Vanessa Redgrave
Vanessa Redgrave | |
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Born | Blackheath, London, England | 30 January 1937
Alma mater | Royal Central School of Speech and Drama |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1958–present |
Notable work | Filmography |
Spouses | |
Partner | Timothy Dalton (1971–1986) |
Children | |
Parents | |
Family | Redgrave |
Awards | Full list |
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Dame Vanessa Redgrave
Redgrave made her acting debut on stage with the production of
Redgrave made her film debut starring opposite her father in the medical drama
A member of the
Early life
Vanessa Redgrave was born on 30 January 1937 in
In her autobiography, Redgrave recalls the
Career
Early stage and film career
Vanessa Redgrave entered the
In 1959, she appeared at the
In 1960, Redgrave had her first starring role in
Redgrave had her first credited film role, in which she co-starred with her father, in
Julia (1977)
In the film
…There is a quality about Vanessa that makes me feel as if she resides in a netherworld of mystery that eludes the rest of us mortals. Her voice seems to come from some deep place that knows all suffering and all secrets. Watching her work is like seeing through layers of glass, each layer painted in mythic watercolour images, layer after layer, until it becomes dark, but even then you know you haven't come to the bottom of it ... The only other time I had experienced this with an actor was with Marlon Brando ... Like Vanessa, he always seemed to be in another reality, working off some secret, magnetic, inner rhythm.[8]
When Redgrave was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1977 for her role in Julia, members of the Jewish Defense League (JDL), led by Rabbi Meir Kahane, burned effigies of Redgrave and picketed the Academy Awards ceremony to protest against what they saw as her support for the Palestine Liberation Organization.[9][10][11]
This film opened in 1977, the same year she produced and appeared in the film The Palestinian, which followed the activities of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Lebanon.[9][10] The film was criticised by many Jewish groups for its perceived anti-Israel slant,[12][13] and members of the Jewish Defense League (JDL) picketed Redgrave's nomination outside the Academy Awards ceremony while counter-protestors waved PLO flags.[11] Redgrave won the Oscar and in her acceptance speech, she thanked Hollywood for having "refused to be intimidated by the threats of a small bunch of Zionist hoodlums – whose behaviour is an insult to the stature of Jews all over the world and to their great and heroic record of struggle against fascism and oppression".[14] Her remarks brought an on-stage response later in the ceremony from Academy Award–winning screenwriter and award presenter at that year's ceremony Paddy Chayefsky[11] and sparked controversy. In his biography of Redgrave, Dan Callahan wrote, "The scandal of her awards speech and the negative press it occasioned had a destructive effect on her acting opportunities that would last for years to come".[15]
Later career
Film and television
Later film roles include those of
Her performance as a lesbian mourning the loss of her longtime partner in the HBO series
In 2008, Redgrave appeared as a narrator in an Arts Alliance production,
She had small roles in
She also played leading roles in two historical films: Shakespeare's
Subsequently, she starred with Terence Stamp and Gemma Arterton in the British comedy-drama Song for Marion (US: Unfinished Song, 2012) and with Forest Whitaker in The Butler (2013), directed by Lee Daniels. She also appeared with Steve Carell and Channing Tatum in the drama Foxcatcher (2014).
In 2017, at the age of 80, Redgrave made her directorial debut with the feature documentary
Theatre
Redgrave won four
In 2000, her theatre work included
In 2007, Redgrave played
In October 2010, she starred in the Broadway premiere of
In 2013, Redgrave starred alongside Jesse Eisenberg in Eisenberg's The Revisionist. The New York production ran from 15 February to 27 April. Redgrave played a Polish holocaust survivor in the play.[26][27] In September 2013, Redgrave once again starred opposite James Earl Jones in a production of Much Ado About Nothing at The Old Vic, London, directed by Mark Rylance.[28]
In 2016, Redgrave played Queen Margaret in Richard III with Ralph Fiennes in the title role, at the Almeida Theatre, London.[29]
In February 2022, it was confirmed that she would be playing Mrs Higgins in My Fair Lady at the London Coliseum from May to August 2022.[30]
In a poll of "industry experts" and readers conducted by The Stage in 2010, Redgrave was ranked as the ninth greatest stage actor/actress of all time.[31]
Personal life
Redgrave was married to film and theatre director Tony Richardson from 1962 to 1967; the couple had two daughters: actresses Natasha Richardson (1963–2009), and Joely Richardson (b. 1965). In 1967, the year Redgrave divorced Richardson, who left her for the French actress Jeanne Moreau, she became romantically involved with Italian actor Franco Nero when they met on the set of Camelot. In 1969, they had a son, Carlo Gabriel Redgrave Sparanero (known professionally as Carlo Gabriel Nero), a screenwriter and director. From 1971 to 1986, she had a long-term relationship with actor Timothy Dalton, with whom she had appeared in the film Mary, Queen of Scots (1971).[32] Redgrave later reunited with Franco Nero, and they married on 31 December 2006. Carlo Nero directed Redgrave in The Fever (2004), a film adaptation of the Wallace Shawn play.[33] Redgrave has six grandchildren.
