After the resounding success IndianaJones trilogy of the 1980s, George Lucas launched a spin-off television series called The Chronicles of Young Indiana Jones in 1992. Celebrating its 30th anniversary in March 2022, the show offered a unique format where each episode depicted a month in the life of Young Indy as it experienced major historical events and met famous historical figures.
While Carrie Fisher, Terry Jones, Joe Johnston and Ben Burtt offered services behind the camera, the show sported a spectacular roster of guest stars in front of it. Many episodes featured guest appearances by iconic Hollywood personalities, including Harrison Ford himself. Additionally, the show had an incredible lineup of young talent who would go on to do great things in the industry.
Bob Peck
Bob Peck was forever immortalized as big game hunter Robert Muldoon in 1993 jurassic park. In particular, her “smart girl” line was one of the most iconic moments in the jurassic park saga. A Shakespearean actor, Peck also gained notoriety for his role in the 1985 BBC miniseries, The Dark Ages.
Just a few weeks after filming wrapped jurassic parkPeck found himself in another Spielberg franchise with an appearance in the Chronicles of Young Indiana Jones. Peck was unrecognizable as Vlad the Impaler, aka Dracula, in “Transylvania, January 1918”. Peck’s chilling performance can now be found in the re-released film, masks of evil.
Terry Jones
Comedy legend Terry Jones has lent his services to the Chronicles of Young Indiana Jones in 1992. Jones is best known for being a member of the famous British comedy group Monty Python. In addition to writing and performing, he co-directed Python Month and the Holy Grail and directed Life of Brian from Monty Python and Monty Python’s Meaning of Life.
Jones was signed on as both director and actor for the comedy Season 2 episode, “Barcelona, May 1917,” and is still just as hilarious as hopeless Italian spy Marcelo. The episode highlights a comic series of goofs from an international group of bumbling spies, which also includes Indy two others. You can see Jones’ performance today in Spy Getaways.
Anthony Daniels
Anthony Daniels is the man who appeared in more star wars movies than anyone else. The handsome actor with a terrific physique has brought the character of C-3PO to life in every film in the Skywalker saga, more A thug and many other appearances. In 1995, Daniels returned to Lucasfilm for a role in a Young India tv movie titled Attack of the Hawkmen.
In the film, Daniels appears with several other actors giving Young Indy his gear for a spy mission in what is the equivalent of a James Bond Q branch scene. Daniels is hilarious, as always, in his role as quirky French gimmick. at Daniel’s star wars co-star, Ian McDiarmid, also appeared in an episode of the program.
Paul Freeman
Franchise veteran Paul Freeman played René Belloq in The Raiders of the Lost Arkarguably the most iconic IndianaJones villain of all time. Images of Belloq getting drunk with Marion, swallowing a fly and having his head blown off the Ark of the Covenant are forever etched in the mind of IndianaJones fans from afar. Fans will also recognize him as Ivan Ooze from Power Rangers The Movie.
Freeman appeared as the actual character of Frederick Selous, in both The passion for life and The Ghost Train of Fate. Selous led “The Old and The Bold”, a unique battalion of big game hunters, American cowboys, a circus performer and an opera singer, to name a few- one. The character hilariously manipulates Indy into joining their mission and pulling off a killer stunt in a highlight time.
Elizabeth Hurley
Huge star of the 1990s, Elizabeth Hurley starred in the Austin Powers movies and in the hilarious 2000 remake of Bedazzled, where she plays the Devil. Hurley has also been involved in fashion and modeling as she was the face of Estée Lauder from 1995 to 2001 and continues to work for the company to this day.
Hurley appears in the episode “London, May 1916”, now included as part of The sweet song of love. In the episode, she plays a suffragist named Vicky who meets Indy and the two fall in love, though they are separated when he goes to war. A memorable scene sees the two compare their knowledge of different languages. In the episode’s bookend, Old Indy reunited heartwarmingly with Vicky in 1992.
Jeffrey Wright
Jeffrey Wright made a name for himself with his starring role in Basquiat and later appeared in the Daniel Craig Bond films, Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace and no time to die, surpassing David Hedison with the most appearances as Felix Leiter. The recognizable actor has appeared in many popular films, including the hunger games sequels and latest Batman movie.
But before all that, Wright appeared as famed clarinetist Sidney Bechet in Mystery of the Blues and The scandal of 1920. Wright really shines in Mystery of the Blues, where he lends Indy his soprano sax and takes him under his wing as Indy learns the ins and outs of jazz and blues. The character gave Indy the nickname Jonesy long before Mac called him that Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Max VonSydow
Acclaimed French-Swedish actor, Max Von Sydow, had an incredible 70-year career, rising to prominence in The seventh seal and The greatest story ever told. Von Sydow would go on to appear in The Exorcistthe Bond movie Never Say Never Again, Shutter Island, The Force Awakens, and game of thrones in his legendary career.
the Chronicles of Young Indiana Jones episode, “Vienna, November 1908”, part of The Perils of Cupid, features Von Sydow as the father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud. When young Indy falls in love with Princess Sophia of Austria-Hungary, he receives words of wisdom regarding romance while dining with Freud, Carl Jung, and Alfred Adler. This is one of the fascinating and thought-provoking scenes in the series.
Catherine Zeta Jones
Welsh actress, Catherine Zeta-Jones, has been one of Hollywood’s most recognizable faces since moving to Los Angeles in the 1990s. She found success in The Mask of Zorro and Trappingthe two now co-star men with ties to IndianaJones. She used her musical theater training to win an Academy Award for Chicagoand also appeared in Traffic, Ocean’s Twelve and The terminal.
Zeta-Jones appeared as Maya, a fan-favorite character who appears in Desert Daredevil. Disguised as a belly dancer, Maya assists Indy on a secret mission to protect Beersheba’s wells but is soon revealed to be a double agent. Maya escapes and is never seen on the show again, with many fans hoping the character will one day return to expanded media.
Christopher Lee
It seems there’s nothing in life that Christopher Lee hasn’t done. Cousin of Ian Fleming, he partly inspired his James Bond character and played the Bond movie villain The man with the golden gun. He fought in a war, received a wedding blessing from the King of Sweden, and appeared in huge movie franchises, like Hammer’s Dracula, Star Wars, and The Lord of the Rings.
Its link with IndianaJoness can be found in the black spy episode, “Austria, March 1917”, which is now part of Secret Service Adventures. Lee played Count Ottokar Graf Czerin, a true diplomat and adviser to the King of Austria-Hungary. As always, Lee brings a commanding presence to each of his scenes, which were sadly few.
Daniel Craig
Years before he was Bond, Daniel Craig fought Indiana Jones himself. Craig portrayed a German colonel named Schiller in desert daredevil, who works as a counter-agent at Indy’s secret mission. The actor brought his signature look to the role and is a formidable presence in the episode and fights Indy in a terrific climactic fight.
It was more than a decade later that Craig became a household name in Casino Royale. After that, his likeness appeared on the DVD set of the Young Indiana Jones DVD released in 2007 as a way to generate interest. Craig would later star alongside Harrison Ford himself in the 2009 film Jon Favreau, Cowboys and Aliens.
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