List of Jurassic Park characters

The following is a list of characters from Michael Crichton's novels Jurassic Park and its sequel, The Lost World. Details are also given on the characters' roles in Steven Spielberg's film adaptations, Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic Park, as well as Jurassic Park III. Jurassic Park III, directed by Joe Johnston, is not an adaptation, but contains characters and events based on Crichton's novels.

Jurassic Park

Main article: Jurassic Park (novel)

Jurassic Park is a 1990 science fiction novel written by Michael Crichton, adapted into a feature film released in 1993. As the novel opens, billionaire entrepreneur John Hammond creates a high-tech amusement park on Isla Nublar (a fictional Costa Rican island) filled with dinosaurs cloned using DNA found in prehistoric insects. In order to open the park, he must first gain the approval of several experts in different fields and invites paleontologists Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler, mathematician Ian Malcolm, and his investor's attorney, Donald Gennaro, to tour the park. Upon arrival, the experts begin discovering errors in the system, such as dinosaurs in the wrong pens and evidence of dinosaurs breeding in the wild. These errors occur in spite of Jurassic Park being run by expert computer engineers and top-notch technical systems. Soon after, due to a hurricane and industrial sabotage by a disgruntled technician, the park undergoes several technical failures and the dinosaurs escape their pens. A tyrannosaur attacks the group, separating them, and the staff make a desperate attempt to regain control of the situation. As Ian Malcolm had predicted from the start, it becomes quite clear that they had never been in control. Often considered a cautionary tale on biological tinkering in the same spirit as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the book uses the mathematical concept of chaos theory and its philosophical implications to explain the inevitable collapse of the park.

The two film sequels take place on Isla Sorna, a nearby island known as "Site B," where the dinosaurs were engineered and nurtured for a few months, before being moved to Isla Nublar, the location of the amusement park.

Dr. Alan Grant

Sam Neill as his character Alan Grant in the first Jurassic Park film

• Appears in: Jurassic Park (novel and film), The Lost World (novel), Jurassic Park III (film)
• Portrayed by Sam Neill

Dr. Alan Grant is the protagonist in the first novel, as well as the first and third films. In the novel, Grant is described as a barrel-chested, bearded man with a strong affinity for children, especially one interested in dinosaurs. Grant, based on paleontologist Jack Horner, is said to be one of the world's most renowned paleontologists, specializing in hadrosaur and other duck-billed dinosaurs such as Maiasaura. His scientific achievements, including the first description of maiasaurs, are that of Robert R. Makela and Jack Horner. In the book Grant tells the kids that he once had a wife who died years before the story began, this was never mentioned in any of the movies or games. His movie persona, played by Sam Neill, has elements similar to adventure hero Indiana Jones, such as the fact that he is commonly shown wearing a fedora-style hat.

Dr. Grant is first approached by John Hammond, the eccentric billionaire and creator of Jurassic Park, to take a tour of the park and endorse it so his investors would be more confident. Finding it hard to turn down a request from a major financial donor, Grant agrees, unaware that Hammond has managed to clone real dinosaurs. When the creatures escape, Grant becomes stranded in the park with Hammond's grandchildren. Throughout a great portion of the book, Dr. Grant and the two kids explore the park trying to find their way back to the rest of the group. In the film, much of this time is omitted, with only a few key events occurring on screen.

In The Lost World, he makes only one appearance, proposing a theory that the Tyrannosaurus rex could not function in rainy climates and writing off fellow paleontologist Richard Levine's questions about rumors surrounding InGen cloning dinosaurs as "absurd".

The film portrays a much different personality than that of the novel. In the films (particularly the first film), Dr. Grant has an introverted personality and does not like children. Throughout the course of the first film, however, he warms to the two children accompanying him, Tim and Lex. This was done because Spielberg wanted to "provid(e) a source of dramatic tension that did not exist in the novel". In the film, Dr. Grant specializes in Velociraptors, and believes that birds are closely related to dinosaurs. At the end of the film, his experience on the island changes his view of children (and dinosaurs) and he decides not to endorse Jurassic Park.

He is the central character of Jurassic Park III. In the years since Jurassic Park, Grant has continued his research on fossils, shrugging off the notion that such endeavors are moot with living breathing dinosaurs on Isla Sorna by claiming that InGen's dinosaurs are just "Genetically engineered theme-park monsters" and not real dinosaurs. As in the first film, his research is focused on raptors and he has proposed new theories regarding Velociraptor intelligence. Grant reluctantly agrees to join an allegedly wealthy couple for an aerial tour of Isla Sorna, Jurassic Park's 'Site B,' in exchange for funding for his dig site. Due to a plane crash, however, Dr. Grant and the others become stranded on the island. While navigating the island, he realizes, much to his dismay, that his theories about Velociraptors were correct. He discovers that the raptors have advanced intelligence and communication abilities. He manages to escape the island via a rescue operation headed by Ellie Sattler.

In the Jurassic Park universe, Grant is credited with having written at least two popular books on dinosaurs. In both Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III, his works are referenced by Tim Murphy and Eric Kirby, respectively.

Dr. Ian Malcolm

Jeff Goldblum has shown interest in reprising his role as Ian Malcolm in the upcoming movie Jurassic World.