Within 14 months in 2009 and 2010, Redgrave lost both a daughter and her two younger siblings. Her daughter Natasha Richardson died on 18 March 2009 from a traumatic brain injury caused by a skiing accident.[34] On 6 April 2010, her brother, Corin Redgrave, died, and on 2 May 2010, her sister, Lynn Redgrave, died.
Redgrave had a near-fatal
Redgrave has described herself as a person of
Political activism
In 1961, Vanessa Redgrave was an active member of the Committee of 100 and its working group. Redgrave and her brother Corin joined the Workers Revolutionary Party (WRP) in the 1970s.[38] She ran for parliament several times as a party member but never received more than a few hundred votes.[39] The party disbanded in 1985 amid allegations that chairman Gerry Healy was implicated in sexual abuse of female supporters.
On 17 March 1968, Redgrave participated in the anti-Vietnam War protest outside United States Embassy in Grosvenor Square. She was allowed to enter the embassy to deliver a protest.[40]
Redgrave used her wage from Mary, Queen of Scots to build a nursery school, near her home in west London. She donated the school to the state.[10]
After the 1973 Old Bailey bombing, Redgrave volunteered to post bond for the defendants and offered up her own house in West Hampstead, should any of them need a place to stay. None of the defendants were released from custody to take her up on her offer.[41][page needed]
In 1977, Redgrave produced and starred in a controversial
In 1977, Redgrave offered a resolution asking the British actors union to boycott Israel, allegedly including the selling of any taped material. The resolution was reportedly not brought to a vote.[43]
In 1980, Redgrave made her American TV debut as
In 1984, Redgrave sued the Boston Symphony Orchestra, claiming that the orchestra had fired her from a performance because of her support of the PLO.[48] Lillian Hellman testified in court on Redgrave's behalf.[49] Redgrave won on a count of breach of contract, but did not win on the claim that the Boston orchestra had violated her civil rights by firing her.[49]
In 1995, Redgrave was elected to serve as a
At a press conference, Redgrave said she feared for Zakayev's safety if he were extradited to Russia on terrorism charges. He would "die of a heart attack" or some other mysterious explanation offered by Russia, she said.[50] On 13 November 2003, a London court rejected the Russian government's request for Zakayev's extradition. Instead, the court accepted a plea by lawyers for Zakayev that he would not get a fair trial, and could even face torture, in Russia. "It would be unjust and oppressive to return Mr Zakayev to Russia," Judge Timothy Workman ruled.[51]
In 2004, Vanessa Redgrave and her brother Corin Redgrave launched the Peace and Progress Party, which campaigned against the Iraq War and for human rights.[52] Redgrave left the party in 2005.[citation needed]
Redgrave has been an outspoken critic of the "
In March 2006, Redgrave remarked in an interview with US broadcast journalist
In June 2006, she was awarded a lifetime achievement award from the
In December 2007, Redgrave was named as one of the possible suretors who paid the £50,000 bail for
In 2009, Redgrave together with artist Julian Schnabel and playwright Martin Sherman opposed the cultural boycott of Israel in the Toronto Film Festival.[59][60]
In March 2014, Redgrave took part in a protest outside
In 2017, Redgrave made her directorial debut with the movie
Acting credits
- Behind the Mask (1958)
- Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment (1966)
- Blow-Up (1966)
- Camelot (1967)
- Isadora (1968)
- A Quiet Place in the Country (1968)
- The Devils (1971)
- Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)
- Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
- Julia (1977)
- Agatha (1979)
- Yanks (1979)
- Playing for Time (1980)
- The Aspern Papers (1984)
- The Bostonians (1984)
- Wetherby (1985)
- Prick Up Your Ears (1987)
- The Ballad of the Sad Café (1991)
- Howards End (1992)
- Little Odessa (1994)
- Déjà Vu (1997)
- Mrs. Dalloway (1997)
- Wilde (1997)
- Deep Impact (1998)
- Cradle Will Rock (1999)
- Girl, Interrupted (1999)
- If These Walls Could Talk 2 (2000)
- The Gathering Storm (2002)
- Long Day's Journey into Night (2003)
- Venus (2006)
- Evening (2007)
- Atonement (2007)
- The Whistleblower (2010)
- Letters to Juliet (2010)
- Cars 2 (2011)
- Coriolanus (2011)
- The Butler (2013)
- Foxcatcher (2014)
- Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool (2017)
Awards and honours
Redgrave has received an
Redgrave has been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the following performances:
- 39th Academy Awards: Best Actress, nomination, Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment (1966)
- 41st Academy Awards: Best Actress, nomination, Isadora (1968)
- 44th Academy Awards: Best Actress, nomination, Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)
- 50th Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress, win, Julia (1977)
- 57th Academy Awards: Best Actress, nomination, The Bostonians (1984)
- 65th Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress, nomination, Howards End (1992)
Redgrave was appointed
References
- ^ "Theater honours put women in the spotlight". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- ^ "Vanessa Redgrave to receive Academy Fellowship". BAFTA. 21 February 2010. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
- ^ Redgrave 1991, p. 5.
