Who is Joseph Mazzello? The Jurassic Park child actor who plays John Deacon in Bohemian Rhapsody

19 October 2018, 10:46 | Updated: 19 October 2018, 10:51

You might not yet know Joseph Mazzello, but you've most definitely seen him before.

The actor will soon star as Queen guitarist John Deacon in the upcoming Bohemian Rhapsody film, but before this he was best known for playing young Tim Murphy in Jurassic Park.

But what has he been up to since the blockbuster in 1993? Here's all you need to know about the talented filmmaker:

1. Who is Joseph Mazzello?

   

   Joseph Mazzello is an American actor, director, and screenwriter, best known for his roles as Tim Murphy in Jurassic Park, Eugene Sledge in the TV series The Pacific, and Dustin Moskovitz in The Social Network.

   He also plays Queen bass player John Deacon in the Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.

   Born on September 21, 1983, he celebrates his 36th birthday in 2018.

   He was born in Rhinebeck, New York, and is the son of Virginia (née Strong) and Joseph Mazzello, Jr, who owned a performing arts school. He also has one older sister, Mary, and a younger brother, John, who have also appeared in films.

   He studied at the University of Southern California, entering the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 2001 after receiving a recommendation letter from director Steven Spielberg.

2. Joseph Mazzello in Jurassic Park: Who did he play?

   

   This is what the kids from Jurassic Park look like now

   Aged just nine, Joseph landed the role of Tim Murphy in Jurassic Park. Tim was the grandson of John Hammond, played by Richard Attenborough.

   He later returned for a brief appearance in the sequel The Lost World, but only acted sporadically for the next few years.

3. What roles has Joseph Mazzello had since Jurassic Park?

   Arguably Joseph's acting comeback came with 2010's The Pacific, reuniting him with director Steven Spielberg.

   The same year, he played Dustin Moskovitz in the critically-acclaimed drama The Social Network.

   He has since appeared in episodes of Person of Interest, Justified and Elementary, and the 2013 movie GI Joe: Retaliation.

   He made his directorial debut with 2016's sports drama Undrafted.

4. Joseph Mazzello as John Deacon: How did he join Bohemian Rhapsody?

   

   On August 21, 2017, it was announced that Joseph had joined the cast of the Freddie Mercury biopic, alongside Rami Malek as Freddie, Gwilym Lee as Brian May and Ben Hardy as Roger Taylor.

   What happened to Queen's John Deacon?

   Joseph has revealed that he sat down with John Deacon's 24-year-old son for tips about how to play the Queen guitarist. He also had to learn for months about how to play bass guitar, in the style of Deacon.