• Appears in: Jurassic Park (novel and film), The Lost World (novel and film)
• Portrayed by Jeff Goldblum

Dr. Ian Malcolm is another key figure in the Jurassic Park universe. The character of Ian Malcolm functions as the "ironic commentator inside the story who talks about the action as it takes place". He is a mathematician at the University of Texas at Austin who specializes in chaos theory. His character is based on both Ivar Ekeland and James Gleick. Malcolm's all-black clothing style reflects that of Heinz-Otto Peitgen, a mathematician who wrote a richly illustrated book on fractals: Heinz-Otto Peitgen & P.H. Richter, eds., 1986. The beauty of fractals: images of complex dynamic systems (Springer-Verlag), 199pp

Throughout Jurassic Park, he makes several predictions based on chaos theory about the consequences and ultimate failure of attempting to control nature. These predictions often turn out to be correct. During his time on the island, Malcolm is seriously injured during the initial tyrannosaur attack. He survives and is brought back to the visitor's center, and spends the remainder of the novel bedridden, usually under the influence of high doses of morphine, continuing to comment on the Park's inherent flaws and impending collapse. Though he is declared dead at the end of the novel, in the sequel, he explains that the declaration was premature. Due to timely intervention by Costa Rican surgeons, he survives the ordeal, but ends up with a permanent leg injury, requiring a cane to walk.

Malcolm is the protagonist of The Lost World. This time, he is asked to join an expedition to Isla Sorna, Jurassic Park's secondary site, by wealthy adventurer Richard Levine. Malcolm initially declines, but decides to go when word comes back that Levine has gone alone and is trapped on the island. Malcolm takes charge of Levine's remaining expedition and mounts a rescue. The Ian Malcolm of this novel is more proactive and vigorous, and seems to know much more about dinosaurs. As in the first novel, however, Malcolm is again injured in a dinosaur attack but survives. In the film adaptation of the second novel, John Hammond hires Malcolm and others to visit the island in order to document the dinosaurs in their natural habitat. Malcolm agrees, but only to rescue his girlfriend, Dr. Sarah Harding, who had already set out for the island. Once there, the team must contend with a storm, menacing dinosaurs, and a rival expedition intent on harvesting dinosaurs for a Jurassic Park-like attraction on the mainland.

Dr. Ellie Sattler

• Appears in: Jurassic Park (novel and film), The Lost World (novel), Jurassic Park III (film)
• Portrayed by Laura Dern

Ellie Sattler is, in the novel, a graduate student studying under Dr. Alan Grant who specializes in paleobotany and is from Montana. She accompanies Dr. Grant on the tour of InGen's dinosaur preserve. Though she is initially thrilled to tour the park, she is disappointed at how little attention the staff has paid to reproducing prehistoric plant life, such as by placing poisonous plants in public areas and near the swimming pools. While the rest of the group tours the Park by Land Cruiser, she stays with Dr. Harding, the park vet, to help discover the cause of sick Triceratops. After the Tyrannosaurus rex attack, she helps Dr. Harding take care of Ian Malcolm’s injuries. During the raptor assault on the visitor's center, Sattler uses herself as bait in an attempt to distract a pack of Velociraptors trying to get into the lodge. Though she survives the events of the novel, she does not play a role in the sequel novel. She is mentioned in passing as having married a Berkeley physicist, and doing guest lectures there on prehistoric pollens.

Ellie has a more dominant role in the first film than in the novel. Steven Spielberg wrote out Ed Regis completely and caused Gennaro to be killed off near the beginning of the film, making Ellie do many of the things done by Donald Gennaro in the novel. In the film, it is Ellie who ventures out of the bunker with Muldoon to bring the park's power systems back online. Additionally, in the film, Ellie is both a doctor of paleobotany and in a relationship with Dr. Grant. Spielberg did this not only to add tension to the film, but also because he felt that she didn't get enough attention in the book. While her time assisting Dr. Harding was in the film, the animal they were treating was changed to a Triceratops.

She appears briefly in Jurassic Park III. According to the film, her relationship with Dr. Grant ended after the first film, but they remain close friends. She is married to Mark Degler, an attorney for the U.S. State Department who specializes in treaty law. They live in Washington, D.C. with their children and host Alan for dinner. Later, when he is stranded on the island, it is Ellie who Grant calls for help. She tells her husband, who sends in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marines to rescue them.

John Hammond

Spielberg enlisted fellow director Richard Attenborough to play John Hammond, the park's creator.

• Appears in: Jurassic Park (novel and film), The Lost World (film)
• Portrayed by Richard Attenborough

John Hammond is one of the primary antagonists of the novel. He is the owner of Jurassic Park and founder of InGen. According to the novel, his full name is John Alfred Hammond, but in a video game based on the film, he is referred to as John Parker Hammond. Though he is not modeled after anyone in particular, in an interview, Crichton explained that Hammond is like the "dark side of Walt Disney". He is portrayed as a cold, eccentric CEO interested only in making a profit and succeeding in creating dinosaurs. When rehearsing to Dr. Wu why he chose to spend his money on an amusement park rather than helping mankind, Hammond replied, "That's a terrible idea. A very poor use of new technology...helping mankind (is) a very risky business. Personally, I would never help mankind."

In the novel, Hammond takes little responsibility for the park or its failures and instead blames others for anything that goes wrong. He concludes that the people he selected as the park's senior staff have character flaws that prevent his vision for the park from being realized. During the events of the novel, he remains in the relative safety of the visitor's center, continuing to believe that he is in control, even as the situation around him grows exceedingly dire. When his grandchildren get lost in the park, he maintains his belief that order will soon be restored and that the children are in no real danger. Near the end of the novel, when the staff regains control of the park, he goes outside for a walk. He rationalizes the disaster in the cold manner of a corporate systems analyst, deciding that everything that has happened was merely a fluke and that next time he will do better, believing that he can use this catastrophe to solve any later problems. While he is out, however, he is startled by the sound of a Tyrannosaurus rex roar, falls down a hill, and breaks his ankle. He is unable to climb up the hill and is subsequently killed by a pack of Procompsognathus.

