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 ...

'' (1995) and '' Harriet the Spy'' (1996), before her breakthrough role in

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

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

Biography

Chester was born on July 2, 1984, at

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, where she began auditioning for and appearing in commercials. Chester made her film debut in the comedy '' CB4'' (1993) starring

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

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's ''

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

Michelle Trachtenberg Michelle Christine Trachtenberg (October 11, 1985 – February 26, 2025) was an American actress. After beginning her career in television commercials at age three, she made her television debut in her first credited role on the Nickelodeon ser ...

as Janie in the

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

film '' Harriet the Spy,'' 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, such as ''Jurassic Park'' (1993) and ''Independence Day'' (1996), as well as their sequels. Goldblum ...

). 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 television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 9, 2000, and ended on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons consisting of 151 episodes. The ...

'' and ''

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.'' 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 Eric Tyrone "Ty" Hodges II is an American actor, director, and screenwriter. He is known primarily for his roles in Disney Channel films and television shows, including his role as Larry Houdini in '' Don't Look Under the Bed'' and Larry Beale ...

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

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