Natasha Jane Richardson (11 May 1963 – 18 March 2009) was an English actress of stage and screen. A member of the Redgrave family, she was the daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave and director/producer Tony Richardson and the granddaughter of Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson. Early in her career, she portrayed Mary Shelley and Patty Hearst in feature films, and she received critical acclaim and a Theatre World Award for her Broadway debut in the 1993 revival of Anna Christie. She won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical, and the Outer Critics Circle Award for her performance as Sally Bowles in the 1998 Broadway revival of Cabaret. Some of her notable films included Patty Hearst (1988), The Handmaid’s Tale (1990), Nell (1994), The Parent Trap (1998) and Maid in Manhattan (2002).

Natasha Richardson

Won a libel case against newspapers who claimed that her marriage was in trouble. [October 1998]
Daughter of Tony Richardson and Vanessa Redgrave,
Older sister of Joely Richardson.
Granddaughter of actor Sir Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson
Niece of Lynn Redgrave, Kika Markham and Corin Redgrave.
Cousin of Jemma Redgrave
Children, with Liam Neeson: Micheal Richard Antonio Neeson (born on June 22, 1995) and Daniel Jack Neeson (born on August 27, 1996).
Was a naturalized United States citizen.
Won Broadway’s 1998 Tony Award as Best Actress (Musical) for a revival of “Cabaret.” She was also nominated as Best Actress (Play) in 1993 for a revival of Eugene O’Neill’s “Anna Christie.”
Great-granddaughter of Roy Redgrave.
Former sister-in-law of actors James Fox and Edward Fox
Former daughter-in-law of Angela Fox
An accomplished cook, she was renowned for the lavish dinners she and husband Liam regularly threw at their upstate New York estate. Regular diners at the couple’s table have included Ralph Fiennes, Griffin Dunne, Meryl Streep, and Laura Linney.
Older half-sister of Carlo Gabriel Nero and Katherine Grimond.
Franco Nero gave her away at her marriage to Liam Neeson.
On March 16, 2009, she received a serious head injury during a private beginner’s skiing lesson at Mont-Tremblant, 80 miles outside Montreal. She appeared to be fine, and initially refused treatment. That afternoon, she developed a headache and was taken to Centre Hospitalier Laurentien, in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec. That evening, she was transferred to the ICU at Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur in Montréal, where she was declared brain dead. The next day, at her family’s request, she was transferred to Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, where she was removed from life support.
Meryl Streep was one of her very close friends.
Natasha was godmother of two of Mia Farrow’s adopted children.
Her private funeral service was held in New York on March 22, 2009. Among the people in attendance were her husband Liam Neeson, their two sons, her mother Vanessa Redgrave, her sister Joely Richardson, her aunt Lynn Redgrave, Laura Linney, Ralph Fiennes, Ciarán Hinds, Meryl Streep, Don Gummer, Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Alan Rickman, Holly Hunter, Mia Farrow, Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick.
She is buried at St. Peter’s Cemetery in Lithgow, N.Y. USA.
Met her husband Liam Neeson when they both appeared in Eugene O’Neill’s “Anna Christie” (1993) for which she was nominated for a Tony award.
Trained at London’s Central School of Speech and Drama.
She started her career on the stage in Leeds.
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.
At the time of her untimely death, Richardson lived with her family in Millbrook, New York.
Aunt of Daisy Bevan (b. 1992), via her sister Joely Richardson.
Stepdaughter of Franco Nero.