In a stark contrast to the cool, uncaring persona depicted in the novel, Hammond's film counterpart is a jovial and kind man who, in the end, takes responsibility for his actions. He is depicted as a sympathetic grandfather who means well and appears less interested in profit than his novel counterpart, with some of the greedy negative aspects being transferred to Gennaro. The film's Hammond has a deeper, more emotional understanding of creating attractions for children and families, (going as far as to say Jurassic Park is not meant to be only for the rich) and desires to make this attraction a scientific reality (as opposed to an illusion). However, he is misguided in his steadfast belief that his creations are under control, as he underestimates the power of genetics. He also has little regard for scientific research doctrine, being more interested in the applications of genetic engineering than in the moral implications of such creations. When the security system breaks down, he and his staff work to restore power and rescue the experts and his grandchildren, while themselves remaining in a secure control room. By the film's conclusion, as he and the other survivors leave the island, he acknowledges the dangers that he has created. Hammond leaves the island willingly, but reluctantly, and is last seen pondering both the potential and the danger of what his creations represented. In the second film, he is older and appears to be in failing health. His position as CEO has been taken away by his nephew, so he devotes what resources he has left keeping the dinosaurs of Site B isolated from the rest of the world. His nephew, however, arranges a large expedition to capture as many dinosaurs as possible and rebuild Jurassic Park on the mainland. In an attempt to stop him, Hammond sends a small party, including a reluctant Ian Malcolm, to intercept them. Ultimately, the expedition is halted and Hammond is able to publicly advocate his idea to leave the dinosaurs in peace on the island.

Dr. Martin "Marty" Guitierrez

• Appears in: Jurassic Park (novel), The Lost World (novel)

Dr. Marty Guitierrez is an American biologist who lives in Costa Rica. He plays an expository role in both novels. In the first novel, he identifies an unknown lizard that attacks a little girl as Basiliscus amoratus. He is initially unhappy with this identification because the lizard was more poisonous than expected and had three toes. He searches the beach where she was attacked and finds the corpse of a similar lizard in the mouth of a howler monkey, which he promptly sends to the laboratory for tropical diseases at Columbia University in New York for further study.

In the second novel, he finds and shows Richard Levine a dried up corpse of an unknown creature, oddly similar to the ones found prior to the Jurassic Park incident. He informs Levine that no one knows where these creatures are coming from.

Lex Murphy

• Appears in: Jurassic Park (novel and film), The Lost World (film)
• Portrayed by Ariana Richards

Alexis "Lex" Murphy is Tim Murphy's sister and John Hammond's granddaughter.

In the novel, she is described as a seven or eight year old girl, relatively outgoing, blonde and "a sporty young girl who loves baseball". She wears a baseball glove slung over her shoulder and a baseball cap just about everywhere. Lex is shown having the traits of a stereotypical child that whines and complains. Her selfish and childish behavior often annoys the people around her and puts her and the group in danger. Throughout the novel, she shows characteristics of her grandfather, John Hammond, such as being unkind, careless, and unappreciative of the events occurring around her.

In Spielberg's 1993 film, Lex is the elder of the two siblings and has a completely different personality, similar to that of her brother's from the novel. In the film, Lex has advanced computer skills, being a "computer geek", according to Tim, that help the survivors escape a pack of Velociraptors. While initially frightened by many of the dinosaurs, Lex eventually gains maturity and courage and is instrumental in rebooting the park's systems. Much like Dr. Ellie Sattler, Lex's personality is improved to add strong female roles to the film. She makes a cameo in the second film when Ian Malcolm comes to visit John Hammond.

Tim Murphy

• Appears in: Jurassic Park (novel and film), The Lost World (film)
• Portrayed by Joseph Mazzello

Timothy "Tim" Murphy is Lex Murphy's brother and John Hammond's grandson. He is described as a bespectacled boy of about eleven who has an interest in dinosaurs and computers. His quick thinking and encyclopedic knowledge of dinosaurs aid the group several times, and Tim is instrumental in discovering that dinosaurs have escaped the island, as well as regaining the means to warn the mainland in time. Later, Tim's ingenuity and technical knowledge allow him to navigate the Park's computer systems and reactivate the physical security systems before the Velociraptors gain access to the visitor's lodge. His expertise regarding dinosaurs rivals Dr. Grant's, and is clearly superior to that of Dr. Henry Wu, the scientist who created the dinosaurs. Already familiar with his work before they meet, Tim almost immediately strikes up a friendship with Dr. Grant. According to Grant, "it's hard not to like someone so interested in dinosaurs". Tim's father doesn't share his interest in paleontology, so the dinosaur-loving Grant forms an instant bond with Tim during their time in the park.

In Spielberg's film, Tim and Lex's ages were swapped so that Lex was the older sibling and some aspects of his personality and story responsibilities were given to Lex. For example, he is still the child interested in dinosaurs, however all of his computer knowledge was given to Lex. This was done so that Spielberg could work specifically with actor Joseph Mazzello, who was younger than Ariana Richards and to make Lex into a stronger character.

Dr. Lewis Dodgson

• Appears in: Jurassic Park (novel and film), The Lost World (novel)
• Portrayed by Cameron Thor

Dr. Lewis Dodgson is the antagonist of the Jurassic Park series, and one of the few characters that appears in both novels. His name is derived from Charles Dodgson, who wrote under the pseudonym "Lewis Carroll".

In the Jurassic Park universe, Dodgson is an ambitious scientist who is unafraid to make aggressive moves generally considered unethical to get what he wants, saying that he "won't be held back by regulations made for lesser souls". Dodgson works for Biosyn, a company that rivals Hammond's and has a far spottier scientific reputation. Dodgson is described in the novels as more of a salesman than a scientist, and someone who specializes in both reverse-engineering and the adulteration/theft of the work of others. He hopes to get his hands on Hammond's technology in order to create dinosaurs of his own. He and his company seek to clone dinosaurs not as an attraction, but as potential test subjects for laboratory applications. He is portrayed as cold, ruthless, and impatient. During the first novel, Dodgson hires Dennis Nedry to steal dinosaur embryos for his company,The Biosyn Corporation, but the plot fails. In the sequel novel, Dodgson is much more ambitious and takes a team to Isla Sorna in an attempt to collect fertilized dinosaur eggs. Dodgson and his team, unconcerned with the dangers of these animals, are quickly killed.

