How old was Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park? Age explored

Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park (Image via Amazon Prime Video)

Jurassic Park, released in the USA on June 11, 1993, remains one of the most influential films ever made. The Steven Spielberg film not only became a mammoth box-office sensation but also set new standards when it came to technicalities of filmmaking.

The synopsis of the film on IMDb reads:

“An industrialist invites some experts to visit his theme park of cloned dinosaurs. After a power failure, the creatures run loose, putting everyone's lives, including his grandchildren's, in danger.”

Jurassic Park is memorable not just for its realistic computer-generated imagery of dinosaurs but also boasts iconic lines and characters. The character of Dr. Ian Malcolm, for instance, remains a fan-favorite to this day. Malcolm was brought to life in the film by Jeff Goldblum.

Goldblum, 40, was a relatively new face in a film whose cast comprised legendary names like Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Richard Attenborough, among others. However, Goldblum’s performance immortalized the character, which proved to be a major breakthrough in his career.

Jeff Goldblum’s age when he played Dr. Ian Malcolm

Goldblum was 40 when Jurassic Park was filmed. Born on October 22, 1952, in West Homestead, Pennsylvania, U.S., the Hollywood legend portrayed the character of Dr. Ian Malcolm when he was approaching middle age.

Dr. Ian Malcolm plays a gifted mathematician whose area of expertise is chaos theory. In the film, he visits the titular theme park of cloned dinosaurs on the tropical island of Isla Nublar. He's one of the first characters to issue the warning that playing with the laws of nature has its consequences.

The potential risks of genetic engineering were not lost on the scientific mind of Malcolm. The character was played with ample charm and gravity by Goldblum. One of the iconic lines uttered by him in the film is:

“Life finds a way."

Goldblum reprised his role for the sequels in the Jurassic World franchise. He returned as Malcolm in The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) and Jurassic World Dominion (2022).

Jurassic Park: Plot

The rich industrialist John Hammond creates a dinosaur-themed theme park on the island. Dinosaurs are re-created for the park through genetic engineering of DNA samples extracted from prehistoric mosquito fossils. To check the safety of the island, Ian Malcolm, Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler are brought to the island.

However, Hammond’s industrial rival is planning to sabotage his mission and bribes Dennis Nedry, the lead computer programmer at the park, to steal a sample of the DNA. That requires Nedry to shut off power on the island, which has disastrous consequences, as the dinosaurs, exploiting the state of the electrified fences, flee their zones and wreak havoc on people.

The film is a study of how one’s desire to play with the forces of nature can unleash disastrous results. The tragedy that occurs at the park is a man-made one, as the mammoth dinosaurs were brought back to life by human beings in the first place.

Jurassic Park, much like the classic story of Frankenstein, is a reminder of how an unbridled pursuit of scientific knowledge might eventually prove calamitous if it's not checked by humanitarian concerns.