List of Jurassic Park (franchise) characters


The following is a list of fictional characters from Michael Crichton's 1990 novel Jurassic Park, its 1995 sequel The Lost World, and their film adaptations, Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Also included are characters from the sequel films Jurassic Park III, Jurassic World, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Jurassic World Dominion, Jurassic World Rebirth, and the short film Battle at Big Rock. These films are not adaptations and have no original source novels but contain some characters and events based on the fictional universe of Crichton's novels. Some cast members from the films have also reprised their roles [|in certain video games].
The original novel introduces several characters who would appear throughout the film series, including Dr. Alan Grant, Dr. Ellie Sattler, Dr. Ian Malcolm, John Hammond, and Dr. Henry Wu. Jurassic World introduces Owen Grady and Claire Dearing, while Fallen Kingdom introduces Maisie Lockwood, who are the lead characters of the Jurassic World trilogy.

Cast table



  • This table shows the characters and the actors who have portrayed them throughout the franchise.
  • A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film.
  • A indicates a voice-only role.
  • A indicates a cameo appearance.

Appearing in ''Jurassic Park''

Jurassic Park began as a science fiction novel, written by Michael Crichton and published in 1990. Steven Spielberg directed a film adaptation released in 1993. In both versions, John Hammond and his company InGen are building Jurassic Park, a theme park of genetically engineered dinosaurs. It is located on the fictional island of Isla Nublar, near Costa Rica. When a worker is killed in a dinosaur attack, the park's investors demand that Hammond bring experts to the island to certify its safety. Hammond invites paleontologist Alan Grant and paleobotanist Ellie Sattler, and also brings along his own grandchildren, [|Lex] and [|Tim Murphy]. Lawyer Donald Gennaro, representing Hammond's investors, invites mathematician Ian Malcolm. Using chaos theory, Malcolm strongly believes that the park is destined to fail, an idea with which Hammond disagrees. Meanwhile, the park's disgruntled computer programmer, Dennis Nedry, is bribed by a rival corporation to steal dinosaur embryos from Jurassic Park. To do so, he temporarily shuts down certain security features, which leads to a series of incidents proving Malcolm right. The group then work together to restore order and get off the island. The film adaptation omits certain characters, such as park publicist [|Ed Regis], and condenses the roles of others such as geneticist Henry Wu and veterinarian Dr. Harding.

Dr. Alan Grant

  • Appears in: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park III, and Jurassic World Dominion
  • Portrayed by: Sam Neill
Dr. Alan Grant is a paleontologist and the main protagonist in the first novel, as well as the first and third films. Crichton based Grant on paleontologist Jack Horner. Grant's research is partly focused on velociraptors. When the dinosaurs on Isla Nublar escape their enclosures, Grant becomes stranded in the park with Hammond's two grandchildren. Throughout a large portion of the book, Grant and the children explore the park trying to find their way back to the rest of the group. In the film adaptation, much of this period is omitted.
For the film, several actors were considered for the part before it went to Neill, becoming one of his most popular roles. The film portrays Grant differently than the novel, giving him an introverted personality and a dislike of children. However, over the course of the first film, he warms to Hammond's grandchildren. The film also depicts him in a relationship with Dr. Ellie Sattler, who is a student of his in the novel. They have broken up by the time that Jurassic Park III takes place. In the third film, Grant has continued his fossil research and reluctantly agrees to give an aerial tour of the dinosaurs on Isla Sorna, in exchange for dig-site financing. He and others become stranded on the island, and Grant realizes that his new theories about raptor intelligence are correct. He eventually escapes Isla Sorna.
In Jurassic World Dominion, Grant reunites with Sattler and Malcolm to investigate the giant locusts that Biosyn created. They also rescue Maisie from Biosyn. After Henry Wu helps out the humans in stopping the locust infestation, Grant rekindles his relationship with Sattler while planning to join Ian and Ramsay Cole in testifying against Biosyn.

