List of Jurassic Park characters

The following is a list of characters from Michael Crichton's fictional series consisting of Jurassic Park, The Lost World, and Jurassic Park III.

Recurring characters

These characters appear in more than one movie/novel.

Dr. Alan Grant

Grant, played by Sam Neill, is a key figure in the Jurassic franchise and an expert renowned in his field of Paleontology. John Hammond (founder of InGen) convinces Grant and his coworker Dr. Ellie Sattler to take a tour of this preserve and later to endorse the park itself. In shock and amazement of discovering that InGen had successfully cloned dinosaurs, Grant quickly found out the dangers of what man could do. Mayhem struck when the dinosaurs escaped and Grant, who previously disliked children, found himself becoming the father figure and hero for Lex & Tim. He developed a better understanding, not just of children, but also of the consequences of tampering with nature. It should be noted that within the novel Grant had a strong affinity for children - particularly because of their interests in dinosaurs. It is unknown why the screenwriters decided to change this aspect of his personality for the movie. It is likely this was done at the request of Steven Spielberg, whose films frequently feature or imply fathers (or father-like figures) being distant or negligent of children.

Dr. Ian Malcolm

Ian Malcolm is a mathematician appearing in Jurassic Park. He specializes in the study of the chaos theory and refers to himself as a "chaotician". Jeff Goldblum played the role of Malcolm in the Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic Park movies. Malcolm is John Hammond's primary critic in both the novel and film, accurately predicting the instability of Hammond's creation. Malcolm is seriously injured in the first book, and is even presumed dead - but in the second book, The Lost World, he returns healthy, but crippled. He survives the film with a comparatively minor leg injury, and was thus easily brought back perfectly healthy for the film adaptation of The Lost World: Jurassic Park. In both the films and books Malcolm is an eccentric character who dresses entirely in black; he is described as having the mannerisms of a rock star in the original Jurassic Park, but is sobered by his experiences there and returns as a more measured man in The Lost World.

Dr. Ellie Sattler

She is Dr. Alan Grant's graduate student, and joined him on the tour of InGen's dinosaur preserve. In the movie she's in a relationship with Alan Grant, whereas in the book she's engaged to a doctor. In the Jurassic Park III we learn that the relationship between her and Dr. Grant didn't work out, although they remain close friends. Laura Dern plays Ellie in Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III.

John Hammond

Hammond is the creator of Jurassic Park and founder of InGen. He is likened to Walt Disney and his Disneyland. He is played by Richard Attenborough. In the movie version, he appears as a sympathetic grandfather, but in the book, he is depicted as a mean-spirited CEO, solely interested in profit and (fatally) lacking interest in the technicalities of genetic engineering. In the book, Hammond is killed by compies; therefore, he does not appear in the novel The Lost World as he does in the movie version.

Dr. Lewis Dodgson

A Biosyn agent, played by Cameron Thor in the film of Jurassic Park. He plays a much larger role in both that book and its sequel. Lewis Dodgson is a character in Michael Crichton's best selling novels Jurassic Park and The Lost World. In the novel version of The Lost World he is picked up by a T-rex and then eaten by its brooding children. Dodgson featured briefly in the first film, setting up Nedry's corporate espionage, but the storyline of the second was altered significantly from the novel's and eliminated him altogether. Dodgson's name was created from the combination of a famous Victorian author's pen name (Lewis Carroll) and his real last name (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson).

Dr. Martin "Marty" Guitierrez

A doctor from the United States who moved to Costa Rica to practice, he plays an expository role in both novels. He is Richard Levine's best, and perhaps only, friend. He did not appear in either movie. In the first book he is the one who identifies the compys and at the end tells Grant that some dinosaurs may have escaped.

Jurassic Park

These characters only appear in Jurassic Park.

John Arnold

Arnold, played by Samuel L. Jackson in the film, ran the main control center from within the visitor's center. He was requested to turn off the power to the park and, while resetting the system, he forgot to reboot the power. He then had to go get it back on. He was killed by a Velociraptor. In the movie he was called Ray Arnold, possibly to distinguish him from John Hammond; however, a deleted scene from The Lost World mistakenly refers to him as John.

