Ariana Clarice Richards Ariana Clarice Richards (left), Albert Watson (center) and Richard Chamberlain star in 'Island Son' at 9 this evening on CBS (born September 11, 1979) is an American painter and actress. She is best known for her role as Lex Murphy in the 1993 film Jurassic Park. Richards won several Young Artist Awards for her acting as a child, but as an adult has focused primarily on her art career.
Acting Born September 11, 1979, See also: a native of Healdsburg, California. Richards made her acting debut in an episode of The Golden Girls in 1987;"Mailbag: More Dinosaurs to Come?". The Marshall News Messenger. April 28, 1996. p. 43. Retrieved May 17, 2024. "Born in Healdsburg, California (in Sonoma County), Ariana got her first modeling job at the age of seven 'It was so much fun I knew I wanted to do more, and to act.' She began with commercials and, in that same year, landed her first acting job on an episode of 'The Golden Girls'." later that year she made her big-screen bow in Into the Homeland, a made-for-cable release that starred Powers Boothe. She had a supporting role as Carol Wetherby in Prancer. She appeared as Mindy Sterngood in the first Tremors, film and reprised her role in the second sequel Tremors 3: Back to Perfection, which went straight-to-video.
She portrayed Lex Murphy in the first Jurassic Park film; she reprised the role briefly in the sequel The Lost World: Jurassic Park. She has been featured in other films such as Angus, where she played a high school cheerleader; she also appeared on television episodes of The Golden Girls, Empty Nest and Boy Meets World.
In addition to acting in movies, Richards appeared in the 1997 music video "Brick" by Ben Folds Five, portraying a high school student having an abortion. She appeared in the September 2006 issue of the British movie magazine Empire discussing a possible return to acting. Richards starred in the 2013 film Battledogs, shot in Buffalo, New York.
In February 2014, Richards was voted No. 98 on VH1's 100 Greatest Child Stars.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1988 I'm Gonna Git You Sucka Little Girl 1989 Face of the Enemy Voice-over Prancer Carol Wetherby 1990 Tremors Mindy Sterngood Spaced Invaders Kathy Hoxly 1992 Timescape Hillary Wilson 1993 Jurassic Park Lex Murphy 1995 Angus Melissa Lefevre 1997 Lex Murphy Cameo appearance 2001 Tremors 3: Back to Perfection Mindy Sterngood Direct-to-video 2013 Battledogs Donna Voorhees Also known as "Ward's Island"Jurassic Park Star All Grown Up on The Yo Show. Accessed October 19, 2012.
Television Year Title Role Notes 1987 Lisa Episode: "And Then There Was One" Into the Homeland Ember Swallow (age 5 & 7) Television film 1988 My Sister Sam Morgan Episode: "Life, Death and Admiral Andy" 1989 Empty Nest Phoebe Swenson Episode: "Harry Snubs Laverne" 1990 Island Son Tess Delaney Episode: "Viruses" The Incident Nancy Television film 1991 Switched at Birth Kimberly Mays, Age 9-11 Television film 1992 Locked Up: A Mother's Rage (aka The Other Side of Love) Kelly Gallagher Television film Against Her Will: An Incident in Baltimore Nancy Television film 1994 The Kidsongs TV Show Herself Episode: "Dinosaur Day" 1995 Capitol Critters President's Granddaughter Voice onlyEpisode: "If Lovin' You Is Wrong, I Don't Wanna Be Rat" 1996 Born Free: A New Adventure Valerie Porter Television film Boy Meets World Claire Ferguson Episode: "Dangerous Secret" 1997 Total Security Karen Dieboldt Episode: "Who's Poppa?" Sarah Stewart Television film 1998 Broken Silence: A Moment of Truth Movie (a.k.a. Race Against Fear) Mickey Carlyle Television film 2024 Mr Snuggles Daisy Web series
Music videos Year Title Original artist(s) Director(s) 1997 "Brick" Ben Folds Five Kevin Bray
Music
On December 17, 1993, Richards released a CD album First Love on the Pony Canyon label in Japan. The album was released only in Japan and is rare and out-of-print. The tracks from the CD can be viewed on the YouTube channel of Philip Jennelle. The album was a mix between teen-pop and dance-friendly ballads of the early 1990s. There was also a single released in very small volume. Ariana and her mother wrote the words to the track "You're the Reason".
Fifteen years later, Richards returned briefly to the world of music in September 2008 and released a cover version of David Foster's "The Prayer" in a duet with Chris M. Allport, whom she has known since a young age.
Art Richards has become a successful artist. Her paintings, usually of landscapes and figures, tend to be in the style of the impressionists. In October 2005, Richards won first place in the National Professional Oil Painting Competition (sponsored by American Artist magazine) for the painting Lady of the Dahlias.Fine Art Articles, Art Awards, Ariana Richards
From an early age, Richards has been a keen artist, partaking in painting, sketching, and sculpting, alongside her acting career. As an adult her artwork has evolved, featuring scenes from nature like seascapes and landscapes, managing to encompass both realism and impressionism in her work.
Personal life Richards's sister, Bethany, is an actress. Her maternal grandmother, who was of Italian ancestry, was a descendant of Renaissance painter Carlo Crivelli. In addition to Italian, her maternal grandfather, William Otto Garrison's father, John, had English ancestry. Richards is a descendant of boxer John L. Sullivan, who had Irish ancestry.
Richards married Mark Bolton in Oregon in January 2013.
As of April 2013, Richards lived in Salem, Oregon.
References
External links Gallery Ariana—Ariana Richards' art gallery website