Natasha Richardson
Natasha Jane Richardson (born
May 11,
1963 in
London,
England), is a
British actress and member of the
Redgrave family, one of the most profound and enduring theatrical dynasties of all time. Since
1994, Richardson has been married to actor
Liam Neeson, and they have two sons, Michael and Daniel. She is well-known through several leading roles in
feature film, however, she is most famous through her award-winning roles on
Broadway.
Early Life
Named after the heroine in
Leo Tolstoy's famous novel,
War and Peace, she made her film debut at the age of four in a film directed by her father,
Charge of the Light Brigade, in the year
1968. She trained at
St. Paul's Girls' School for several years and then advanced to London's
Central School of Speech and Drama. Thereafter she underwent her first professional work at the
Leeds Playhouse in
England. Like the entirety of the
Redgrave family, she went on to specialize in
Shakespeare at London's
Old Vic theatre.
The Redgraves
Richardson is the daughter of the late director
Tony Richardson and
Academy Award-winning actress
Vanessa Redgrave, and a granddaughter of the late actors Sir
Michael Redgrave and
Rachel Kempson. Her sister is
Joely Richardson, of the television drama
Nip/Tuck. She is the niece of actress
Lynn Redgrave and actor
Corin Redgrave, and cousin of
Jemma Redgrave.
Career
She began her successful career at the
Leeds, England regional playhouse, then appeared in a feature directed by her father, at age four. Her film acting debut in
Every Picture Tells a Story in
1984, was followed by a
CBS Miniseries event,
Ellis Island. A year later, Richardson appeared in a revival of
Anton Chekhov's
The Seagull; her first professional work in London's
West End. That same year she made her UK television debut alongside
Jeremy Brett and
David Burke in
The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes appearing as Violet Hunter in the episode
The Copper Beeches. Soon after, she starred in the London stage production
High Society, adapted from the acclaimed
Cole Porter film and successively portrayed Mary Godwin in the
1987 Ken Russell film,
Gothic. The same year she starred opposite
Kenneth Branagh and
Colin Firth in
A Month in the Country, directed by
Pat O'Connor. A major moment in advancement was upon her performance in
The Handmaid's Tale (
1990), playing opposite
Robert Duvall and
Faye Dunaway.
Family Life
Her first marriage was to theatrical producer
Robert Fox, from the years 1984 through 1993. However, she has been married to
Northern Irish actor
Liam Neeson since late 1994. Richardson and Neeson are parents of two sons: Micheál Richard Antonio Neeson (born
June 22,
1995), and Daniel Jack Neeson (born
August 27,
1996).
The White Countess (2005) - Countess Sofia Belinsky
Asylum (2005) - Stella Raphael
Maid in Manhattan (2002) - Caroline Lane
Blow Dry (2001)- Shelley Allen
The Parent Trap (1998 film) (1998) - Elizabeth James
Nell (1994) - Dr. Paula Olsen
Widows' Peak (1994)
The Handmaid's Tale (1990) - Offred
The Comfort of Strangers (1990) - Mary
Patty Hearst (1988) -
Patrica Hearst