Robert Muldoon

Hammond's alcoholic game warden from his park in Kenya, played by Bob Peck in the film. Muldoon was in charge of guarding the velociraptors before they escaped from their cage. In the film the velociraptors outsmarted Muldoon and killed him while he was trying to hunt them; however, at the same time, he unknowingly saved Ellie Sattler by keeping the velociraptors busy while she escaped from the maintenance shed. In the novel, Muldoon survives and leaves the island after having shot many dinosaurs and burying Ed Regis' remains. The movie's Muldoon is notably more serious than his counterpart in the novel, lacking that character's alcoholism.

Dennis Nedry

Nedry worked for John Hammond and was in charge of networking Jurassic Park's computers. Nedry was hired by Biosyn to steal embryos from Jurassic Park's labs, and sell them to Lewis Dodgson. In order to steal the embryos - and make a swift escape from the park - Nedry had to shut down various security systems, including the electric fences surrounding various dinosaur paddocks. This allowed the dinosaurs to escape. (It should be noted, however, that the failure of the fences containing the Velociraptors was only indirectly caused by Nedry, since it was the result of the system reset that John/Ray Arnold was forced to undertake following Nedry's meddling.) Right before he dies, he drops the shaving cream can with the frozen embryos inside. Both the movie Nedry and the book Nedry are poisoned and subsequently killed by a Dilophosaurus. His death in the novel is far more gory and graphic than in the movie, where it is almost comedic. Wayne Knight played the role of Nedry in the movie adaption.

The name "Nedry" is a not-so-subtle anagram of "nerdy".

Dr. Henry Wu

Wu was the genetics scientist in Jurassic Park, head of the team that created dinosaurs. In the movie he discusses with the group the fact that all the dinosaurs on the island are female. Wu was played by B.D. Wong. In the novel, Wu has a much larger part; he proposes genetically altering further saurian creations to make them more manageable, something that Hammond opposes. Eventually he is killed by Velociraptors. In the movie, he survives because he left with many other scientists to return to the mainland before the storm.

Ed Regis

A Public Relations manager for International Genetic Technologies (InGen) who was present during Dr. Grant's visit to the park, and acted as a tour guide. He meets a fate similar to the film version of Gennaro (eaten by juvenile T-rex after running out of the car). He was written out of the movie, however, and certain aspects of his character were given to Donald Gennaro.

Donald Gennaro

Gennaro, portrayed by Martin Ferrero in the film, was the lawyer that accompanied the first group to Isla Nublar. In the film he was killed by a Tyrannosaurus rex while hiding from it in a small park port-a-potty. In the novel, Gennaro survives, but is mentioned as having died of dysentery in the novel of The Lost World. In the book he is strong, intelligent and occasionally brave, able to fight an injured Velociraptor and win. In the film his character is almost the polar opposite - he is cowardly and stupid, which leads him to be eaten. In the book he helps Muldoon shoot the T. rex and ventures down into the volcano to count the raptors.

Alexis "Lex" Murphy

Lex is Tim's older sister and John Hammond's granddaughter. She is a sporty girl who loves baseball. In the films, the ages and personalities of Tim and Lex were reversed, with Ariana Richards playing the computer geek Lex in the original film and also briefly in The Lost World. She is rumored to be the main character in Jurassic Park IV.

Tim Murphy

Tim is Lex's younger brother and John Hammond's grandson. He is into dinosaurs and computers. He was played by Joseph Mazzello in the Jurassic Park film and briefly in The Lost World. For the film series, the ages and personalities of Tim and Lex were reversed, with Tim younger than Lex and less "geeky" than he appears in the book.

Gerry Harding

Jurassic Park's veterinarian, who appears with the sick Triceratops in the first Jurassic Park film. In the first book he first appears to help a sick Stegosaurus and then helps Ian Malcolm recover. He survives a raptor jumping onto him from the roof, unlike Henry Wu, and is rescued at the end of the book. He thinks that Malcolm is dead but actually manages to revive him in time. It is not made clear whether he is related to Sarah Harding but there are several hints, though Crichton later says that Sarah Harding is Gerry Harding's daughter. In the novel Lost World, Sarah informs Ian Malcolm that her father was a veterinarian, much to Malcolm's surprise, as a bird specialist, which matches the description of Harding from Jurassic Park's novel. Harding is played by Gerald R. Molen, the film's producer.

The Lost World

These characters appear only in the second novel/movie, The Lost World.

