Natasha Richardson was born into a famous family. Her mother is Oscar-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave and her father is one of the most important directors of British free cinema, Tony Richardson. Natasha has lived in an acting dynasty: her grandfather Michael Redgrave, aunt Lynn Redgrave, uncle Corin Redgrave, sister Joely Richardson and second husband Liam Neeson, and niece Jemma Redgrave are also known as actors. Natasha started to explore the world of filmmaking at the age of four. Her career began to take off in the mid-1980s. She has appeared in both art films and lighter fare.
Natasha was four when her parents divorced. She finished her schooling in London and began studying acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama. Her first husband was producer Robert Fox, whom she met in 1985 on the set of a film based on Chekhov's play The Seagull; they were married between 1990 and 1992. Liam Neeson married an Irish actor in Millbrook, New York, in the summer of 1994, after which he became a US citizen. They had two sons, Michael in 1995 and Daniel in 1996. After the death of his father, Tony Richardson, from the AIDS virus, he donated substantial sums of money to help those suffering from the disease.
On 16 March 2009, he suffered a skiing accident at the Mont Tremblant ski resort in Quebec, Canada, hitting his head. On returning to his hotel, he complained of headaches. He was first taken to the local hospital and then, because of his rapidly deteriorating condition, to the Sacré-Cœur specialised clinic in Montreal. He fell into a coma. The next day, he was airlifted in critical condition to Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. On 18 March, his family bade him farewell and then turned off his life support. He was buried in New York.
After the death of Natasha Richardson, a debate broke out in the Canadian and US press on the issue of making helmets compulsory for skiers. This did not happen in the end. The Quebec Ski Federation organised a major and effective campaign to encourage skiers to wear safety helmets.
Credit: filmezzunk.hu
