Steven Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park” is undoubtedly one of the greatest movies ever made. After bumping 1982’s “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” from the top spot, it was the highest-grossing movie of all time until the release of “Titanic” in 1997.
The plot of the 1993 sci-fi thriller, based on Michael Crichton’s 1990 novel of the same name, is as follows: “An industrialist invites some experts to visit his theme park of cloned dinosaurs. After a power failure, the creatures run loose, putting everyone’s lives, including his grandchildren’s, in danger” (per IMDb).
One of those grandchildren, Tim Murphy, was played by Joseph Mazzello. He went on to appear in the likes of 2010’s “The Social Network” and 2018’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Other stars of the movie included A-listers like the late Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern, Samuel L. Jackson, and the late Richard Attenborough.
Everyone knows what those mega-famous stars went on to do. However, the actress who played Lex Murphy (the other grandchild), largely disappeared from the limelight after her appearance in the movie. Richards landed her role after impressing Spielberg in her audition and because the legendary director enjoyed her performance in the 1992 sci-fi flick “Timescape.”
Having been just 13 when “Jurassic Park” released over 33 years ago, Ariana Richards is now 47 years old. So what happened to her?
Ariana Richards Added to Her Acting Credits After ‘Jurassic Park’
Above is a social media post by Ariana Richards featuring several pictures of her in and on the set of “Jurassic Park.”
Following her role in “Jurassic Park,” while Richards hasn’t had a high-profile acting career, she has indeed added to her acting credits.
Movies she subsequently appeared in included the 1995 coming-of-age comedy “Angus,” the 1997 “Jurassic Park” sequel “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” (in a brief cameo role), the 2001 direct-to-video sequel “Tremors 3: Back to Perfection” (Richards had appeared in the classic 1990 original), and 2013’s Syfy television movie “Battledogs.”
On television, Richards went on to make appearances in shows like “The Kidsongs TV Show,” “Capitol Critters,” “Born Free: A New Adventure,” “Boy Meets World,” and “Total Security.”
Richards’ most recent acting credit came in 2024 in the web series “Mr. Snuggles,” in which she played Daisy.
Richards in 2026
Above is a social media post by Ariana Richards with a very recent pictures of her. She is looking absolutely fantastic.
These days, Richards has stepped away from acting completely to focus on her successful career as a fine artist and painter. Her official website, Gallery Ariana, features much of her work. Suffice it to say that it is all amazing.
Richards does, however, still appear fairly regularly at conventions. For instance, she was at New York Comic Con this year, where fans were able to meet her.
She is also very active on social media, so fans can easily keep up with what she’s up to. On Instagram, she has 145,000 followers.
The “Jurassic Park” actress is also married and a mother. Her wedding to her husband, Mark Aaron Bolton, took place in January 2013. Bolton is an Irish immigrant, a stunt performer, a former soldier of the Irish Defence Forces, and the Executive Security Manager for a film studio. Together, they have a daughter, who was born in 2015.
It’s great to see Ariana Richards doing so well and looking so fabulous. We wish her all the very best in everything she does.
Ariana Richards’ filmography and some personal info about her and her husband was courtesy of IMDb.
What Happened to ‘Jurassic Park’ Star Ariana Richards? See Where She Is Today