Dr. Sarah Harding

Sarah is a field biologist, working in Nairobi, and the old love interest of Malcolm. Levine consults her about wild life expeditions. When Levine gets lost on the island, she is invited to Isla Sorna by Thorne, but gets to island by her own means. And, unlike in the movie, Sarah is a brunette and the current love interest of the movie Ian Malcolm. In the movie she was portrayed by Julianne Moore, and also awarded some properties of Richard Levine.

Dr. Richard Levine

Levine, one of the main characters of the second book, is a paleontologist and exact opposite to Ian Malcolm. He is only interested in details, and does not much think of the consequences of his actions. Estate of a famous toy series, he is pretty rich and snotty, but still a paleontologist recognized as brilliant. He is ordered by judge to do public service time, and he complies by teaching seventh grade, which is how he meets Arby and Kelly. Levine coincidentally learns that he is not the only one looking for the lost world, and he rushes to the Isla Sorna without informing Malcolm or Thorne. This character was completely left out in the second movie, though some of his properties were given to Sarah Harding.

Dr. Jack Thorne

Thorne is an old professor, owns a company that makes vehicles and lab equipment that can work in the wild, where there is no gas or power. In the second novel he produces the vehicles for Richard Levine and Ian Malcolm's expedition to Isla Sorna. He is also a member of the expedition team. He does not appear in the movie, and his qualities are given to the movie version of Eddie Carr.

Eddie Carr

Eddie is the aide of Thorne, and when Levine goes to the island unplanned, he becomes a part of the team since most of the vehicles were not fully tested. In the novel he is described as an African American and prefers urban. He left college to work with Thorne. In the novel, when raptors attack the team, he gets killed. In the second movie he was played by Richard Schiff, again killed in the middle but by a T-Rex as he tries to save the caravan (in the novel, Thorne saves the caravan, but does not get killed).

Howard King

Howard is the assistant to Lewis Dodgson. Once a successful biologist in Biosyn, he loses almost everything when his research fails, but then Dodgson takes King next to himself to reverse engineering department. In time, he learns how to deal with Dodgson, and how to cover his mistakes. In the second book, he goes to the island with Dodgson, but they separate when they fail to retrieve eggs from T-rex nest. Eventually, he is killed by raptors as he tries running to the forest. He does not appear in the second movie.

George Baselton

A renowned biology professor, Baselton was once hired by InGen to cover the Jurassic Park fiasco on media. He is later hired by Biosyn, and goes to the island with Dodgson to steal eggs, in the second book. He and Dodgson find the T. rex, with Dodgson using a device to keep the dinosaurs away. However, Dodgson treads too far, causing the device to become unplugged, therefore allowing the tyrannosaurs to proceed towards them. Remembering something he had heard, Baselton freezes, believing the T. rex would not be able to see him. The dinosaur quickly turns and knocks Baselton to the ground, then proceeds to tear him in half and eat him. He never appears in the movies.

Arby Benton

Arby is an African American seventh grade student, very smart and talented with computers and electronics. His parents are doctors, and pretty rich. That, and also the fact that he is younger than his classmates (since he skipped a year) makes him feel alienated. His closest friend is Kelly. Arby helped Thorne to extract information from Levine's InGen computer when Levine goes missing. And when Thorne forbid them to join the Isla Sorna expedition Arby planned how to hide in the equipment. On the island again he helped with computer systems, especially by logging in InGen's video network. He took some injuries when raptors snatched the protective cage, with him locked inside, to their nest. He does not appear in the second movie.

Kelly Curtis

Kelly is the closest friend of Arby, and a classmate. Like Arby she is smart, yet in all other issues she is completely different; she is Caucasian, adventurous and free minded. Her family isn't very rich, and her parents divorced. Unlike other youth Kelly is fascinated by science, and a big fan of Sarah Harding. It was her idea to go with the group, once she learned that Harding will join the group later, but she left the planning to Arby. On the island she meets with her idol, though doesn't help much until the end. The movie featured a girl named Kelly, whose role was changed to that of Malcolm's African-American daughter, who stowed away to spend time with her father. Her most notable (and in the opinions of many, annoying) feat was using gymnast skills to kick a velociraptor through a window. The raptor was seen flailing around on its side with a wooden stake driven through its abdomen, making Kelly the only human (in the films) to kill a dinosaur. She was portrayed by Vanessa Lee Chester.