CABARET: THE DIVAS AND THE LEGENDS
Natasha Richardson
Born: May 11, 1963. Birthplace: London, England.
Parents: Actress Vanessa Redgrave and the late Tony Richardson, who
died of AIDS in 1991. Spouse: Liam Neeson since July 3, 1994.
Children: Two sons, Michael and Daniel. Education: Trained at the
Central School of Speech and Drama.
Natasha
Richardson was destined to grace the stage and screen. With actress Vanessa
Redgrave and the late director Tony Richardson as parents, this bright-eyed
British girl grew up watching Broadway productions and hanging out on film
sets. She was constantly surrounded by movie stars, fantastic theaters and
costumes. This exposure, along with her mother's acting, inspired her to
pursue the craft. "I loved hanging around movie sets when I was a kid," she
told the Orange County Register. "I loved the whole world. I loved the way a
movie crew becomes an extended family. And I loved the idea of dressing up in
costumes and playing a character. I remember being moved by great
performances, and often those performances where given by my mother, so I
guess you could say she influenced me in that way." Although her parents split
when Richardson was a child, the family remained close. Her father and mother
never pressured her to go into acting, and they always supported her
decisions. Yet Richardson's childhood was, by her own account, unconventinal.
"My mother raised me and there was some painful and difficult times," she told
celebrity interviewer Jeanne Wolf, "because she was pursuing a career and also
very actively involved in expressing her political views. "But, looking back,
I wouldn't switch her for a normal mom, even though there were moments when
I'd come back from school and wish she'd just be there in a gingham dress
putting dinner on the table. I never had that. But now I'm really glad I have
her."
Following
in her mother's footsteps, Richardson started out acting in British theater.
Before graduating from the Central School of Speech and Drama, she performed
in several productions in London's Leeds Playhouse. After graduation, she
graced the London stages with her roles as Nina in Chekhov's "The Seagull" and
as Ophelia in "Hamlet." She made her film debut in 1986 as Mary Shelley in Ken
Russell's "Gothic." After that, she starred as the title character in "Patty
Hearst," Edwina in "Widow's Peak" and Paula Olsen in "Nell." Even with her
successful film career, Richardson hasn't abandoned the theater. She had the
lead in the 1992 Broadway production of Euguene O'Neil's "Anna Christie," and
she received a 1998 Tony Award for her role as the nightclub chanteuse Sally
Bowles in the Broadway revival of "Cabaret."
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