr John Hammond
- Joseph Mazzello as Tim Murphy
- Ariana Richards as Lex Murphy
- Wayne Knight as Dennis Nedry
- BD Wong as Dr Henry Wu
- Samuel L. Jackson as Ray Arnold
- Bob Peck as Robert Muldoon
- Martin Ferrero as Donald Gennaro
Sam Neill as Dr Alan Grant
One of two world-renowned paleontologists that Dr John Hammond invites to see Isla Nublar, Dr Alan Grant is the audience’s eyes and ears to the sheer spectacle of seeing dinosaurs in the flesh. His knowledge of these incredible animals makes sure those who survived had a chance to begin with.
He’s portrayed by Sam Neill, a celebrated character actor whose credits range from the best horror movies, such as Possession and Event Horizon to contenders for the best drama movies ever, like The Piano and Bicentennial Man.
Besides returning to the Jurassic franchise, you may have noticed him in Peaky Blinders season 1, as the fake Odin in the MCU‘s Thor Ragnarok and as the voice of Tommy Brock in the Peter Rabbit reboot.
Laura Dern as Dr Ellie Satler
An expert paleobotanist and professional partner to Dr Grant, Dr Ellie Satler is the first one to begin questioning Jurassic Park when she finds poisonous plant life within the animal habitats. Of course, that would only be the tip of the iceberg for the issues, but she senses something’s off from the get-go.
Before Jurassic Park, Laura Dern worked on acclaimed David Lynch films Blue Velvet and Wild at Heart, as well as the 1982 punk rock musical Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains.
Nowadays, she’s part of Star Wars, with a role in The Last Jedi, and she’s been in a number of acclaimed features, like Oscars contenders Marriage Story and Little Women (in which her Marmie Marsh earned a spot on our best movie moms list), and one of the best teen movies of the 21st century: The Fault in Our Stars.
Jeff Goldblum as Dr Ian Malcolm
The man, the meme, the legend: Jeff Goldblum lying down, unbuttoned, has become the enduring image of Jurassic Park in the social media age.
Goldblum’s Dr Ian Malcolm is a mathematician tasked with examining Isa Nubla’s infrastructure. Unfortunately for all involved, the problems were easily noticed.
Acting since the ’70s, a turn in The Fly – perhaps the best body horror movie ever – was Goldblum’s big credit before the Jurassic franchise turned him into a Hollywood star. He went on to lead one of the best disaster movies of the ’90s with Will Smith in Independence Day, as well as Jurassic Park The Lost World.
He’s now the Grandmaster in the MCU, a regular of Wes Anderson’s, and has his own Disney Plus docu-series, The World According to Jeff Goldblum.
Richard Attenborough as Dr John Hammond
We’d probably hate Dr John Hammond if it weren’t for Richard Attenborough’s grandfatherly performance. His blend of scientific hubris and capitalistic greed makes him a stand-in for any number of corporate leaders we’re expected to worship.
Attenborough had a storied career for several decades before Jurassic Park. Jet Storm, The Great Escape, Doctor Dolittle, The Sand Pebbles, 10 Rillington Place, The Chess Players, we could list great roles of his for hours. Not just a wondrous actor, he was a fine director, with 1982’s Gandhi considered one of the best movies of all time. To top it all, he was Santa Clause for the remake of Miracle on 34th Street.
Joseph Mazzello as Tim Murphy
However horrid you think some of your family holidays have been, the Murphy kids had it considerably worse. Tim is the younger brother and John Hammond’s grandson, who manages to stay alive thanks to his big sister and Alan Grant’s understanding of prehistoric creatures.
Though he’s had plenty of roles over the years, in the family movie Star Kid and the scary movie The Hollow, Joseph Mazzello recently jumped back to prominence. He played John Deacon in Queen movie Bohemian Rhapsody and portrayed Paul Begala in 2021’s Impeachment – American Crime Story.