Dodgson makes a short appearance in the first film and is completely written out of the second film. For the second film, his character's profit-driven actions and naivete regarding the dinosaurs are transferred to Peter Ludlow, Hammond's nephew and CEO of InGen.

John Arnold

• Appears in: Jurassic Park (novel and film)
• Portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson

John Raymond "Ray" Arnold is Jurassic Park's chief engineer, running the main control center from the visitor center. He is described as a thin, chain-smoking man, and a chronic worrier. A gifted systems engineer, Arnold had designed weapons for the U.S. military and later worked at several different theme parks and zoos before joining the Jurassic Park team. He was a grudgingly optimistic man, who maintained total faith in the computer systems and continued to believe that despite the setbacks, things would work out in the end. When Dennis Nedry locks them out of the system, Arnold, after much persuasion by Donald Gennaro, shuts off all power to the park and resets the computer-control systems. After turning the power back on, he believes the problem has been solved, when it has actually been made worse. By shutting down the main power grid, he turned off several systems that were unaffected by Nedry's lockout, including the Velociraptor paddock. He realizes his mistake many hours later, and volunteers to go outside and restore power to the main generator. Before he is able to, however, he is killed by an escaped Velociraptor.

In Spielberg's 1993 film, Arnold is occasionally referred to as "Ray", although his first name is John. This was done to distinguish him from John Hammond. This Arnold has a smaller role than in the novel but retains the same personality and outlook. Arnold's death is not shown on camera, but is confirmed when his severed arm falls onto Ellie Sattler's shoulder in the power shed. In a deleted scene from the second movie, Arnold's family is said to have received a $23 million settlement from InGen in a lawsuit regarding his death.

Donald Gennaro

• Appears in: Jurassic Park (novel and film)
• Portrayed by Martin Ferrero

Donald Gennaro is the attorney sent on behalf of Jurassic Park's investors to investigate the safety of the park after several reports of missing or dead workers. He is described as a short, muscular man and represents an "everyman" personality among the characters. Though he is initially worried only about disappointing his supervisors, he soon drops this when his life is threatened, focusing on survival instead. When problems begin to occur, he consistently handles them appropriately, accompanying Robert Muldoon on a mission to subdue the Tyrannosaurus and successfully restoring power, despite being ambushed by a Velociraptor. Grant claims that his negative attitude comes from trying to avoid responsibility for his role in creating the park. Near the end of the novel, Gennaro realizes that he is partially responsible for everything occurring when Grant says, "You sold investors on an undertaking you didn't fully understand...You did not check on the activities of a man whom you knew from experience to be a liar, and you permitted that man to screw around with the most dangerous technology in human history." Gennaro then helps Grant in his attempt to wipe out the remaining velociraptors and their eggs with nerve gas. Though he survives the events on the island, he dies of dysentery sometime after.^{[citation needed]}

For his film, Spielberg condensed the characters Ed Regis and Donald Gennaro and some of the negative aspects of Hammond into the same character. The result is a character who is cowardly, greedy, and often worried. When the other scientists criticize Hammond's park for various reasons, Gennaro is the only one left who supports the concept. Despite this, he is described as a "blood-sucking lawyer" by Hammond himself. When the electric fence around the Tyrannosaurus paddock fails, Gennaro is overcome by fear and abandons Tim and Lex. Hiding in a restroom stall, he is subsequently eaten by the Tyrannosaurus moments after it breaks out of its pen. In a deleted scene from The Lost World: Jurassic Park, it is stated that Donald Gennaro's family received $36.5 million from InGen in a settlement regarding his death.

Dr. Gerry Harding

• Appears in: Jurassic Park (novel and film)
• Portrayed by Gerald R. Molen (in the film) and Jon Curry (in The Game)

Dr. Gerald "Gerry" Harding is Jurassic Park's chief veterinarian. Formerly a bird expert for a major zoo, he accepted the job because he wanted to become famous for being the first person to write up zoo guidelines for the care of dinosaurs. When the group first encounters him, he is looking after a sick stegosaur. With the help of Ellie Sattler, he finds the source of the animal's sickness and is able to treat it. Being the only doctor on the island, he is the one who treats Malcolm after he is attacked by the tyrannosaur. He is attacked by a Velociraptor during the assault on the visitor's center, but ultimately survives his time on the island. Though it is not addressed directly in either of the books, Michael Crichton later revealed that Sarah Harding is Gerry's daughter.^{[citation needed]}

He makes a brief appearance in the first film with a sick Triceratops before leaving on the boat for the mainland. He also appears as one of the main characters in Jurassic Park: The Game, a film-inspired video game, where his daughter Jess appears. In the game, he is portrayed as being significantly younger than his appearance in the movie.

Robert Muldoon

• Appears in: Jurassic Park (novel and film), The Lost World (novel)
• Portrayed by Bob Peck

Robert Muldoon is Jurassic Park's game warden. Described as a burly man about fifty years of age with deep blue eyes and a steel gray mustache, Muldoon is a former wildlife hunter who had worked with Hammond on one of his previous parks in Kenya. He has experience working with dangerous animals and has a unique view of the dinosaurs. While most people are mystified by the creatures, Muldoon holds a realistic, unromantic view of the animals from his experience working with other dangerous predators. Muldoon is one of the few people who is truly aware of the potential danger that would be present if the dinosaurs ever escaped, saying "raptors are smart. Very smart. Believe me, all the problems we have so far are nothing compared with what we'd have if the raptors ever got out of their holding pen." He firmly believes that the velociraptors should be destroyed, and constantly urges Hammond to get more and better weapons in case of an emergency. Hammond ignores these warnings and in one scene calls Muldoon a drunk. He spends most of the novel riding around the park, usually with Gennaro, attempting to restore order. He is later attacked by a pack of Velociraptors, but survives by wedging himself into a pipe. He manages to kill a few of them, and eventually escapes the island with the other survivors.

