Jurassic World Dominion has just been released and is lighting up the box office with huge numbers. While the movie is certainly providing the world with a lot to talk about —like, per We Got This Covered, the noticeable differences in opinions between critics and audiences — it’s the return of OG cast members Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern, Sam Neil, and BD Wong from the original 1993 Jurassic Park that seems to be on the lips of a lot of people of a certain age.
The original Jurassic Park came out nearly 30 years ago, and at the time of its release, it quickly became the highest grossing movie of all time, a record it held onto until 1997’s Titanic. The effects were groundbreaking, the story was captivating and compelling, and the acting was top-notch. Some actors had experienced success in the past, but never to this extent. The cast became household names overnight and the world was watching closely, anticipating their next move.
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Three decades later, and we’ve come full circle. With the release of what is reportedly the final ever Jurassic movie, we take a look back and explore what the cast of the original Jurassic Park movie have been up to since its release.
Sam Neill
Universal Pictures
Kiwi actor Sam Neill made somewhat of a name for himself acting in moderate New Zealand movies and great Australian hits like Sleeping Dogs and Dead Calm, but shot to prominence playing the lead protagonist, paleontologiest Dr. Alan Grant, in Jurassic Park. He has since worked consistently and extensively in both movies and television, appearing in at least one movie a year. Not quite reaching the dizzying heights of Jurassic Park, Neill has appeared in a number of cult favorites, including John Carpenter’s supernatural thriller In the Mouth of Madness and sci-fi horror Event Horizon alongside Lawrence Fishbourne.
While proving to be an accomplished and versatile actor, he’s still found himself returning, on more than one occasion, to the role of esteemed scientist, after so convincingly pulling it off in Jurassic Park. In 2017, he made a brief appearance in another blockbuster franchise, playing a stage actor portraying Odin in Thor: Ragnarök, directed by fellow New Zealander Taika Waititi, (a role he’s set to reprise in Thor: Love and Thunder later this year). He also reprised his role of Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park III and stars in Jurassic World Dominion. When it comes to television, he’s had notable stints on multiple major shows, including Peaky Blinders, Alcatraz, and Tudors and even voiced characters in The Simpsons and Rick and Morty.
Laura Dern
Laura Dern starred as Grant’s partner Dr. Ellie Sattler in Jurassic Park, a role that she reprised in Jurassic Park III and Jurassic World Dominion. Most of her subsequent work has been more focused on dramatic roles, and she’s gone on to become hugely successful in her own right, winning multiple awards. Her most critically acclaimed television works (for which she racked up multiple Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy wins) include the TV movie Recount, the comedy-drama series Enlightened, the David Lynch-helmed Twin Peaks: The Return, and the hit HBO show Big Little Lies. She’s also wowed critics in movies like the 2014 biopic Wild, the 2019 adaptation of Little Women, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and the critics’ darling Marriage Story, for which she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. A political activist, Dern continues to work consistently to this day, delivering mesmerizing performance in each role she takes on.
Jeff Goldblum
Possibly the most memorable character in the original movie, in part down to the countless memes that followed since the advent of the internet, Jeff Goldblum brought the roguish Dr. Ian Malcom to life in a way that no other could have. Having already received some success in movies like David Cronenberg’s body horror The Fly, he’s gone on to become somewhat of a national treasure. Known just as much for his charm and eccentric personality as he is for his terrific character acting. He’s starred in supporting roles in a number of blockbuster franchisesm including Independence Day and its sequel, and as the kooky villain in Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarök. Just as comfortable appearing in smaller indies as he is in huge blockbusters, he has starred in two of renowned auteur Wes Anderson’s most acclaimed films, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The Grand Budapest Hotel.
His aforementioned irresistible personality has led him to become a fan favorite on late night chat shows and even landed him a show on Disney+, The World According to Jeff Goldblum, in which viewers are taken into, as the title suggests, the world of Goldblum. In it, he travels the world covering topics ranging from tattoos to video games, offering his unique prospective on each. Aside from acting, Goldblum is an avid fan of jazz music and even puts out music and performs internationally. Goldblum has returned in multiple Jurassic Park sequels and, like Dern and Neil, is in the latest too.
Richard Attenborough
By far the most accomplished actor at the time of Jurassic Park’s release in 1993, the late, great Richard Attenborough has appeared in countless classics, including The Great Escape and the original Doctor Dolittle. After appearing as the wealthy owner of the actual Jurassic Park, he portrayed Kris Kringle, a year later, in the now iconic remake of the Christmas movie, Miracle On 34th Street.
