Natasha Richardson

Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person Natasha Jane Richardson (11 May 1963 – 18 March 2009) was a British actress. A member of the Redgrave family, Richardson was the daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave and director/producer Tony Richardson and the granddaughter of Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson. She was married to Liam Neeson.

Early in her career, Richardson portrayed Mary Shelley in Ken Russell's Gothic (1986) and Patty Hearst in the eponymous 1988 biopic film directed by Paul Schrader and later received critical acclaim and a Theatre World Award for her Broadway debut in the 1993 revival of Anna Christie. Richardson also appeared in The Handmaid's Tale (1990), Nell (1994), The Parent Trap (1998), Maid in Manhattan (2002), and The White Countess (2005).

For playing Sally Bowles in the 1998 Broadway revival of Cabaret, she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical and the Outer Critics Circle Award.

Richardson died in March 2009 at age 45 from a head injury after a skiing accident in Quebec.<ref name="msn">Template:Cite news</ref>

Early life

Natasha Jane Richardson was born in Marylebone, London, on 11 May 1963, a member of the Redgrave family, known as a theatrical and film acting dynasty. She was the daughter of director and producer Tony Richardson and actress Vanessa Redgrave,<ref name="cnn20090318">Template:Cite news</ref> granddaughter of actors Sir Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson,<ref name="cnn20090318"/><ref>Debrett's People of Today. Debrett's Peerage Ltd., 2007</ref> sister of Joely Richardson, half-sister of Carlo Gabriel Nero and Katharine Grimond Hess,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> niece of actress Lynn Redgrave and actor Corin Redgrave,<ref name="cnn20090318"/> and cousin of Jemma Redgrave.

Richardson's parents divorced in 1967.<ref name="Arnold">Template:Cite news</ref> The following year, she made her film debut at age four in an uncredited role in The Charge of the Light Brigade, directed by her father.<ref name="cnn20090318"/>

Richardson 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,<ref name="Pulleine">Template:Cite news</ref> before going on to study acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama.<ref name="cssd">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Singh">Template:Cite news</ref>

Career

Theatre

Richardson began her career in regional theatre at Leeds Playhouse, and in 1984 at the Open Air Theatre in London's Regent's Park, when Richardson 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.<ref name="NYTdeathannounce">Template:Cite news</ref> Soon afterward, Richardson starred in a London stage production of High Society, adapted from the Cole Porter film. She made her Broadway debut in 1993, in the title role of Anna Christie, which is where Richardson met future husband Liam Neeson and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play at the 47th Tony Awards. In 1998, Richardson played the role of Sally Bowles in Sam Mendes's revival of Cabaret on Broadway, for which she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical at the 52nd Tony Awards. The following year, Richardson returned to Broadway in Closer, for which she was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play, and in 2005 Richardson appeared again with the Roundabout, this time as Blanche DuBois in the revival of Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire,<ref name="cnn20090318"/> opposite John C. Reilly as Stanley Kowalski. In January 2009, two months before her death, Richardson played the role of Desirée Armfeldt in a concert production of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music, with her mother Vanessa Redgrave, who played Madame Armfeldt. At the time of Richardson's death, the pair were preparing to co-star in a Broadway revival of the musical.<ref name="Pulleine" />

Film

Richardson in 2008

In 1984, Richardson made her first credited screen appearance as an art tutor in the James Scott-directed Every Picture Tells A Story, based on the early life of the painter William Scott.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Richardson later starred as Mary Shelley in the 1986 film Gothic, a fictionalised account of the author's creation of Frankenstein. The following year, Richardson starred with Kenneth Branagh and Colin Firth in A Month in the Country, directed by Pat O'Connor. Director Paul Schrader signed Richardson for the title role of Patty Hearst in the 1988 docudrama film Patty Hearst about the heiress and her kidnapping. Richardson's performances with Robert Duvall and Faye Dunaway in The Handmaid's Tale and Christopher Walken, Rupert Everett and Helen Mirren in The Comfort of Strangers (directed by Schrader) won her the 1990 Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actress. In 1991, Richardson appeared in The Favour, the Watch and the Very Big Fish with Bob Hoskins. He later credited her with giving him the best kiss of his life during the film. Hoskins stated, "She got hold of me and kissed me like I've never been kissed before. I was gobsmacked."<ref name="Hoskins">Template:Cite news</ref>

Richardson was named Best Actress at the 1994 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for Widows' Peak and that same year appeared in Nell with Jodie Foster and future husband Liam Neeson. She appeared in the Disney film remake The Parent Trap in 1998 alongside Dennis Quaid, as Elizabeth James, the divorced mother of Lindsay Lohan's characters Hallie Parker and Annie James. Additional film credits include Blow Dry (2001), Chelsea Walls (2001), Waking Up in Reno (2002), Maid in Manhattan (2002), Asylum (2005), which won Richardson a second Evening Standard Award for Best Actress, The White Countess (2005), and Evening (2007). Her last screen appearance was as Mrs. Kingsley, the headmistress of a girls' school in the 2008 comedy Wild Child. During the last week of January 2009, Richardson recorded her offscreen role as Ruth Mallory, the wife of climber George Mallory, who disappeared while climbing Mount Everest during a 1924 expedition, in the 2010 documentary film The Wildest Dream, for which Liam Neeson provided narration.<ref name="finalfilmrole">Template:Cite web</ref>

Television

Richardson made her American television debut in a small role in the 1984 miniseries Ellis Island. That same year, Richardson made her British television debut in an episode of the BBC series Oxbridge Blues. The following year, Richardson appeared as Violet Hunter with Jeremy Brett and David Burke in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in the episode entitled "The Copper Beeches." Richardson starred with Judi Dench, Michael Gambon and Kenneth Branagh in a 1987 BBC adaptation of the Henrik Ibsen play Ghosts; with Maggie Smith and Rob Lowe in a 1993 BBC adaptation of Suddenly, Last Summer by Tennessee Williams; as Zelda Fitzgerald in the 1993 television movie Zelda; Haven (2001) on CBS and The Mastersons of Manhattan (2007) on NBC. Richardson appeared as a celebrity judge on Top Chef, season 5.

Personal life

Richardson's first marriage was to filmmaker Robert Fox, whom she had met in 1985, during the making of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull; they were married from 1990 to 1992.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Richardson then met actor Liam Neeson while performing in a revival of the play Anna Christie on Broadway in 1993.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Richardson married Neeson in the summer of 1994 at the home they shared in Millbrook, New York;<ref name="marriage in Millbrook">Template:Cite news Template:Dead link</ref> she had become a naturalised American citizen.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite news</ref> The couple had two sons together: Micheál and Daniel.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Richardson helped raise millions of dollars in the fight against AIDS; her father, Tony, had died of AIDS-related causes in 1991.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Richardson was also actively involved in AmfAR, becoming a board member in 2006 and participating in many other AIDS charities, including Bailey House, God's Love We Deliver, Mothers' Voices, AIDS Crisis Trust and National AIDS Trust, for which Richardson was an ambassador. She received AmfAR's Award of Courage in November 2000.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Richardson was a smoker.<ref name="longtime-smoker">Template:Cite news</ref> Although she had reportedly quit smoking,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Richardson was a critic of the ban on smoking in New York City restaurants.<ref name="cig-war">Template:Cite web</ref>

Death and funeral

On 16 March 2009, Richardson sustained a head injury when she fell while taking a beginner skiing lesson at the Mont Tremblant Resort, about Template:Convert from Montreal.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At first, Richardson refused any medical help but complained of a severe headache about two hours after the accident.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She was flown to Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, and died two days later from an epidural hematoma.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Richardson's family issued a statement on the day she died: "Liam Neeson, his sons, and the entire family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Natasha. They are profoundly grateful for the support, love, and prayers of everyone, and ask for privacy during this very difficult time."<ref name=nytimes>Template:Cite news</ref> Neeson donated Richardson's organs following her death.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Later that night, theatre lights were dimmed on Broadway in Manhattan and in the West End of London as a mark of respect for Richardson.<ref name="LightsDimmed">Template:Cite news</ref> The following day on 19 March, a private viewing was held at the American Irish Historical Society in Manhattan.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 22 March, a private funeral was held at St. Peter's Episcopal Church near Millbrook, New York,<ref name="Funeral">Template:Cite news</ref> close to the family's upstate home. Richardson was buried near her maternal grandmother, Rachel Kempson, in the churchyard.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Her aunt, Lynn Redgrave, was buried in the same churchyard on 8 May 2010, near Richardson and Kempson.<ref name=cbcnews050810>Family, friends say goodbye to Redgrave CBC News 8 May 2010 Retrieved:8 May 2010. </ref> The 2015 biographical thriller Everest was later dedicated to Richardson.

