Natasha Richardson(1963-2009)
- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Natasha Jane Richardson was born in Marylebone, London, England, to 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.
Trained at London's Central School of Speech and Drama, Richardson
performed extensively on stage in roles, including "Helena" in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and Ophelia in "Hamlet" at the Young Vic. In 1986, she garnered 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".
Natasha 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). Natasha achieved notable success in such films as Pat O'Connor's A Month in the Country (1987),
Roland Joffé's Fat Man and Little Boy (1989) and
The Favour, the Watch and the Very Big Fish (1991), featuring Bob Hoskins and Jeff Goldblum. For her performance in
Volker Schlöndorff's The Handmaid's Tale (1990) and Schrader's
The Comfort of Strangers (1990), Richardson earned The London Evening Standard Award for Best Actress of 1990; and for Widows' Peak (1994),
also starring Mia Farrow and Joan Plowright, she received the Best Actress Award at the 1994 Karlovy Vary Festival.
Also in 1994, she co-starred with Jodie Foster
and Liam Neeson in
Nell (1994) and, in 1998, in
The Parent Trap (1998) with
Dennis Quaid. Her early 2000s films include
Blow Dry (2001) released in 2001, and
Ethan Hawke's
Chelsea Walls (2001).
Natasha 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 in 1993, where she was
nominated for a Tony 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 nomination for Best Actress. For
her performance as Sally Bowles in
Sam Mendes' production of "Cabaret",
she won the 1998 Tony, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League and Drama
Desk Awards for Best Actress in a Musical. 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.
Richardson's television credits included
Henrik Ibsen's "Ghosts" for the BBC, also
starring Judi Dench,
Michael Gambon and
Kenneth Branagh; the HBO cable feature
Hostages (1992); the BBC film
Suddenly, Last Summer (1993),
based on the play by
Tennessee Williams, and also starring
Maggie Smith and
Rob Lowe. In 1993 she starred as Zelda
Fitzgerald in the TNT movie
Zelda (1993), co-starring
Timothy Hutton and directed by Pat
O'Connor (cable Ace nomination for Best Actress). She played
Ruth Gruber in the 2001 CBS mini-series
Haven (2001) based on Ms.
Gruber's autobiography.
In March 2009, Natasha died in a New York City hospital, after falling and receiving a head
injury whilst skiing in Mont Tremblant, Quebec, Canada. Natasha was married to actor Liam Neeson from 1994 until her death, and the couple have two children.
Trained at London's Central School of Speech and Drama, Richardson
performed extensively on stage in roles, including "Helena" in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and Ophelia in "Hamlet" at the Young Vic. In 1986, she garnered 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".
Natasha 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). Natasha achieved notable success in such films as Pat O'Connor's A Month in the Country (1987),
Roland Joffé's Fat Man and Little Boy (1989) and
The Favour, the Watch and the Very Big Fish (1991), featuring Bob Hoskins and Jeff Goldblum. For her performance in
Volker Schlöndorff's The Handmaid's Tale (1990) and Schrader's
The Comfort of Strangers (1990), Richardson earned The London Evening Standard Award for Best Actress of 1990; and for Widows' Peak (1994),
also starring Mia Farrow and Joan Plowright, she received the Best Actress Award at the 1994 Karlovy Vary Festival.
Also in 1994, she co-starred with Jodie Foster
and Liam Neeson in
Nell (1994) and, in 1998, in
The Parent Trap (1998) with
Dennis Quaid. Her early 2000s films include
Blow Dry (2001) released in 2001, and
Ethan Hawke's
Chelsea Walls (2001).
Natasha 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 in 1993, where she was
nominated for a Tony 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 nomination for Best Actress. For
her performance as Sally Bowles in
Sam Mendes' production of "Cabaret",
she won the 1998 Tony, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League and Drama
Desk Awards for Best Actress in a Musical. 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.
Richardson's television credits included
Henrik Ibsen's "Ghosts" for the BBC, also
starring Judi Dench,
Michael Gambon and
Kenneth Branagh; the HBO cable feature
Hostages (1992); the BBC film
Suddenly, Last Summer (1993),
based on the play by
Tennessee Williams, and also starring
Maggie Smith and
Rob Lowe. In 1993 she starred as Zelda
Fitzgerald in the TNT movie
Zelda (1993), co-starring
Timothy Hutton and directed by Pat
O'Connor (cable Ace nomination for Best Actress). She played
Ruth Gruber in the 2001 CBS mini-series
Haven (2001) based on Ms.
Gruber's autobiography.
In March 2009, Natasha died in a New York City hospital, after falling and receiving a head
injury whilst skiing in Mont Tremblant, Quebec, Canada. Natasha was married to actor Liam Neeson from 1994 until her death, and the couple have two children.