In the film, his character is much more serious. In the introduction, when a worker is attacked by a Velociraptor that the park staff are transporting, he gives the order to kill it. He notes that the raptors have tested the perimeter fence in different places, probing for an opening. He remains in the control room with Hammond and Arnold, commenting on the many safety and security failures of the park. After the power failure, he drives Sattler to the Tyrannosaurus escape site where they rescue Dr. Malcolm. During an attempt to restore power, Muldoon uses his fedora to set a trap for a Velociraptor which instead outsmarts and ambushes him. Because his death was never shown on screen, rumors that the character would return in future films, albeit scarred, persisted until Bob Peck's death in 1999.^{[citation needed]} Muldoon delivers one of the signature lines in the series: once realizing that the raptors have drawn him into a trap, he remarks casually, "Clever girl," the instant before he is attacked. In a deleted scene from the second movie, Muldoon's family received $12.6 million in his death settlement.

Dennis Nedry

• Appears in: Jurassic Park (novel and film)
• Portrayed by Wayne Knight

Dennis Nedry is one of the novel's human antagonists. He is described as an obese, messy computer scientist. Nedry works for Hammond as the system's programmer and is in charge of networking Jurassic Park's computers. Though he was not given any details about InGen's operation, Nedry was expected to fix numerous bugs and issues without knowing the ultimate goal. He feels left out of the loop and doesn't feel like he is respected or paid enough for the very essential job he does. This leads him to make a deal with Dodgson of Biosyn to steal several dinosaur embryos for $1.5 million. In order to do this, he shuts down the park's security systems, including several electric fences surrounding select dinosaur paddocks. He intended to steal embryos from a secure lab, drive them through the park to a waiting agent at the dock, and return to his post before being noticed. Though it was only meant to be temporary, he crashes his Jeep and is subsequently blinded and killed by a Dilophosaurus. Though Nedry's pride in his knowledge of complex computer systems made him feel more important than the other workers, Lex(film)/Tim(novel) is later able to easily navigate the system in order to restore power to the visitor's center. In the sequel, Malcolm does not include him as one of the people whose deaths can be attributed to the park.^{[citation needed]} This implies that his death is unknown to most of the characters who presumably believed he escaped the island. Nedry's role in the film is generally the same as that of the novel.

Dr. Henry Wu

BD Wong plays the geneticist Dr. Henry Wu.

• Appears in Jurassic Park (novel and film)
• Portrayed by BD Wong

Dr. Henry Wu is a character in the first novel. Dr. Wu is the chief geneticist in Jurassic Park and head of the team that created the dinosaurs. He was a child prodigy, gaining early attention from his undergraduate thesis at MIT. Though he is the one that brings the dinosaurs to life, he demonstrates little concern for the animals, to the extent that he can't even remember exactly what species he has created. He proposes genetically altering the dinosaurs, not to improve them, but to make them more manageable, but could not get Hammond's approval. When he is later presented with the fact that the dinosaurs have been breeding, essentially proving that he had failed to engineer them properly, he mistook it as a "tremendous validation of his work". In the novel, he is killed during the assault on the visitor's center when a Velociraptor jumps down onto him from the center's roof. Wu has a greatly reduced role in the film, and leaves the island on the last boat to the mainland before the power failure.

Wu is indirectly mentioned in the second novel when Malcolm discovers old InGen documents addressed to Dr. Henry Wu scattered throughout the abandoned manufacturing plant on Isla Sorna.

Ed Regis

Appears in: Jurassic Park (novel)

Ed Regis is a publicist for InGen. Regis is often given odd jobs by Hammond that are beyond his area of expertise, such as escorting a wounded worker to a Costa Rican hospital and acting as a babysitter for Lex and Tim during their visit to the park. Despite being overconfident about the park and almost negligent about the accidents that have been occurring, fear overtakes him quickly as things begin to go wrong. When the Tyrannosaurus breaks free of its pen, he abandons the tour vehicle, leaving Tim and Lex behind. After hiding between some boulders, he tries to make his way back up to the cars but is pounced upon and ripped apart by a juvenile Tyrannosaurus. His severed leg is later discovered by Gennaro and Muldoon as they investigate the attack.

Ed Regis's character is written out of the film, though certain aspects of his character, such as his nervousness and cowardice are given to the film's version of Donald Gennaro. Gennaro's death sequence during the T. Rex attack in the film is also reminiscent of Regis's death.

The Lost World

These characters first appear in The Lost World (Crichton novel) and in Jurassic Park 2.

Richard Levine

Appears in novel only

In the Jurassic Park universe, Richard Levine is one of the world's most brilliant and richest paleontologists. Dr. Marty Guitierrez seems to be his only real friend, though he eventually forms a delicate relationship with Ian Malcolm. Levine's egotism and spontaneous personality prove to be a source of constant irritation to the rest of his colleagues, mainly Malcolm. The children, Arby Benton and Kelly Curtis, however, look up to him, causing him to develop a paternal attitude towards them.

Levine originally intended to travel to Isla Sorna as part of Malcolm's team, but, instead, heads out on his own before the Costa Rican government has a chance to destroy the island. When the rest of his team arrives, they find themselves constantly running after him when he decides to continue his research regardless of what else is happening around him. Though he is bitten twice by compies, he ultimately escapes the island without major harm.

