Donald Gennaro
The investors' attorney sent to judge whether the park was safe.
Donald Gennaro is an attorney known for his role as the ill-fated lawyer in the 1993 film Jurassic Park. Portrayed by actor Martin Ferrero, born September 29, 1947, Gennaro appears as a central figure during the park's catastrophic failure. Ferrero, who also played Izzy Moreno on Miami Vice (1984–1989), brought his experience with comic relief characters to this dramatic turn. In Jurassic Park, Gennaro represents the investment group, tasked with verifying safety before funding is released. His presence anchors the film's tension between corporate responsibility and scientific overreach, culminating in a fate that underscores the park's uncontrollable nature.
Lore & Background
Gennaro is a corporate attorney representing Jurassic Park's investors, sent on their behalf to investigate the safety of the park after several reports of missing or dead workers. In the film he is overcome by fear when the electric fence around the Tyrannosaurus paddock fails, and he abandons Tim and Lex; the T. rex eats him onscreen. In the novel he survives the events on the island, but dies of dysentery sometime after.
Reader's Guide
For fans analyzing Martin Ferrero's filmography, Donald Gennaro stands as his most famous dramatic turn in the 1993 film Jurassic Park. To understand the actor behind the character, one should look to his extensive television work on Miami Vice (1984–1989), where he played Izzy Moreno, an informant with a Cuban accent infused with malapropisms. Ferrero was born in Brockport, New York, and moved to Los Angeles in 1979 after joining the California Actors Theater in Los Gatos. His career also includes guest spots on Cheers (season 3, episode 'Rescue Me') as an Italian waiter, and roles in Get Shorty (1995), Gods and Monsters (1998), and The Tailor of Panama (2001). As of 2008, he remained a member of the Antaeus Company, a Los Angeles classical theater ensemble.
More in Characters & Cast
Elsewhere in Jurassic Park
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced