Where are the stars of Jurassic Park now as Sam Neill reveals sad news?
Jurassic Park was one of the most iconic movies of the 20th century, launching a hit franchise that's still going to this day and making dinosaurs they key obsession for a generation of children.
But have you ever wondered where stars like Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and the original kids, Joseph Mazzello and Ariana Richards are today? The cast have varied lives with some continuing to act, others retiring from the profession, while others have sadly passed on. Read on to find out where the original stars are…
And if you fancy reliving the original, catch the trailer for the first film below…
WATCH: Relive the original trailer for Jurassic Park
Sam Neill
Last week, Sam, who played Dr. Alan Grant, revealed that he was living with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, and began receiving chemotherapy, which ultimately failed. He progressed to a chemotherapy drug — which means he is now cancer-free, but he will have to take the medication for the rest of his life.
Sam is still acting, having appeared in the most recent Jurassic World film, alongside Thor: Love and Thunder, The Zookeeper, Peaky Blinders and Crusoe.
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The 75-year-old is highly decorated, being the recipient of three Golden Globe and two Primetime Emmy nominations, alongside winning several New Zealand acting awards. Sir Sam also received a knighthood in 2022 as a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
Laura Dern
Laura Dern rose to international fame with her role as Dr. Ellie Sattler in the popular film, and like many of the original characters she reprised her role in the most recent entry.
The 56-year-old has had an incredibly successful career earning two Oscar awards for her roles in Rambling Rose and Wild. The actress has also appeared in hugely popular series like Enlightened, Big Little Lies and Marriage Story.
Jeff Goldblum
Jeff Goldblum was well-known by the time Jurassic Park rolled in, with his award-winning performance in The Fly. Since appearing in the film, his career has gone from strength to strength, appearing in four of the six movies.
Outside of the franchise, the 70-year-old is known for his roles in Independence Day, Thor: Ragnarok, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Isle of Dogs. He has a glistening television career with roles in Will & Grace and his own series The World According to Jeff Goldblum.
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Jeff also has a career outside of acting, with his jazz band, The Milfred Snitzer Orchestra, and the group has released two albums.
Joseph Mazzello
Joseph rose to fame as Tim Murphy in Jurassic Park, the grandson of Richard Attenborough's Dr. John Hammond. Joe has continued to act since appearing in the film, most recently appearing in Bohemian Rhapsody as Queen guitarist John Deacon.
He has also had roles in G.I. Joe: Retaliation, American Crime Story and The Social Network. The 39-year-old has also branched into directing with his short film Matters of Life and Death.
Ariana Richards
Ariana Richards won praise from fans as she played Lexi Murphy, the granddaughter of Dr. John Hammond, however Ariana hasn't pursued acting as a career. She made some appearances in the Tremors franchise and Battledogs.
Since retiring from acting, Ariana has focused on her art career, becoming a talented landscape and figure painter, even winning two awards for her beautiful creations.
Richard Attenborough
Richard was already an accomplished actor and director when he made his appearance as Dr. John Hammond in first two films. Richard didn't star in many films following the franchise with his most notable role being Sir William Cecil in Elizabeth before mostly retiring in 2002. He accepted a peerage in 1993, sitting in the House of Lords until his death.
DISCOVER: Stars who had to retire from acting careers due to illness
Sadly, the beloved actor's health began to decline in 2008 when he was fitted with a pacemaker in 2008, before suffering a stroke several months later. On August 24, the British actor passed away at the age of 90. As per his wishes, his ashes her interred in the St Magdalene Church in Richmond, London beside his daughter Jane and granddaughter Lucy, who died in the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson wowed fans as Ray Arnold, but this is far from the actor's only major role in a hit franchise, with the star playing Mace Windu in the Star Wars franchise and Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
He has also appeared in hit films like Snakes on a Plane, Pulp Fiction, Kingsman: Secret Service and Die Hard with a Vengeance.
In 2013, the 74-year-old launched a campaign with Prizeo in order to raise money to combat Alzheimer's disease and he has also fronted a campaign to raise awareness around testicular cancer.
BD Wong
Much like Jeff Goldblum, BD Wong has continued to reprise his role as Dr. Henry Wu, appearing in four of the six movies. Since the hit films, he has played Li Shang in Disney's Mulan while also having starring roles in TV series like Oz, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and Mr. Robot.
Wayne Knight
Wayne played comic relief character Dennis Nedry, who ends up meeting a sticky end, and he continues to land major roles. He has appeared in Rat Race, Third Rock from the Sun and several Disney films like Hercules, Tarzan and Toy Story 2.
Martin Ferrero
Martin's character Donald Gennaro holds the dubious honor of being the first ever character to die in the franchise, after getting eaten by a T-Rex while hiding on the toilet. Martin has mostly retired from acting, but reprised his role in a CollegeHumor Originals sketch.
Bob Peck
Bob introduced the classic line "Clever girl" to the franchise, before his character Robert Muldoon met his untimely end at the hands of a velociraptor. Bob continued to act in films like Merchant of Venice and The Opium War before he sadly died in 1999.
The actor was diagnosed with an undisclosed type of cancer in 1994 before dying at his London home in Kingston-on-Thames five years later.
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