Actress Ariana Richards Stuns At ‘Jurassic World Dominion’ Premiere Three Decades After Original Film

Jun 14, 2022

“Jurassic Park” is a science fiction action film from 1993 that sparked the successful Steven Spielberg franchise that has since gone on to be loved by millions of people. The original film depicted the story of a team of genetic scientists who created a wildlife park filled with dinosaurs that were resurrected from their extinction. Some of the film’s most popular stars include Samuel L. Jackson, Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern, BD Wong and Ariana Richards.

Ariana was just 13 years old when she portrayed the role of Lex Murphy in the film “Jurassic Park.” The former actress turned painter was born on Sept. 11, 1979, in Healdsburg, California. Many of her family members have also shown to be very talented in the entertainment industry and other creative jobs, including her father Gary Richards, who was a film producer and public relations representative.

Ariana acted in a number of television shows and films during her career, but she is most recognized for her role in the “Jurassic Park” franchise. Over the years, the franchise has won several awards and earned plenty of recognition, resulting in five sequels with the most recent one, released in June 2022, called “Jurassic World Dominion.”

Even though Ariana does not star in the latest installment of the franchise, she still showed her love and support for the “Jurassic Park” family and fans by making an appearance at the movie’s premiere in June 2022. It’s been 29 years since the first film was released, and at the age of 42, Ariana definitely looks much different now than she did when she first portrayed Lex Murphy.

Ariana made her acting debut back in 1987 in “Into the Homeland.” She went on to appear in a few of the “Tremors” films before finally landing the role of Lex Murphy in the science fiction action movie “Jurassic Park” in 1993. The then-actress reprised her role in the sequel “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” before going on to appear in several other films outside of the successful franchise. She also made appearances in television shows such as “The Golden Girls” and “Boy Meets World.”

Speaking with Interview magazine in 2011, Ariana explained how much her life changed after working in the film. She said:

“It’s a film that touched so many people when it came out … It was one of those things where I just enjoyed the experience of creating the movie, and then everything that happened after, the whole landslide, was all a surprise. I was not prepared for the fact that huge numbers of people would recognize me on a daily basis.”

Ariana has since retired from acting, and according to her website, now focuses on being a full-time painter and her emerging art career. Back in 2001, she graduated from Skidmore College with a degree in fine art and drama before furthering her education at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.

Ariana has also had a busy personal life full of ups and downs. She married Mark Aaron Bolton in Jan. 2013 and the couple welcomed their daughter two years later. Sadly, on June 2, 2022, Ariana announced on Instagram that her father, Gary, passed away.

Ariana uploaded a photo of herself alongside her sister Bethany Richards and her father from the 1994 Youth in Film Awards, where she won an award for “Jurassic Park.” In the caption, she explained how Gary used to accompany her to many of her events, “no matter how busy he was.”

Unfortunately, Gary was not there to accompany Ariana when she made a surprise appearance at the Los Angeles premiere of “Jurassic World Dominion” just five days later. The new film features some of the franchise’s original stars, such as Dern, Goldblum and Wong, as well as newer cast members Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.

According to PEOPLE, Ariana's attendance at the movie premiere marked 29 years since she was in the first film in the “Jurassic Park” franchise. The former actress even went with Joseph Mazzello, who played her younger brother Tim. She told The Sun Showbiz that seeing how long the franchise has gone on is “rather surreal.”

Nowadays, Ariana is 42 years old, and her life looks a lot different than it did when she was just 13 playing the role of Lex. She has certainly grown a lot and her passions have changed as she has found more ways to be her beautiful, authentic self.

Speaking with Interview magazine about possibly returning to acting, Ariana said:

“People ask me, ‘So did you step away from acting or decide to leave the business?’ I let them know it’s not about making a choice. Acting is always going to be something that’s in my blood. It’s more that my interest has been really taken by visual art and doing the oil paintings for people … If some really interesting role came along and found me, I’m sure I’d be thrilled to do it.”

What do you think about Ariana Richards’ life and career change? Do you hope she returns to acting? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to any “Jurassic Park” fan you know!