Dr. Ellie Sattler

  • Appears in: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park III, and Jurassic World Dominion
  • Portrayed by: Laura Dern
Dr. Ellie Sattler is a paleobotanist who, in the novel, is a graduate student studying under Dr. Alan Grant. In the film adaptation, they are a couple, and she has a more prominent role. Sattler is one of Dern's most popular film roles. She briefly appears in Jurassic Park III, in which she and Grant have broken up, although they remain close friends. She is married to [|Mark], an employee of the U.S. State Department, and they have two young children. An early draft had featured Grant and Sattler as a couple in the process of splitting up.
In Jurassic World Dominion, she once again has a prominent role and is revealed to have divorced Mark by this point. She reunites with Grant and Malcolm to investigate the giant locusts that Biosyn created. They also rescue Maisie from Biosyn. After Henry Wu helps out the humans in stopping the locust infestation, Sattler rekindles her relationship with Grant while planning to join Ian and Ramsay Cole in testifying against Biosyn.

Dr. Ian Malcolm

  • Appears in: Jurassic Park, The Lost World, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and Jurassic World Dominion
  • Portrayed by: Jeff Goldblum
Dr. Ian Malcolm is a mathematician who specializes in chaos theory. His character is based on 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. According to Crichton, Malcolm's character functions as the "ironic commentator inside the story who talks about the action as it takes place".
Throughout the novel and film adaptation, Malcolm makes predictions based on chaos theory about the consequences and ultimate failure of attempting to control nature, which often turn out to be correct. Malcolm is seriously injured during a Tyrannosaurus attack and is brought back to the Visitor Center. Although he is declared dead at the end of the novel, he explains in the sequel, The Lost World, that this declaration was premature.
Malcolm is the main protagonist of The Lost World, in which he and others travel to Isla Sorna to conduct research about dinosaur extinction. He is also the main protagonist of the film adaptation, titled The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Like the novel, Malcolm travels to Isla Sorna, but for a different reason; his girlfriend, paleontologist [|Sarah Harding], has already gone there to document the island's dinosaurs, and he reluctantly goes to retrieve her. In the film series, Malcolm has several children; one of them, [|Kelly Curtis], appears in The Lost World: Jurassic Park.
Malcolm has brief appearances in the 2018 film Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, in which he advises against the rescue of the last surviving dinosaurs, which are threatened by an impending volcanic eruption on Isla Nublar. Later, when the dinosaurs are dispersed globally, Malcolm reluctantly states that humans must now co-exist with them.
Malcolm returns for a larger role in the 2022 film Jurassic World Dominion, in which he now works for Biosyn as an in-house philosopher. He uses his position to help Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler in exposing the company's locust scheme.

John Hammond

  • Appears in: Jurassic Park, The Lost World, Jurassic World, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
  • Portrayed by: Richard Attenborough
John Hammond is the wealthy owner of Jurassic Park and founder of InGen. He is also the grandfather to Lex and Tim Murphy.
His antagonistic traits in the novel were removed for the film adaptation. Although he is not modeled after anyone in particular, Crichton explained that Hammond is like the "dark side of Walt Disney". Director Steven Spielberg described the film's Hammond as "a cross between Walt Disney and Ross Perot". Attenborough was initially hesitant to accept the role, as he had not acted in 14 years and found film directing much easier. He eventually accepted the part after Spielberg pleaded for him to do so, stating "I can't see anyone else playing it but you".
Near the end of the novel, Hammond falls down a hill and breaks his ankle. He is unable to climb back up and is subsequently killed by a pack of Procompsognathus. The personality of the film's Hammond is a near opposite to the novel's version, sharing only his eccentricity. Hammond is depicted as a kind, jovial and charismatic capitalist. Unlike the novel, he survives in the film adaptation and makes brief appearances in the second film, in which control of InGen has been taken over by his nephew [|Peter Ludlow]. Hammond opposes Ludlow's plan to take dinosaurs off of Isla Sorna for a new dinosaur park in San Diego, an idea that eventually fails, with Isla Sorna being declared a nature preserve.
Attenborough was to reprise his role for the fourth film, although he suffered a fall at his home in 2008 and subsequently retired from acting. In the fourth film, Jurassic World, Hammond has been deceased for some time. A memorial statue of him is present in the new theme park known as Jurassic World. A viral marketing website for the fictional Masrani Global Corporation was launched to promote the film. According to the website, Hammond died in 1997. Simon Masrani, CEO of the Masrani Corporation and the owner of Jurassic World, is stated to have been entrusted by Hammond to direct the new park and honor Hammond's beliefs.
In Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Hammond is revealed to have been partners with [|Benjamin Lockwood] in the de-extinction of the dinosaurs, until a dispute emerges about using the same technology for human cloning, which Hammond opposes. A painting of Hammond appears in the film.