Joseph Francis Mazzello III (born September 21, 1983) is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor and played Tim Murphy in Jurassic Park and Roarke Hartman in The River Wild. As an adult, Mazzello is best known for his portrayal of real-life figures Eugene Sledge in the HBO miniseries The Pacific, Dustin Moskovitz in The Social Network, and John Deacon in the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.
Early life Joseph Francis Mazzello III was born on September 21, 1983, in Rhinebeck, New York, and raised in Hyde Park, New York, the son of Virginia (née Strong) and Joseph Francis Mazzello Jr., who owned a dance studio. Mazzello went to the Catholic school Our Lady of Lourdes. He is an alumnus of the University of Southern California, entering the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 2001 following a recommendation letter from director Steven Spielberg. Mazzello paid for school with his salary from a small appearance in The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), something the actor jokingly referred to as his graduation present from Spielberg."Return to Jurassic Park: Finding The Lost World", The Lost World: Jurassic Park Blu-Ray (2011)
Career 1990–2000: Early career Mazzello's first film appearance was a small role in the 1990 legal thriller Presumed Innocent, starring Harrison Ford. He then went on to appear in Radio Flyer, Jersey Girl and the TV film Desperate Choices: To Save My Child in 1992. In 1993, Mazzello got his first big breakthrough when he portrayed Tim Murphy in Steven Spielbergs Jurassic Park. His character in Jurassic Park is the grandson of John Hammond, played by Richard Attenborough. Later in the same year, Mazzello also co-starred in Richard Attenborough's film Shadowlands, and in as Roarke Hartman.
In 1995, Mazzello had roles in and Three Wishes. Both films were critical and commercial failures. Mazzello continued his film career with lead roles in Star Kid in 1997, and in Simon Birch with Ian Michael Smith in 1998, which were also critical and commercial flops. He also provided voice-over work in the English dub of The Adventures of Buratino.
2001–2009: Television debut and directorial debut Mazzello's first film role in the 2000s was in 2001s Wooly Boys with Peter Fonda and Kris Kristofferson. In 2002, Mazzello made his television debut on Providence. He then appeared on CBS hit shows CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Without a Trace. Afterwards, he appeared in films Raising Helen (2004), (2004), (2006), and the short film Beyond All Boundaries (2009). In 2007, Mazzello made his directorial debut with the short film Matters of Life and Death.
2010–present: Further work In 2010, Mazzello played Dustin Moskovitz, one of the co-founders of Facebook, in the David Fincher-directed biographical drama film The Social Network. His performance was well-received by critics and he and the cast were nominated for several awards. During this, he played Eugene Sledge on the mini-series . Between 2011 and 2012, Mazzello appeared in the short films Allison and First Kiss, and the A&E miniseries Coma.
In 2013, Mazzello played a recurring role on the FX series Justified as Billy St. Cyr, and in the independent film Dear Sidewalk, directed by Jake Oelman. He also contributed to a brief supporting role in G.I. Joe: Retaliation as Mouse. In 2016, he made his feature film directoral debut in the sports comedy-drama Undrafted. He then portrayed John Deacon in the 2018 Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, reuniting with his co-star from The Pacific, Rami Malek. From 2014 to 2021, Mazzello made appearances on television series such as Person of Interest, Elementary, and Impeachment: American Crime Story.
In 2026 he starred alongside Jon Voight (who played his father) in the Bryan Singer-directed film Monument.Brandon Schreur (May 13, 2026)."Monument Trailer: Bryan Singer’s Israeli Thriller Movie Stars Jon Voight | Exclusive," AOL.John O’Neill (April 1, 2026). "Film ‘Monument’ Revisits Israel’s 1982 Lebanon Conflict," The Jewish News.Bobby LePire (May 7, 2026)."Monument," Film Threat. Film Threat opined: "Mazzello is superb, bringing warmth and understanding to a part that could’ve been boring in the wrong hands."
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1990 Presumed Innocent Wendell McGaffney1992 Radio Flyer Bobby Jersey Girl Jason1993 Jurassic Park Tim Murphy Shadowlands Douglas Gresham 1994 The River Wild Roarke Hartman1995 The Cure Dexter Three Wishes Tom Holman1997 The Lost World: Jurassic Park Tim Murphy Cameo Star Kid Spencer Griffith1998 Simon Birch Joe Wenteworth The New Adventures of Buratino Buratino Voice; English dub 2001 Wooly Boys Charles2004 Raising Helen Prom date Peter The Hollow Scott 2006 The Sensation of Sight Tripp 2007 Matters of Life and Death David Jennings Short film; also director and writer 2009 Beyond All Boundaries Eugene Sledge Short film 2010 The Social Network Dustin Moskovitz 2011 Allison JoeShort film First Kiss Derek2013 G.I. Joe: Retaliation Mouse Dear Sidewalk Gardner 2016 Undrafted Pat Murray Also director, producer and writer 2018 Bohemian Rhapsody John Deacon 2023 Unexpected Bob 2026 Monument Amnon Rechter
Television Year Title Role Notes 1990 Unspeakable Acts Jason Harrison Television film 1992 Desperate Choices: To Save My Child Willy Robbins Television film 1995 A Father for Charlie Charlie Television film 2002 Providence Tony 2 episodes 2003 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Justin Lamond Episode: "One Hit Wonder" 2004 Without a Trace Sean Stanley Episode: "Legacy" 2010 The Pacific Eugene Sledge Miniseries; 10 episodes 2012 Coma Geoffrey Fairweather Miniseries; 2 episodes 2013 Justified Billy St. Cyr 3 episodes 2014 Person of Interest Daniel Casey 2 episodes 2016 Elementary Griffin Episode: "A Study in Charlotte" 2021 Impeachment: American Crime Story Paul Begala Recurring role
Awards and nominations Year Association Category Nominated work Result 1992 Young Artist Award Best Young Actor Under 10 in a Motion Picture Radio Flyer Best Young Actor Under 10 in a Television Movie Desperate Choices: To Save My Child 1994 Saturn Award Best Performance by a Younger Actor Jurassic Park 1994 Young Artist Award Best Youth Actor Co-Starring in a Motion Picture: Drama 1996 Young Artist Award Best Young Leading Actor: Feature Film The Cure 1999 Young Artist Award Best Performance in a Feature Film: Leading Young Actor Simon Birch 1999 YoungStar Award Best Young Actor in a Drama Film 2010 Hollywood Film Awards Best Cast The Social Network 2010 Phoenix Film Critics Society Best Cast 2010 San Diego Film Critics Society Best Cast 2010 Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Best Ensemble 2011 Central Ohio Film Critics Association Best Ensemble 2011 Critics' Choice Movie Awards Best Acting Ensemble 2011 Gold Derby Awards Best Ensemble Cast 2011 Palm Springs International Film Festival Ensemble Cast 2019 Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Bohemian Rhapsody
References
External links
Matters of Life and Death official website