While he made a notable appearance as Sir William Cecil in the historical drama Elizabeth, as well as appearing in Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World, his acting appearance began to slow down towards the end of his life. After his death in 2014, the legendary Pinewood Studios paid tribute to his body of work by naming a purpose-built 30,000 square-foot sound stage after him. He was also gracefully honored in Jurassic World by having archive audio recordings played within the new park, his dulcet tones flooding older viewers with sweet nostalgic memories.
BD Wong
BD Wong’s character of Dr. Henry Wu may not take up a considerable amount of screen time, but the impact his character has on the overall story of the entire franchise is monumental. After briefly appearing in the original Jurassic Park, he was invited back to star in all three of the latest trilogy. Outside the Jurassic franchise, Wong has been working steadily in television, most notably in the hit drama show Oz, in which he played Father Ray Mukada over 47 episodes, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, where he played forensic scientist Dr. George Huang over 143 episodes. He has also appeared in supporting roles in numerous movies since 1993, including Bird Box and Disney’s Mulan as the voice of Li Shang.
Wayne Knight
In Jurassic Park, Wayne Knight plays Dennis Nedry, instantly recognizable for his eye-catching Hawaiian style shirt. His small but memorable role in the movie was enough to earn him a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Knight is one of those actors who, while not always appearing as a lead character, everyone will recognize from somewhere. Probably best known for playing Newman in Seinfeld from 1992 to 1998, his prolific career as a character actor has also seen him star in family favorites Space Jam and Rat Race as well as dozens of other television appearances. He is also a highly accomplished voice actor, portraying characters in many animated features including Disney movies Hercules (as Demetrius), Tarzan (as Tantor) and Toy Story 2 (as Al McWhiggin). Outside his work with Disney, you might also recognize his voice in the Kung Fu Panda series or the many, other animated television series, movies, and even video games to which he has lent his voice.
Samuel L. Jackson
It’s possible that some may not even remember Samuel L. Jackson’s early acting appearance as a staff member at Jurassic Park, but it is almost guaranteed you’ll be familiar with at least some of his work since. Following Jurassic Park, Jackson’s career soared as he became one of the most accomplished and recognizable faces in Hollywood. Arguably, it was his more prominent role in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, the year after Jurassic Park, that was responsible for launching the actor into the realms of super stardom. Known for his booming voice and his often swear-y motormouth delivery, he now has over 100 movies under his belt, which have collectively grossed over $27 billion worldwide, making him the highest-grossing actor of all time.
Aside from Jurassic Park, he has appeared in numerous other huge blockbuster franchises, including The Avengers as Nick Fury and Star Wars as Mace Windu. From family-friendly affairs (The Incredibles) to horrors (1408) and action thrillers (XXX) to political dramas (Chi-Raq), Jackson has done it all, and at 73 years of age, he continues to put in the work and entertain, with multiple projects currently in the works slated for release over the next few years.
Joseph Mazzello
After Joseph Mazzello shot to fame playing the young Tim Murphy in Jurassic Park, he continued his success streak that year, following it up with an appearance in Shadowlands, a biographical movie about writer C.S Lewis, starring Anthony Hopkins and directed by his Jurassic Park co-star Richard Attenborough. Mazzello’s career slowed down slightly after a string of box office bombs, including 1998’s Simon Birch in which he starred alongside Jim Carrey, Ashley Judd, and Oliver Platt. Continuing to work intermittently ever since, he once again found mainstream success from his portrayal of Dustin Moskovitz in The Social Network and as Queen’s bassist John Deacon in the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. Mazzello reprised the role of Tim Murphy in The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997). His used his salary from that film to pay for his education at USC School of Cinematic Arts, following a letter of recommendation from Steven Spielberg himself.
Ariana Richards
Ariana Richards won the hearts of the world when she appeared as the young Lex Murphy in Jurassic Park. The promise and potential was clearly apparent as she scurried her way from one horrific encounter to another, keeping viewers glued to the screen and at the edge of their seats. After the movie, though, Richards has primarily shifted her focus to her true passion: art. She has become quite the success in her own right, specializing in Impressionist-style landscape painting. In October 2005, she won first place in the National Professional Oil Painting Competition (sponsored by American Artist magazine) for the painting Lady of the Dahlias. She has appeared in a few TV shows and movies over the years, including Tremors 3 and an episode of Boy Meets World, but it’s nice to see she followed her heart and is thriving in her career of choice.