Jack "Doc" Thorne

Appears in novel only

Jack "Doc" Thorne is a materials engineer who specializes in building field equipment, vehicles, and weaponry for scientists all over the world. He is an eclectic mix of character traits, relying on both practical expertise and Eastern philosophy, claiming that one needs to know philosophy and history to succeed in engineering. His company, Mobile Field Systems, is hired by Richard Levine to outfit his expedition to study the dinosaur population on Isla Sorna. Thorne's contribution to Levine's mission includes a large research trailer, nicknamed "The Challenger", an electric SUV, a motor bike, a pair of Lindstradt air rifles, and a modified satellite phone. When Levine goes missing on the island, Thorne ends up heading to Isla Sorna with Ian Malcolm and Eddie Carr to retrieve him. On the island, Thorne ends up saving his friends multiple times, and ends up surviving his time on the island. Thorne himself is not a character in the film, though parts of his character are integrated into its portrayal of Eddie Carr and Roland Tembo.

Ajay Sidhu

Appears in film only

Ajay Sidhu, played by Harvey Jason, is Roland Tembo's hunting partner from India. He warns Tembo's men to stay out of the long grass, but they disobey this warning and are eventually killed by Velociraptors. His death is not shown on screen, but Tembo later confirms it, by stating that Ajay "didn't make it."

Eddie Carr

Appears in novel and film

Eddie Carr, played by Richard Schiff, is the group's field equipment expert. He is added to the team sent to the island because the vehicles he designed had not been field-tested. Eddie is frightened by Isla Sorna and wants nothing more than to retrieve Richard Levine and get off the island as soon as possible. He has a slightly antagonistic relationship with Ian Malcolm, who does not like that Carr's world is so heavily influenced by unreliable electronics. He is eventually killed by a pack of raptors while fighting them off with an iron pipe. In the film, he is killed by the two adult T. rex before they push the trailers off the cliff.

In the second novel, he is described as a compact, strong 25 year old who prefers the city. In the film, he has black hair, is balding, and is at least ten years older than the description in the novel, taking on the characteristics of both himself and Doc Thorne.

Kelly Curtis/Malcolm

Appears in novel and edited in film

Kelly, played by Vanessa Lee Chester, is a close friend of Arby and, in the film only, Malcolm's daughter. Kelly is fascinated by science and idolizes Dr. Sarah Harding. When she learned that Sarah would be on the trip, she decided to sneak aboard. In both the film and novel, Kelly manages to overpower a Velociraptor by hitting one onto a broken pipe and shooting one with a Lindstradt air rifle, respectively. The film adaptation merged her character with Arby's.

R.B. "Arby" Benton

Appears in novel only

R.B. "Arby" Benton is a young African American who is friends with Kelly. He tends to be quiet and shy, but is very intelligent and good with computers. When Kelly expressed interest in stowing away in the Challenger with him, it was he who came up with a plan on how to do so.

Among rumors for the production on the fourth installment in the film franchise is the inclusion of a teenage version of Arby in a role similar to that of the novel.

Dr. Sarah Harding

Appears in novel and film

Dr. Sarah Harding, played by Julianne Moore, is an animal behaviorist who specializes in African predators. She is intelligent and rugged, and employs common sense and practicality in dangerous situations, putting the safety of her colleagues first. Her calm, skilled personality permits her to quickly take command of the group and devise ways for them to survive and escape the island. She and Ian Malcolm were in a relationship for a period, where, at one point, she claimed she was in love with him. The relationship didn't work out, though they still remained close friends. She is idolized by Kelly who sees her as tough and smart. Though it doesn't say in either the films or the novels, Michael Crichton confirmed that she was Dr. Gerry Harding's daughter.^{[citation needed]}

In the movie, Dr. Harding's character is merged with that of Richard Levine's. She is still intelligent, but impulsive and too eager to interact with the animals, often placing herself and others in danger. Her character in the film is a behavioral paleontologist, rather than an animal behaviorist, who specializes in dinosaur parenting behavior.

Howard King

Appears in novel only

Howard King is an assistant to Lewis Dodgson. Once a successful biologist employed by Biosyn, he lost credibility when his research on blood-coagulation factors failed. Dodgson hired King as his assistant in the reverse engineering department. He is divorced and has one child, who he sees only on weekends. In the novel, he accompanies Dodgson to the island, but they separate when they fail to retrieve eggs from a Tyrannosaurus nest. King eventually begins to disagree with Dodgson's dark desires, relieved when he sees his beaten body. Eventually, he is killed by Velociraptors while trying to escape from a field. His death is worked into the third movie via Udesky.

George Baselton

Appears in novel only

George Baselton is Stanford University's Regis Professor of Biology and assistant to Lewis Dodgson. It is his job to keep Dodgson and Biosyn in the clear, no matter what happens. When he and Dodgson are trying to steal tyrannosaur eggs, the sonic device Dodgson is using to keep the parent Tyrannosaurs at bay becomes unplugged. Both men stand absolutely still, falsely believing the dinosaurs' vision is based on movement. The Tyrannosaurs subsequently kill him.

Diego

Appears in novel only

Diego is Levine's guide on Isla Sorna. He is a young, enthusiastic Costa Rican who went to the island several times as a boy and knows the land better than anyone else. He does not believe there are dinosaurs there and, even when Levine warns him to be quiet, he simply says that they have nothing to fear. He seems to annoy Levine many times, not only through his insistence that only birds live on the island, but also through disobeying his orders to refrain from using items like cigarettes while on Isla Sorna. Diego is killed when he is ambushed by a Carnotaurus while he and Levine watch a Mussaurus in total awe. Carter seems to have inherited his attitude in the second film. Enrique, from the third movie, also resembles Diego.

Nick Van Owen

Appears in film only

Nick Van Owen, played by Vince Vaughn, is a video documentarian and member of Malcolm's expedition to Isla Sorna. He is an experienced documentary filmmaker, having covered wars in Rwanda and Bosnia. He has also worked with Greenpeace, the experience of which later spurs him to act in defense of the dinosaurs. He is the only member of the team to be warned about InGen's expedition, and sneaks into their camp to release captured animals and disrupt their harvesting operation. He also rescues the infant T. rex from Tembo, leading to a confrontation with its parents that strands both teams on the island. As the teams merge and work towards an escape plan, Nick easily gains the tacit respect of the rugged InGen men, as in one scene he is shown to effortlessly motivate the men while Peter Ludlow fails. His activist nature conflicts with the Great White Hunter style of Tembo, and he later covertly switches the latter's ammunition to ensure the T. rex adults won't be killed. When the group reaches the InGen compound, it is Nick who fights past the raptors and uses the radio to call for rescue. He is last seen on the first evacuation helicopter, reflecting on the experience. He is not present for the subsequent Incident in San Diego.

