Remembering Richard Attenborough: 6 Defining Career Moments

5. Embraced By A New Generation (Jurassic Park/Miracle On 34th Street, 1993/1994)

After regularly appearing in films as an actor in the 1950s and 1960s, Richard Attenborough appeared less regularly from the 1970s onwards, appearing in no films between 1979 and 1993 as he opted to focus on directing instead. In 1993, however, he became known to a new generation of filmgoers when he appeared in Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park, playing the role of park owner John Hammond. Spielberg had initially wanted to cast Attenborough as Tootles in 1991's Hook, his reimagining of Peter Pan that featured Robin Williams (also recently deceased) in the lead role. Whilst Hook made a respectable $300 million at the box office, however, Jurassic Park made close to $1 billion and broke records in a number of countries across the globe. In 1994, Attenborough then appeared in the lead role of Kris Kringle in a remake of 1947 Christmas film A Miracle On 34th Street. Despite mixed reviews, the film has become something of a holiday season staple, ensuring that Attenborough appears on television year after year when individuals seek to lose themselves in Christmas-themed cinema. Attenborough would appear in a handful of other films after these, including Jurassic Park's 1997 sequel, The Lost World (despite his character not appearing in the source novel). Despite these, however, Jurassic Park and Miracle On 34th Street have remained the defining films of his later years and will be fondly remembered.