# Vanessa Lee Chester
**Vanessa Lee Chester** (born 1984) is an American actress best known for the child and teen roles of Becky in *A Little Princess* (1995), Janie Gibbs in *[Harriet the Spy](https://www.edgepedia.org/harriet-the-spy-film)* (1996), and Kelly Curtis, the daughter of [Jeff Goldblum](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeff-goldblum)'s character, in *The Lost World: Jurassic Park* (1997).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0156345/) She has continued working in film and television into adulthood, with guest roles on series including [Veronica Mars](https://www.edgepedia.org/veronica-mars), The West Wing, Switched at Birth, Scorpion, and Shameless, and recent appearances in independent films such as Pretty Problems (2022) and The Invisible Raptor (2023).[2](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-19784/filmographie/) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0156345/fullcredits)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1984; IMDb lists Brooklyn, New York City, while Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango list Hollywood, California[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0156345/) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/vanessa_chester) |
| First film credit | CB4 (1993), as Talona, at age 8[5](https://actoragecheck.com/actor/Vanessa-Lee-Chester/4938) |
| Breakout role | Kelly Curtis (Kelly Malcolm) in The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), a film that grossed over $600 million worldwide[6](https://moviemetropolis.net/2017/05/21/exclusive-interview-with-the-lost-worlds-vanessa-chester/) |
| Best-rated film | A Little Princess (1995), 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, in which she played the servant girl Becky[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/vanessa_chester) |
| Early television | Guest and recurring roles on Me and the Boys, Hanging With Mr. Cooper, In Living Color, and Sesame Street before age 13[7](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/actors-dialogue-erika-christensen-vanessa-lee-chester-38563/) |
| Recognition | Nomination for the Hollywood Reporter's YoungStar Award for A Little Princess[7](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/actors-dialogue-erika-christensen-vanessa-lee-chester-38563/) |
| Family background | Oldest child of Guyanese immigrants and the first member of her family born in the United States[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0156345/fullcredits) |
## Early work
Chester began performing at age three and built a resume of voiceovers and dozens of commercials before her film career started.[7](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/actors-dialogue-erika-christensen-vanessa-lee-chester-38563/) Her first screen appearance was in the 1993 comedy *CB4*, where she played Talona at age 8.[5](https://actoragecheck.com/actor/Vanessa-Lee-Chester/4938) [Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/television) work in the early and mid-1990s included guest and recurring parts on *Me and the Boys*, *Hanging With Mr. Cooper*, *In Living Color*, and *Sesame Street*.[7](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/actors-dialogue-erika-christensen-vanessa-lee-chester-38563/)
**A Little Princess.** In 1995 Chester played Becky, the servant girl and friend of Sara Crewe, in [Alfonso Cuarón](https://www.edgepedia.org/alfonso-cuaron)'s adaptation of [Frances Hodgson Burnett](https://www.edgepedia.org/frances-hodgson-burnett)'s novel.[7](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/actors-dialogue-erika-christensen-vanessa-lee-chester-38563/) A Backstage profile called it a critically acclaimed performance, and it brought her a nomination for the Hollywood Reporter's YoungStar Award.[7](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/actors-dialogue-erika-christensen-vanessa-lee-chester-38563/) The film remains her highest-rated title on Rotten Tomatoes at 97 percent.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/vanessa_chester)
## Harriet the Spy and The Lost World
In 1996 she played Janie Gibbs, Harriet's friend and the "weird scientist" of the group, in Nickelodeon's *Harriet the Spy*, the film adaptation of Louise Fitzhugh's 1964 novel directed by Bronwen Hughes, alongside [Michelle Trachtenberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/michelle-trachtenberg) and [Rosie O'Donnell](https://www.edgepedia.org/rosie-odonnell).[7](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/actors-dialogue-erika-christensen-vanessa-lee-chester-38563/) • [8](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/streaming/im-rewatching-harriet-the-spy-on-streaming-this-weekend-in-honor-of-the-late-great-michelle-trachtenberg)