Ariana Richards as Lex Murphy
The older sibling to Tim, Lex is a whizzkid whose computing skills successfully restore Isla Nublar’s power and reactivate the locks on the security system. Hey, it was 1993 – knowing your way around a home computer was a rare talent in those days.
Now a fine art graduate, Lex Murphy has largely left the acting world behind in favour of teaching painting while creating art herself. She’s had small roles here and there, but nothing on the scale of Jurassic Park, and her last credit is 2013’s Battledogs.
Wayne Knight as Dennis Nedry
Ah ah ah, you didn’t say the magic word! Well, actually, yes, you did by clicking on this piece. While the dinosaurs are scary, the best movie villain of Jurassic Park is an unrefined private expenditure, but the other baddie is Dennis and his attempts to sell dinosaur embryos to a rival. It does not work out for him.
Wayne Knight should be familiar to Seinfeld fans as Kramer’s aloof pal Newman in one of the best comedy series ever made. A regular in TV and film, Knight has lent his voice to Disney movies Tarzan and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, had bit parts in Hail, Caesar and Narcos, and was part of the main cast in The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair on Epix.
BD Wong as Dr Henry Wu
One of the smarter characters in the franchise, Dr Henry Wu, is a geneticist that helped create the cloning framework on which Isla Nublar is built. When it all goes to shit, he’s straight out on a boat. There’s smart, and there’s clever, and Henry is both.
Working regularly after Jurassic Park, BD Wong became a regular on Law and Order – Special Victims Unit in the early 2000s, appearing in 143 episodes across a dozen or so seasons. He was Hugo Strange on Gotham, had a recurring voice role on Robot Chicken, and now has a starring part in Awkwafina’s Is Nora from Queens.
Samuel L Jackson as Ray Arnold
Isla Nublar’s chief engineer meets a grisly end, but not before incidentally letting out the Velociraptors with a system reset. To be fair, turning it off and on again does usually work. His line “Hold onto your butts” is up there in memorable quotes.
Look, it’s Samuel L Jackson. You know him because he’s everywhere. Quentin Tarantino movies, Star Wars movies as Mace Windu, the MCU’s Nick Fury, and the MonsterVerse. He’s one of the most well-rounded actors of his generation, and Jurassic Park is just one classic he’s popped up in.
Bob Peck as Robert Muldoon
Jurassic Park’s game warden, Robert Muldoon, is probably one of the only people who have a realistic idea of just how dangerous the dinosaurs are. He strongly believes the velociraptors should be killed and is one of the few survivors of the movie. He’s also the guy who originated the now iconic line, “Clever girl.”
As for Bob Peck, he got his start with the best company possible as a regular actor in the Royal Shakespeare Company alongside the likes of Ian McKellen and Judi Dench. He also won a BAFTA for his role in the TV serial Edge of Darkness before his big break in Jurassic Park.
Martin Ferrero as Donald Gennaro
Apart from being low-key obsessed with how the character and actor’s names rhyme, Ferrerro had the job of playing two characters in one. This is because Spielberg also condensed the novel character of Ed Regis into the movie version of Donald, who appears in both mediums.
Donald Gennaro is a lawyer who represents the park’s investors but quickly became infamous after an unfortunate, toilet-related death. Martin Ferrero has since accepted that as his legacy, saying in a USA Today interview, “When people recognize me on the street, they pause and then say, ‘You were the guy who got eaten on the toilet in Jurassic Park,’ So yes, I’m the guy who died on the toilet. […] I’ll take it. It’s not that bad.”
That’s the cast of Jurassic Park. Sorry, we didn’t include Chris Pratt. Maybe we’ll add him when we inevitably hear about the Jurassic World 4 release date. In the meantime, check out our list of the best Chris Pratt movies.
For other articles to make you feel like a dinosaur, check out our guides to the Die Hard cast, the Harry Potter cast, and the Home Alone cast. Or, keep up to date with every major new movie in 2023, including The Marvels release date, the Dune 2 release date, and the Aquaman 2 release date.