Vanessa Lee Chester (born July 2, 1984) is an American actress. She began her career as a child actor in the films ''

A Little Princess ''A Little Princess'' is a children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, first published as a book in 1905. It is an expanded version of the short story "Sara Crewe: or, What Happened at Miss Minchin's", which was serialized in '' St. Nicholas M ...

'' (1995) and ''

Harriet the Spy ''Harriet the Spy'' is a children's novel written and illustrated by Louise Fitzhugh that was published in 1964. It has been called "a milestone in children's literature" and a "classic". In the U.S., it ranked number 12 in the 50 Best Books fo ...

'' (1996), before her breakthrough role in

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

's '' The Lost World: Jurassic Park'' (1997).

Biography

Chester was born on July 2, 1984 at

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, to Guyanese parents who immigrated to the United States. In her early childhood, she relocated with her mother to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, where she began auditioning for and appearing in commercials. Chester made her film debut in the comedy ''

CB4 ''CB4'' is a 1993 American satirical comedy film directed by Tamra Davis and starring Chris Rock. The film follows a fictional rap group named "CB4", named after the prison block in which the group was allegedly formed (Cell Block 4). The movie ...

'' (1993) starring

Chris Rock Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Known for his work in comic film, television and stage, he has received multiple accolades, including three Grammy Awards for best come ...

. The following year, she appeared in a supporting role in

Alfonso Cuarón Alfonso Cuarón Orozco ( , ; born 28 November 1961) is a Mexican filmmaker. He is known for directing films in a variety of genres including the family drama ''A Little Princess (1995 film), A Little Princess'' (1995), the romantic drama ''Gre ...

's ''

'' (1995). In 1996, she appeared opposite

Michelle Trachtenberg Michelle Trachtenberg (; born October 11, 1985) is an American actress and model. Trachtenberg began her career at age three, appearing in a number of commercials, films, and television series as a child. Her starring role on the Nickelodeon tel ...

as Janie in the

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...

film ''

,'' which was a moderate box office success. The following year, she was cast in a lead role as Kelly in

's '' The Lost World: Jurassic Park'' (1997), playing the daughter of Ian Malcolm (

Jeff Goldblum Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum (; born October 22, 1952) is an American actor and musician. He has starred in some of the highest-grossing films of his era, such as ''Jurassic Park'' (1993) and '' Independence Day'' (1996), as well as their sequels. ...

). The film was a box office hit, grossing over $600 million worldwide. Chester later worked mostly in television, most notably appearing in ''

Malcolm in the Middle ''Malcolm in the Middle'' is an American family television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for Fox. The series premiered on January 9, 2000, and ended on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes. The series follows a dysfunctional ...

'' and ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American serial (radio and television), serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the ...

.'' She was nominated for a Saturn Award (''The Lost World: Jurassic Park''), Image Award (''The Lost World: Jurassic Park''), Young Artist Award (''A Little Princess'') and took home the Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film – Supporting Young Actress (''Harriet The Spy''). In early 2012, Chester began work on an unnamed film by Ty Hodges.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chester, Vanessa Lee Actresses from New York City Actresses from Los Angeles American child actresses American film actresses American people of Guyanese descent American television actresses Living people African-American actresses 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses University of Southern California alumni 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 1984 births 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people