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“Are those meat-eating, uh... meat-a-sauruses?” Born in Healdsburg, California, she is the daughter of Gary Richards, a film producer, and Darielle, a PR representative. Her sister Bethany is also an actress. She is Italian and English. She graduated from Skidmore College in 2001 with a degree in Fine Art & Drama with distinction. She continued to instruct at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.

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Career

She made her acting debut in a made-for-cable release Into the Homeland in 1987. Her biggest role was as Lex Murphy in the first Jurassic Park film, she reprised the role in the sequel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park too. She also has been Mindy Sternfood in the first Tremors film and reprised her role in the second sequel, Tremors 3: Back to Perfection. She also was in the television film, Switched at Birth. She has been features in other films such as Angus and even guest appeared on many television series including Boy Meets World, Empty Nest and The Golden Girls, to name a few.

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She has had been in music videos including Brick by Ben Folds Five in 1998. She also was in the September 2006 issue of Empire, a British movie magazine. She discussed her possible return to acting. She was in the 2013 film Battledogs.

She was voted #98 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Child Stars.

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“Being in the public eye brought a lot of challenges, and I'm really fortunate that I am really close with my family and I had them close to me always,” she said. Turning down dozens of high-profile roles much to the shock of her agent and father, Richards says, “I find art to be incredibly challenging, but rewarding.” However, if anyone can get her back in front of the camera, she says it will always be Steven Spielberg.”

She says she isn’t opposed to coming back to acting. “If Steve does one day decide to write me a role, it would be an even greater challenge to turn that down,” Richards said. With nothing but good experiences on the set of Jurassic Park both with Spielberg and costars like Jeff Goldblum and Laura Dern, Richards says the cast still keeps in touch after all these years. “I am really happy to have that friendship and be able to keep in touch,” she said. “It’s great. Of course, [Steve] is a genius, but he’s also a pretty spectacular person.”

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Personal Life

She married Mark Bolton in January 2013, who is an Irish immigrant, performer and former Irish Defence Forces soldier. They have a daughter together born in 2015.

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She has received many awards including the 2005 National Professional Oil Painting Competition and the 2006 Art of the West’s Award of Excellence for her art. She spends most of her time working in Salem Oregon. She enjoys painting portraits at the Gallery Ariana. One of her prized possessions in her portfolio for gallery visitors to see is one of her very first paintings, a landscape of Jurassic Park.

Only the future can tell us the likelihood that she will reprise her role in future Jurassic Park. Until then, she’ll continue to pursue her love of painting and inspiring the world through another form of media.

Awards

She has won a variety of awards as an actress when she was young including:  

• Favourite Newcomer – Japan: Jurassic Park (1994)
• Favourite Newcomer – Australia: Jurassic Park (1994)
• Favourite Newcomer – United Kingdom: Jurassic Park (1994)
• Bambi Award: Jurassic Park (1993)
• Young Artist Award – Best Young Actress in a Motion Picture: Jurassic Park (1993)
• Young Artist Award – Best Young Actress in a Television Movie: Locked Up: A Mother's Rage (1992)
• Young Artist Award – Best Young Actress in a Television Movie: Switched At Birth (1991)