Vanessa Redgrave

British actress (born 1937)

Dame Vanessa Redgrave DBE (Blackheath, London, England, 30 January 1937) is an English actress and activist.

Vanessa Redgrave

Redgrave at the Berlin Film Festival, 2011
Born (1937-01-30) 30 January 1937 (age 87)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • political activist
Years active1956–present
Spouse(s)Tony Richardson
(m. 1962–1967, divorced)
Franco Nero (m. 2006–present)
ChildrenNatasha Richardson
Joely Richardson
Carlo Gabriel Nero
Parent(s)Michael Redgrave
Rachel Kempson
RelativesCorin Redgrave
(brother)
Lynn Redgrave
(sister)
Jemma Redgrave (niece)

Life and career change

Born in a theatrical family, her father was actor Sir Michael Redgrave (1908-1985). Her mother was actress Rachel Kempson (1910-2003). Her brother Corin Redgrave (1939-2010) and sister Lynn Redgrave (1943-2010) were both actors. She began her career in theatre in 1958 with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

She made her movie debut in 1966 in Morgan, a Suitable Case for Treatment, followed by Blowup.

In 1967, she appeared in the musical Camelot, opposite Richard Harris. Other notable movies have included; The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968), Isadora (1969), The Devils (1970), The Trojan Women (1971), Mary Queen of Scots (1972), Murder on the Orient-Express (1974), Julia (1977), for which she won an Academy Award for best supporting actress, Agatha (1979), The Bostonians (1984), Wetherby (1985), Howard Ends (1992), Mrs Dalloway (1997), etc.

On television, she appeared in Playing for Time in 1980, which won her an Emmy Award for best actress, as well as in the teleseries Peter The Great (1986) and Young Catherine (1991).

In 2010 she received the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award, a lifetime achievement award.

Redgrave was married to movie director Tony Richardson from 1962 until 1967, with whom she had two daughters: actresses Natasha Richardson (1963-2009) and Joely Richardson (b. 1965). She has a son, Carlo Gabriel Nero (b. 1969) with Italian actor Franco Nero, whom she married in 2006.

Filmography change

Year Title Role Notes
1958 Behind the Mask Pamela Gray
1966 Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment Leonie Delt Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award
Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actress
Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1966 A Man For All Seasons Anne Boleyn
1966 Blowup Unnamed
1967 Camelot Guinevere
1968 The Charge of the Light Brigade Mrs. Clarissa Morris
1968 The Sea Gull Nina
1968 Isadora Isadora Duncan Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress
Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actress
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama
1969 Oh! What a Lovely War Sylvia Pankhurst
1969 A Quiet Place in the Country Flavia
1970 Dropout Mary
1970 A Mother with Two Children Expecting Her Third
1971 Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots
1971 The Devils Sister Jeanne
1971 Vacation Immacolata Meneghelli Italian: La vacanza
1971 The Trojan Women Andromache
1973 A Picture of Katherine Mansfield Katherine Mansfield Television film
1974 Murder on the Orient Express Mary Debenham
1975 Out of Season Ann
1976 The Seven-Per-Cent Solution Lola Deveraux
1977 Julia Julia
1979 Agatha Agatha Christie
1979 Yanks Helen
1979 Bear Island Heddi Lindguist
1981 Playing for Time Fania Fenelon Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie
1982 My Body, My Child Leenie Cabrezi Television film
1983 Sing Sing Queen
1983 Wagner Cosima Wagner Had a limited theatrical release; better known as a television mini-series; 2011 re-released as a feature film on DVD
1984 The Bostonians Olive Chancellor
1985 Wetherby Jean Travers National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress
1985 Three Sovereigns for Sarah Sarah Cloyce
1985 Steaming Nancy
1986 Comrades Mrs. Carlyle
1986 Peter the Great Sophia Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Miniseries or a Movie
1986 Second Serve Richard Radley / Renee Richards
1987 Prick Up Your Ears Peggy Ramsay
1988 Consuming Passions Mrs. Garza
1988 A Man for All Seasons Lady Alice More Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
1990 Romeo.Juliet Mother Capulet
1990 Breath of Life Sister Crucifix Italian: Diceria dell'untore
1990 Pokhorony Stalina English journalist
1990 Orpheus Descending Lady Torrance Television film
1991 The Ballad of the Sad Cafe Miss Amelia
1991 Young Catherine Empress Elizabeth Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Miniseries or a Movie
1991 What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Blanche Hudson Television film
1992 Howards End Ruth Wilcox Nominated – Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
1993 A Wall of Silence Kate Benson Spanish: Un Muro de Silencio
1993 The House of the Spirits Nivea del Valle
1993 Sparrow Sister Agata Italian: Storia di una capinera
1993 Great Moments in Aviation Dr. Angela Bead
1993 They Florence Latimer
  • Television film
  • Also released as Children of the Mist
1994 Mother's Boys Lydia Madigan
1994 Little Odessa Irina Shapira Volpi Cup
1995 A Month by the Lake Miss Bentley Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1995 The Wind in the Willows Narrator Television Film
1996 Mission: Impossible Max
1996 Two Mothers for Zachary Nancy Shaffell Television film
1997 Smilla's Sense of Snow Elsa Lubing
1997 Wilde Lady Speranza Wilde
1997 Mrs. Dalloway Mrs. Clarissa Dalloway
1997 Déjà Vu Skelly
1997 Bella Mafia Graziella Luciano Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
1998 Deep Impact Robin Lerner
1998 Lulu on the Bridge Catherine Moore
1999 Cradle Will Rock Countess Constance LaGrange
1999 Uninvited Mrs. Ruttenburn
1999 Girl, Interrupted Dr. Sonia Wick
2000 If These Walls Could Talk 2 Edith Tress (segment "1961")
2000 Mirka Kalsan
2000 A Rumor of Angels Maddy Bennett
2001 The Pledge Annalise Hansen
2001 Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story Countess Wilhelmina/Narrator
2002 The Gathering Storm Clementine Churchill Television film
2002 Crime and Punishment Rodian's Mother
2002 Searching for Debra Winger Herself Documentary
2002 The Locket Esther Huish Television film
2003 Byron Lady Melbourne Television film
2003 Good Boy! The Greater Dane
2004 The Fever Woman Also Executive Producer
Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie
2004–2009 Nip/Tuck Dr. Erica Noughton Television series; 10 episodes
2005 The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam The Heiress
2005 Short Order Marianne
2005 The White Countess Vera Belinskya
2006 The Thief Lord Sister Antonia
2006 Venus Valerie Nominated – British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actress
2006 The Shell Seekers Penelope Keeling Television film
2007 The Riddle Roberta Elliot
2007 How About You Georgia Platts
2007 Evening Ann Lord
2007 Atonement Older Briony Tallis
2008 Restraint Sky News Reader
2008 Ein Job Hannah Silbergrau Television film
2008 Gud, lukt och henne
2009 Eva Eva
2009 The Day of the Triffids Durrant Television miniseries
2010 Letters to Juliet Claire Smith-Wyman
2010 The Whistleblower Madeleine Rees
2010 Miral Bertha Spafford
2010 Animals United Winnie Voice Only (English Version)
2011 Coriolanus Volumnia
2011 Cars 2 Mama Topolino/Queen Voice Only
2011 Anonymous Queen Elizabeth I
2012 Song for Marion Marion Filming[1]

Reference change

  • The Illustrated Who's Who of the Cinema, Lloyd, Fuller & Desser, Portland House, New York, 1987.