The following year came her most widely seen role. In [Steven Spielberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/steven-spielberg)'s *The Lost World: Jurassic Park*, the sequel to *[Jurassic Park](https://www.edgepedia.org/jurassic-park-film)* (1993), she played Kelly Curtis, the daughter of Ian Malcolm, played by Jeff Goldblum.[7](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/actors-dialogue-erika-christensen-vanessa-lee-chester-38563/) In a 2017 interview marking the film's 20th anniversary, Chester said she had met Spielberg at the *A Little Princess* premiere, where he asked for her autograph and told her he would like to use her in a film; two years later his office called her in for the sequel.[6](https://moviemetropolis.net/2017/05/21/exclusive-interview-with-the-lost-worlds-vanessa-chester/) Her audition ended with Spielberg asking Goldblum to chase her around a conference room while pretending to be a raptor, to test her "scared" face, and she learned she had the part about a month later.[6](https://moviemetropolis.net/2017/05/21/exclusive-interview-with-the-lost-worlds-vanessa-chester/) The film grossed over $600 million worldwide.[6](https://moviemetropolis.net/2017/05/21/exclusive-interview-with-the-lost-worlds-vanessa-chester/) The role's press commitments were substantial: she recalled a three-day press junket on which she did 78 interviews in a single day, under instructions from the production not to reveal details of the film.[7](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/actors-dialogue-erika-christensen-vanessa-lee-chester-38563/)
## Television and adult career
Through the 2000s Chester moved into guest roles on adult television. Her credits include single episodes of *The West Wing* (season 7), *Veronica Mars* (season 2, as Maureen), *Malcolm in the Middle* (season 4), *Without a Trace* (season 4, as Dori), *Crossing Jordan* (season 3), *Justice* (season 1), and *Once and Again*; later work included *Switched at Birth* (as Lizzy), *Scorpion*, *Shameless* (season 9, as Mallory), and *Dollface*.[2](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-19784/filmographie/) • [5](https://actoragecheck.com/actor/Vanessa-Lee-Chester/4938) Film parts in this period included [She's All That](https://www.edgepedia.org/shes-all-that) (1999), [Extreme Movie](https://www.edgepedia.org/extreme-movie) (2006), and [17 Again](https://www.edgepedia.org/17-again-film) (2009).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0156345/) • [2](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-19784/filmographie/)
**Recent work.** Her credits from the 2020s lean toward independent film: Pretty Problems (2022), in which she played Gigi and also worked additional hair and makeup, Give Me an A (2022), The Pink (2023), The Invisible Raptor (2023), The Errand (2025), and The Napa Boys (2025).[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0156345/fullcredits) She also voiced Nancy in the animated series *[Summer Camp Island](https://www.edgepedia.org/summer-camp-island)* beginning in 2018.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0156345/fullcredits) In a 2017 interview she said she would be open to reprising Kelly Malcolm, imagining the character as an adult geneticist inspired by her encounter with dinosaurs.[6](https://moviemetropolis.net/2017/05/21/exclusive-interview-with-the-lost-worlds-vanessa-chester/) She attended the premiere of *Jurassic World* in June 2015 at the [Dolby Theatre](https://www.edgepedia.org/dolby-theatre) in Los Angeles.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/vanessa_chester)
## References
1. [Vanessa Chester, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0156345/)
2. [Vanessa Lee Chester: Filmographie, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-19784/filmographie/)
3. [Vanessa Chester full credits, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0156345/fullcredits)
4. [Vanessa Lee Chester Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/vanessa_chester)
5. [Vanessa Lee Chester Acting Credits, ActorAgeCheck](https://actoragecheck.com/actor/Vanessa-Lee-Chester/4938)
6. [Exclusive: Interview with The Lost World's Vanessa Chester, Movie Metropolis (2017)](https://moviemetropolis.net/2017/05/21/exclusive-interview-with-the-lost-worlds-vanessa-chester/)
7. [ACTORS' DIALOGUE: Erika Christensen & Vanessa Lee Chester, Backstage (1997)](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/actors-dialogue-erika-christensen-vanessa-lee-chester-38563/)
8. [I'm rewatching 'Harriet the Spy' on streaming, Tom's Guide (2025)](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/streaming/im-rewatching-harriet-the-spy-on-streaming-this-weekend-in-honor-of-the-late-great-michelle-trachtenberg)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Ch to Cl*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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