Peter Ludlow

Appears in film only

Peter Ludlow, played by Arliss Howard, is the newly elected CEO of InGen. He is John Hammond's nephew, and the main antagonist of the second film. He attained the position during an impromptu meeting with InGen's board of directors after an accident involving a pack of compies prompts them to unanimously oust Hammond with Ludlow as his replacement. His character, based on Lewis Dodgson, is described as ruthless, selfish, greedy, and condescending toward those who worked for him or those he disliked. As a result, he was not very well respected by the members of his team who chose to follow Roland Tembo or Nick Van Owen instead of him.

In an attempt to revitalize Hammond's original attraction, Ludlow assembled an InGen team to recover Isla Sorna's dinosaurs for display in San Diego. In the end, Ludlow only managed to bring back the male Tyrannosaurus rex and its infant, with disastrous results, as the adult T. rex began to wreak havoc on San Diego. In addition to his character, Ludlow's death also mirrors that of Lewis Dodgson; while trying to recapture the infant in the hold of an InGen cargo ship, he was confronted and captured by the adult, whom he'd thought dead after ordering it shot, and then fed to the infant.

In the non-canonical comic series, Ludlow survived the baby T. rex attack but was horribly scarred, he sat on a wheelchair due to his legs being useless and his face was covered with numerous scars. He was killed again, this time by the Velociraptors, greatly due to Tim Murphy's actions.

Roland Tembo

Appears in film only

Roland Tembo, played by Pete Postlethwaite, is a famous animal hunter hired by InGen for the expedition. Though he was hired by InGen, his primary motivation for going to Isla Sorna with his hunting partner, Ajay Sidhu was the possibility of hunting the ultimate trophy, a male Tyrannosaurus. Despite being a hunter, Tembo is not cruel or bloodthirsty and he holds a personal moral code towards others, such as preventing a possibility that his men would fall victim to predators if they camp on game trails, helping Malcolm and his team up the cliff after their trailers were knocked off by the tyrannosaurs, asking his men never to tell Kelly about the gruesome death of Dieter, and allowing the group to take a break after seeing Sarah and several of his men feeling tired during the journey. Although he gets his prize in the end, he loses the rest of his team to the raptors, including Ajay, who is characterized as Tembo's best friend. As a result, Tembo's view of hunting changes. When Ludlow offers him a job at the new Jurassic Park in San Diego, he declines, saying "I've spent enough time in the company of death." Without hesitation, Tembo leaves the island by helicopter.

Dieter Stark

Appears in film only

Dieter Stark, played by Peter Stormare, was appointed by InGen to be Tembo's second-in-command. Despite being his appointed second-in-command, Tembo does not respect him as much as he does Ajay Sidhu. This might be due to being bloodthirsty and cruel as a hunter, something which Tembo isn't. After getting lost whilst trying to find a spot to urinate, he is attacked and killed by a group of compies, this is confirmed after Tembo and Ajay find him in the night. As they return to the camp, Tembo is asked if he had found Stark, and he responds, "Just the parts they didn't like", meaning that he has found Stark's remains left by the compies.

His death mirrors that of John Hammond from the original novel. Although his surname is not verbally mentioned in the film itself, it is listed in the credits. The script states he is South African, but in the film he is portraited as Swedish, even though his name is German.

Dr. Robert Burke

Appears in film only

Dr. Robert Burke, played by Thomas F. Duffy, is InGen's resident paleontologist. Although he was considered by InGen to be one of their top scientists, he provides several pieces of incorrect information, some of which results in the death of Dieter Stark. Burke is killed by a tyrannosaur while hiding under a waterfall when he is startled by a snake slithering down into his shirt, much to Sarah, Nick, and Kelly's shock. Ironically, the snake was not poisonous.

During a conversation with Ian Malcolm, Sarah Harding states, "Robert Burke said that the T. rex was a rogue that would abandon its young at the earliest opportunity. I know I can prove otherwise." Burke's theory was disproved later in the film when adult tyrannosaurs attacked the trailer their infant was being held in.

Ed James

Appears in novel only

Ed James was hired by Dodgson shortly after the events in the first novel to get information from the survivors of the Isla Nublar incident. After following Richard Levine around for a while, he learns the location of Isla Sorna, which he then reports to Dodgson. He does not accompany either team to Isla Sorna.

Jurassic Park III

These characters only appear in the third film (there is no third novel).

Paul Kirby

Paul Kirby was the owner of a hardware store who poses as a wealthy businessman in order to lure Grant onto Isla Sorna to help the Kirbys search for their son. Bugroup is attack by the Spinosaurus on the river, Paul used himself as bait, so that the others could escape. This gave Grant enough time to scare the Spinosaurus away, by using a flare gun. He survives the incident and escapes the island. It is implied that he and his ex-wife reconcile after the events of the film, having grown closer from surviving the events together. He is played by William H. Macy in the film.

Amanda Kirby

Amanda Kirby is Paul's ex-wife who accompanies the group to Site B, feeling guilty for having lost Eric and Ben. But their plane crashes and the mercenaries she and her ex-husband, Paul, hired are killed by Isla Sorna's dangerous inhabitants. Grant later finds her son, Eric, and she seemed to reconcile her love with Paul. She survives the plane crash, the Velociraptor ambush, the Pteranodon attack, and the Spinosaurus attack at the river. She then escapes the island with Paul, Grant, Eric, and Billy. She is played by Téa Leoni in the film.

