Natasha Jane Richardson
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Awards
Natasha Richardson won the 1998 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Sally Bowles in Cabaret. She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama and was a member of the Redgrave acting dynasty in London. She earned a Tony nomination for her Broadway debut in Anna Christie 1993. She died in 2009 at age 45 from a head injury sustained during a skiing lesson in Quebec.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Natasha Richardson — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Natasha Richardson by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Natasha Richardson — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
Born on May 11, 1963, in Marylebone, London, Natasha Richardson was the daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave and director Tony Richardson. She attended the Lycee Francais Charles de Gaulle and St Paul’s Girls’ School before training at London’s Central School of Speech and Drama. She grew up surrounded by acclaimed actors including her grandparents Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson, which made a career in the performing arts a natural path.
Richardson made her feature film debut as Mary Shelley in Ken Russell’s Gothic 1986, which led to the title role in Paul Schrader’s Patty Hearst 1988. She received praise for her performances in Volker Schlöndorff’s The Handmaid’s Tale 1990 and Paul Schrader’s The Comfort of Strangers 1990, earning the London Evening Standard Award for Best Actress. On stage, she earned a Tony nomination for her Broadway debut in Anna Christie 1993 and won the 1998 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance as Sally Bowles in Sam Mendes’ revival of Cabaret. Her film career included popular roles in The Parent Trap 1998 with Dennis Quaid, Maid in Manhattan 2002, and Asylum 2005.
Richardson married producer Robert Fox in 1990; they divorced in 1992. In 1994, she married actor Liam Neeson after they co-starred in a Broadway production of Anna Christie. The couple had two sons, Micheál and Daniel. She was a close friend of actress Meryl Streep and hosted lavish dinners at their upstate New York estate. Franco Nero, her mother’s partner, gave her away at her wedding to Neeson.
Richardson is best remembered for her Tony-winning performance as Sally Bowles in Cabaret and her role as Elizabeth James in The Parent Trap 1998. Her son Micheál changed his surname to Richardson in 2018 to honor her legacy. At the time of her death, she was planning to star in a Broadway revival of A Little Night Music with her mother. Her organs were donated, saving multiple lives. Her stage and screen work is still admired.
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Every award, honor, and recognition received by Natasha Richardson — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
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I Think There’s Nothing You Won’t Do for Someone You Love. That’s What I Learned…when You Realize It Doesn’t Matter. When You Love Someone, You Do All That for Them.
Little-known facts about Natasha Richardson — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
According to Liam Neeson, he and Richardson had a mutual agreement that if one entered a vegetative state, they would not remain on life support. After her death, her liver, kidneys, and heart were transplanted.
A private funeral for Richardson was held in New York on March 22, 2009, attended by her husband, sons, mother Vanessa Redgrave, sister Joely Richardson, and many celebrities including Meryl Streep, Ralph Fiennes, and Alan Rickman.
In October 2018, her older son Micheál Neeson changed his surname to Richardson in her honor, nine years after her death.
On March 16, 2009, she suffered a serious head injury during a beginner’s skiing lesson at Mont-Tremblant, Quebec. She initially seemed fine but later developed a headache, was hospitalized, and declared brain dead.
She met her husband Liam Neeson when they both appeared in Eugene O’Neill’s Anna Christie in 1993, for which she was nominated for a Tony.
An accomplished cook, she and Liam Neeson regularly hosted lavish dinners at their upstate New York estate for guests including Ralph Fiennes, Griffin Dunne, Meryl Streep, and Laura Linney.
Meryl Streep was among her closest friends.
Franco Nero gave her away at her wedding to Liam Neeson.
She won a libel case against newspapers that claimed her marriage was in trouble in 1998.
At the time of her death, she was preparing to star in a Broadway revival of A Little Night Music with her mother, Vanessa Redgrave.
She was godmother to two of Mia Farrow’s adopted children.
She and her sister Joely Richardson each starred in remakes of classic Disney movies: Natasha in The Parent Trap 1998 and Joely in 101 Dalmatians 1996.
She was a naturalized United States citizen.
At the time of her death, she lived with her family in Millbrook, New York.
She won a Tony Award for Cabaret in 1998.
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