Tony Award-winning stage actress and member of the famed Redgrave acting clan, Natasha Richardson sadly passed away Wednesday March 18th from injuries suffered in a ski accident. She was 45.
On Sunday March 22nd a sombre group of friends and family gathered in a small Hudson Valley town to bid a final farewell to Richardson. Liam Neeson was among the pallbearers who carried his wife's coffin into St Peter's Episcopal Church, near the home where the two married in 1994. He arrived with the couple's sons; his mother-in-law, actress Vanessa Redgrave, and his sister-in-law, actress Joely Richardson. Also among the mourners were Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman and Laura Linney.
The pain of losing such a gifted talent continues to echo in both the theatre industry and beyond, one actress and writer, Sheila O'Malley wrote an emotional and fitting tribute to the late actress praising her performance in Cabaret that we link to here, it is well worth a read.
Richardson 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), In 1995 she co-starred with Jodie Foster and Liam Neeson in "Nell" (1994) and, in 1998, in "The Parent Trap" (1998) with Dennis Quaid. Her recent films include "Blow Dry" (2001) released in 2001, and Ethan Hawke's "Chelsea Walls" (2001).
Natasha Richardson won the 1998 Tony Award for her celebrated performance in the Roundabout Theater Company revival of Cabaret and was also Tony-nominated for her starring role in the revival of Anna Christie. Other Broadway credits include Closer and A Streetcar Named Desire.
