Natasha Jane Richardson

Natasha Richardson was born on 11 May 1963 in Marylebone, London, England. She was the daughter of director and producer Tony Richardson and actress Vanessa Redgrave. She was the sister of actress Joely Richardson, the niece of actors Corin Redgrave and Lynn Redgrave, and the granddaughter of actors Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson. She was educated in London at two private schools, the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle in South Kensington and St. Paul's Girls' School in Hammersmith. She then trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama. ¹ She began her career in regional theatre at Leeds Playhouse, and in 1984 at the Open Air Theatre in London's Regent's Park, when she appeared in A Midsummer Night's Dream with Ralph Fiennes and Richard E. Grant. Her first professional work in London's West End was in a revival of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull in 1985. This production also featured her mother, Vanessa Redgrave. ¹ She made her feature film debut as Mary Shelley in Ken Russell's Gothic (1986). Her performance caught the attention of director Paul Schrader, who cast her in the title role in Patty Hearst (1988). She also appeared in The Handmaid's Tale (1990), Nell (1994), The Parent Trap (1998), Maid in Manhattan (2002), and The White Countess (2005). She received critical acclaim and awards for her performances in various films and television shows. ¹ She performed extensively on stage in roles such as Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Ophelia in Hamlet at the Young Vic. In 1986, she won the London Drama Critics' Most Promising Newcomer Award for her performance as Nina in The Seagull, with Vanessa Redgrave and Jonathan Pryce. In 1987, she played Tracey Lord in Richard Eyre's musical High Society. ¹ She performed the title role of Anna Christie, first in London, where she was voted London Drama Critics' Best Actress Award in 1992, then on Broadway at the Roundabout Theatre Company in 1993, where she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play, a Theatre World Award for Outstanding Debut, the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Debut of an Actress, and a Drama Desk Award for Best Actress. For her performance as Sally Bowles in Sam Mendes' production of Cabaret, she won the 1998 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical and the Outer Critics Circle Award . She then appeared on Broadway in Patrick Marber's Tony-nominated play Closer. In December 2009 she had been intended to play Miss Julie on Broadway with Philip Seymour Hoffman, directed by David Leveaux for Roundabout Theatre Company. ¹ Richardson died on 18 March 2009 at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City from a head injury after a skiing accident in Quebec, Canada. She was 45 years old. She was buried at St Nicholas Church in Moreton, Dorset, where her grave is marked by a simple stone with her name and dates of birth and death. Her life and legacy have inspired many books, films, documentaries, and biographies over the years. She is regarded as one of the most talented and versatile actresses of her generation and one of the most prominent members of the Redgrave family. ¹