Billy Brennan

Billy Brennan is a young and overenthusiastic graduate student at Grant's dig site. He accompanies Grant to Isla Sorna and gets stranded on it with him and the Kirby's. He later steals Velociraptors eggs, to sell them for money to fund the dig site. Velociraptors then start stalking the group to get their eggs back. Grant is disgusted when he learned of this and said to him that he is "no better than the people who built this place." But he later redeems himself by saving Eric Kirby from Pteranodons. Although the Pteranodons gave him many injuries, he survived, but gets separated by the others and is presumed dead. He was then rescued by the Navy and Marines who were sent by Ellie Sattler and was reunited with Grant. He is played by Alessandro Nivola in the film.

Eric Kirby

Eric Kirby is the 12-year-old son (played by Trevor Morgan) of Paul and Amanda who ends up stranded on Site B for eight weeks, and must fend for himself. He found a way to collect T. Rex urine and to collect a Raptor Claw. Dr. Grant said he had a fossil one, from the first film, but Eric's reply was that this was a new one. Grant, after being saved from Velociraptors, reunites him with his parents. After escaping from a Spinosaurus, a flock of Pteranodons, and Velociraptors, he finally gets to leave the island with his parents, Grant, and Grant's assistant, Billy Brennan.

A separate series of books entitled 'Jurassic Park Adventures' documented Eric's time on Isla Sorna (as well as other related stories) before Grant and the others arrive. The book series was written by Scott Ciencin.

Mr. Udesky

Mr. Udesky is a meek but sardonic mercenary "booking agent" who travels with his two associates to the island when the man who was supposed to go falls ill. He gets lost from the others, who climb a tree, and is wounded by Velociraptors, who allow him to approach the tree in order to draw the others down. Their plan fails, and the Velociraptors ended up killing Udesky by snapping his neck in their anger. He is played by Michael Jeter in the film. His death was based on Howard King's death in The Lost World novel.

Cooper

Cooper is described as a tough and quiet mercenary who is killed by a Spinosaurus on the Site B runway. He was played by John Diehl in the film. He was eaten by the Spinosaurus while trying to get the plane to stop in order for him to get on. His death is what caused the plane to crash through the forest. While everyone else gets on the plane without Cooper, Udesky states "Cooper's a professional he can handle himself." This probably means he was the most experienced.

M.B. Nash

M.B. Nash was Kirby's mercenary pilot who abandons Cooper and is subsequently eaten by a Spinosaurus, which dragged him out of the plane by the legs and then released him. As he tried to crawl through the Jungle brush in an attempt to escape, the Spinosaurus pinned him to the ground with its foot, and devoured him by snapping down his neck (although his death was never actually shown on-screen). He was carrying a satellite phone given to him by Paul Kirby at the time he was eaten, which acts as a warning to the other humans. When they hear the chimes of the phone, audible from within the dinosaur's belly, they know that the Spinosaur is near, a parody on the crocodile with the clock from Peter Pan. The phone was recovered in a pile of Spinosaur dung. He is played by Bruce A. Young.

Charlie Degler

Charlie Degler is the young son of Ellie and Mark, who thinks of Alan Grant as "The Dinosaur Man". Dr. Grant calls Charlie when he is being attacked by the Spinosaurus and Charlie is distracted by the television. The show that distracted him is ironically 'Barney the Dinosaur.'

Mark Degler

Mark Degler is Ellie Degler (née Sattler)'s husband. He works for the U.S. State Department. When Dr. Grant calls Charlie to send help, he sends the phone to his mother, Ellie, who sends the phone to her husband, Mark. Mark Degler was able to use his position in the State Department to contact the military, who send marines to Isla Sorna to rescue the group. Mark Degler is shown to have had a very loving and caring personality, as shown by him changing the baby's diaper while Ellie is talking to Grant. He is played by Taylor Nichols.

"Baby" Degler

Ellie and Mark Degler are shown to have had a baby daughter, who is Charlie Degler's younger sister. She pooped in her diaper, while Ellie was talking with Dr. Grant about raptors. Ellie got up to change it, but Mark offered to change her diaper, instead. As of now, her real first name is unknown. In the credits, she is credited as simply "Baby Degler".

Enrique Cardoso

Enrique Cardoso is the operator of the illegal para-sailing service, "Dino-Soar," which brings visitors to sightsee along the coast of Isla Sorna. He is hired by Ben Hildebrand and Eric Kirby to take them to the island; however, Enrique and his Boat Driver are attacked when they enter a fog bank, causing the vessel to crash and the tourists to become stranded on Site B. Because Enrique and the driver's death could not be seen, some viewers suggested the possibility of an aquatic creature, never listed by InGen, velociraptors attacking the boat, or the Spinosaurus, though the writers themselves stated that they do not know what creature is responsible for the deaths of Enrique and the boat driver [citation needed]. He is possibly referenced in The Lost World movie when Dr. Ian Malcolm is on the phone talking to a Spanish woman and Malcolm says "I feel sorry for that guy Enrique". His character resembles Diego from the Lost World novel. He is played by Julio Oscar Mechoso.

Ben Hildebrand

Ben Hildebrand is Amanda's boyfriend. Ben is known for being adventurous and even reckless, but nevertheless very protective towards Eric. He takes Eric para-sailing near Isla Sorna. When the Boat Crew is killed by something, Ben uses his quick thinking to save himself and Eric from crashing, as he disconnects the para-sail from the vessel and glides onto the island; however, they crash-land in a tree. It is not shown how he died, and his decomposing corpse (most likely a dinosaur from the island began to eat him) is found by Grant and the others still tangled in his parachute. Nevertheless, he manages to unhook Eric free before he died. In the film, he is played by Mark Harelik.

External links

• Summary of Jurassic Park characters at SparkNotes