Filmography

Film

Year	Film	Role	Notes	Template:Abbr
1968	The Charge of the Light Brigade	Flower girl at wedding	Uncredited appearance	<ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref>
1973	High Crime	Luisa, the girl playing hopscotch		<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
1983	Every Picture Tells a Story	Miss Bridle		<ref name=":2">Template:Cite news</ref>
1986	Gothic	Mary Shelley		<ref name=":0" />
1987	A Month in the Country	Alice Keach		<ref name=":2" />
1988	Patty Hearst	Patty Hearst		<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref>
1989	Fat Man and Little Boy	Jean Tatlock		<ref name=":2" />
1990	The Handmaid's Tale	Kate / Offred		<ref name=":0" />
	The Comfort of Strangers	Mary Kenway		<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
1991	The Favour, the Watch and the Very Big Fish	Sybil		<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1992	Past Midnight	Laura Mathews		<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1994	Widows' Peak	Mrs. Edwina Broome		<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
	Nell	Dr. Paula Olsen		<ref name=":2" />
1998	The Parent Trap	Elizabeth "Liz" James		<ref name=":0" />
2001	Blow Dry	Shelley Allen		<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Chelsea Walls	Mary		<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2002	Waking Up in Reno	Darlene Dodd		<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
	Maid in Manhattan	Caroline Lane		<ref name=":0" />
2005	Asylum	Stella Raphael	Also executive producer	<ref name=":0" />
	The White Countess	Countess Sofia Belinskya		<ref name=":0" />
2007	Evening	Constance Lord		<ref name=":0" />
2008	Wild Child	Mrs. Kingsley	Final on-screen film appearance	<ref name=":0" />
2010	The Wildest Dream	Ruth Mallory	Voice only; Posthumously released; Final film role	<ref name="finalfilmrole" />

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Template:Abbr
1984	Oxbridge Blues	Gabriella Folckwack
1984	Ellis Island	Young Whore		<ref name=":3"/>
1985	The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes	Violet Hunter	Episode: "The Copper Beeches"	<ref name=":3" />
1987	Ghosts	Regina Engstrand
1992	Hostages	Jill Morrell		<ref name=":3" />
1993	Zelda	Zelda Fitzgerald		<ref name=":1" />
1993	Suddenly Last Summer	Catharine Holly	Episode: Performance (BBC) & Great Performances (PBS)	<ref name=":1" />
1996	Tales from the Crypt	Fiona Havisham	Episode: "Fatal Caper"	<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2001	Haven	Ruth Gruber	CTV Television Network
2007	Mastersons of Manhattan	Victoria Masterson		<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2008	Top Chef: New York	Guest Judge	Episode: "12 Days of Christmas"	<ref name=":0" />

Theatre

Year	Production	Role	Venue(s)	Notes	Template:Abbr
1983	On the Razzle	Marie	West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds		<ref name=":3" />
	Top Girls		West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds
	Charley's Aunt	Amy Spettigue	West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds		<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1985	The Seagull	Nina Zarechnaya	Queen's Theatre, London		<ref name=":0" />
	A Midsummer Night's Dream	Helena	Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, London		<ref name=":1" />
	Hamlet	Ophelia	Young Vic Theatre, London		<ref name=":1" />
1986– 1987	High Society	Tracy Lord	Leicester Haymarket Theatre, Leicester Victoria Palace Theatre, London		<ref name=":3" />
1993	Anna Christie	Anna Christie	Criterion Center Stage Right, Broadway	Nominated—Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play	<ref name=":0" />
1998	Cabaret	Sally Bowles	Stephen Sondheim Theatre, Broadway	Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical	<ref name=":0" />
1999	Closer	Anna	Music Box Theatre, Broadway		<ref name=":0" />
2003	The Lady from the Sea	Ellida Wangel	Almeida Theatre, London		<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2005	A Streetcar Named Desire	Template:Nowrap	Studio 54, Broadway		<ref name=":0" />

External links

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• Natasha Richardson – Daily Telegraph obituary
• Template:Find a Grave