Whatever Happened to the Kids in the Jurassic Park Trilogy?

Mazzello followed in his sister's footsteps acting in television commercials when he was five years old (his birthdate is September 21, 1983.)

Prior to "Jurassic Park," Mazzello was Bobby in "Radio Flyer" and Jason in "Jersey Girl" (both made in 1992). He was cast as Lex's younger brother, although in the book, the character of Tim was older. He very briefly reprised his role as Tim Murphy in "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" (1997).

He also appeared in "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" in 2003 and "Without a Trace" in 2004 along with a number of other movie roles along the way.

Evidently, Mazzello was also concentrating on his education as he graduated from the University of Southern California in 2005. In 2007, Mazzello directed and starred in "Matters of Life and Death" (his directorial debut).

He has just completed work in "The Pacific" an HBO mini-series, produced by Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman. It is slated to air sometime in March 2010.

Ariana Richards - Lex Murphy in Jurassic Park

You first saw her in "Tremors" (1990) as Mindy Sterngood, the little girl on the pogo stick. But even before that, Richards made appearances on "The Golden Girls," "Empty Nest" and "My Sister Sam." She very briefly reprised her Jurassic Park role in "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" in 1997. She also reprised her Tremors role in "Tremors 3: Back to Perfection" in 2001.

But Richards has another talent: she is an extremely gifted artist. She earned a B.S. Degree in Fine Art and Drama at Skidmore College and also attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. Her ancestry can be traced back to artist Carlo Crevelli.

In 2005, she won first place in the National Oil Painting Competition sponsored by American Artist Magazine. In 2006, she received the Art of the West's Award of Excellence in the Western Regional Competition sponsored by Oil Painters of America.

A member of the Portrait Society of American and the Oil Painters of America, once you visit her site, you'll understand why she spends more time painting than contemplating a return to the big screen.

Vanessa Lee Chester - Kelly Malcolm in "The Lost World" Jurassic Park"

She was born July 2, 1984 and landed her first role in "CB4" in 1993. She was also in "A Little Princess" (1995) as Becky and "Harriet the Spy" (1996) as Janie Gibbs. She has made appearances since her role in The Lost World, on "Malcolm in the Middle (2002)," "Without a Trace (2005)," and "Veronica Mars (2006)." Her latest role was in "17 Again (2009)" as "Cheerleader #1."

She received a Bachelor of Science degree with a minor in business from the University of Southern California in 2006.

Although talented and very pretty, very little is known about this actress.

Trevor Morgan - Erik Kirby in "Jurassic Park III"

If you've seen "The Sixth Sense" (1999), you've seen Trevor Morgan. He was Tommy Tammisimo, the kid who tormented Cole, Haley Joel Osment's character.

Born in Chicago, Illinois on November 26, 1986, Morgan began his acting career long before "The Sixth Sense." At the age of six, he was discovered in a shopping mall. His face appeared on a Life cereal box until his first movie "Family Plan" in 1997.

After "Jurassic Park III," Morgan appeared in "CSI Miami (2005)," and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2007), His latest endeavors are "My Mom's New Boyfriend (2008)," "Fault Line (2009)" and "Wake (2010, in post-production)."

Maybe today's kids in Hollywood (and their parents) are more savvy about their options. Whatever the reason, it's good to know these kids chose to lead productive lives as adults rather than following paths of self-destruction as has happened to some child actors in the past.