- ^ General Register Office. "England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837–2008". FamilySearch. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
Vanessa Redgrave, 1937, Greenwich, London, England; Mother's maiden name Kempson
- ^ Redgrave 1991, pp. 6–7.
- ^ Redgrave 1991, pp. 7, 12.
- ^ Micheline Steinberg (1985). Flashback, A Pictorial History 1879–1979: 100 Years of Stratford-upon-Avon and the Royal Shakespeare Company. RSC Publications. p. 73.
- ISBN 9780375507106.
- ^ a b Emanuel, Levy (February 2006). "Oscar Politics: Vanessa Redgrave". Retrieved 30 March 2012.
- ^ a b c d Higginbotham, Adam (16 April 2012). "Vanessa Redgrave: 'Why do I work? I'm mortgaged up to the hilt'". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- ^ "Vanessa Redgrave doesn't regret 'Zionist hoodlums' speech". The Jerusalem Post | Jpost.com. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
- ^ Sharon Waxman (21 March 1999). "The Oscar Acceptance Speech: By and Large, It's a Lost Art". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-60598-593-0. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
- ^ WENN. "Redgrave Withdraws From Robin Hood". Contactmusic.com.
- ^ "Call the Midwife Cast List – TV Guide UK TV Listings". tvguide.co.uk.
- ^ a b c Brooks, Xan (21 May 2017). "Vanessa Redgrave: 'Democracy is at stake. That's why I'm voting Labour'". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
- ^ Peter Bradshaw (17 May 2017). "Sea Sorrow review – Vanessa Redgrave's ungainly, heartfelt essay on the refugee crisis". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
- ^ "'Sea Sorrow': Film Review Cannes 2017". The Hollywood Reporter. 19 May 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
- ^ "Vanessa Redgrave honoured at UK Ibsen Year opening", Norway – the official site in the UK. Retrieved 17 December 2006.
- London Evening Standard. Archived 29 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (15 December 2010), "Driving Miss Daisy Extends Through April 2011 with All Three Stars", Playbill. Archived 17 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "2011 Tony Nominations Announced! THE BOOK OF MORMON Leads With 14!". broadway world.com. 3 May 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2011.
- ^ "Redgrave & Jones Drive Miss Daisy to West End – Driving Miss Daisy at Wyndham's Theatre". Whatsonstage.com. Archived from the original on 28 December 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
- ^ Hetrick, Adam (15 February 2013), "The Revisionist, Starring Jesse Eisenberg and Vanessa Redgrave, Premieres Off-Broadway Feb. 15". Playbill. Archived 7 March 2013 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Gans, Andrew; Kenneth Jones (1 March 2013). "The Revisionist, Starring Jesse Eisenberg and Vanessa Redgrave, Extends Off-Broadway Run". Playbill. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
- ^ Trueman, Matt (4 December 2012). "Vanessa Redgrave and James Earl Jones to reunite for Old Vic's Much Ado". The Guardian.
- ^ Billington, Michael (16 June 2016). "Richard III – Ralph Fiennes gets to grips with Shakespeare's ruthless ruler". The Guardian.
- ^ Wood, Alex (25 February 2022). "My Fair Lady announces lead casting for West End run". WhatsOnStage.
- ^ Alistair Smith (15 December 2010). "Judi Dench tops Greatest Stage Actor poll". The Stage. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
- ^ "Excerpts from Vanessa Redgrave's Autobiography". Oocities.org. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
- ^ Amy Goodman (13 June 2007). "Vanessa Redgrave Combines Lifelong Devotion to Acting and Political Involvement in New HBO Film The Fever" (.MP3). Democracy Now!. Retrieved 14 May 2007.
- ^ "Natasha Richardson dies aged 45". BBC News. 19 March 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
- ^ Buchanan, Sarah (26 September 2015). "Vanessa Redgrave survives severe heart attack thanks to answer phone message". Daily Express.
- ^ Roberts, Alison (24 September 2015). "Vanessa Redgrave: 'Before I didn't care at all – now I find myself thinking what a miracle everything is'". London Evening Standard.
- ^ Hattenstone, Simon (13 June 2016). "Vanessa Redgrave on why she was ready to die: 'Trying to live was getting too tiring'". The Guardian. London.
- ^ Rourke, Mary (7 April 2010). "Corin Redgrave dies at 70; actor and activist was part of the famed British family of performers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ "Vanessa Redgrave". The New York Times. 19 March 2009. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ "1968: Anti-Vietnam demo turns violent". 17 March 1968. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
- ^ "Say Nothing (book) by Patrick Radden Keefe". Penguin Random House.
- ^ "Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
- ^ "The Jewish Defense League". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- ^ JTA. "Vanessa Redgrave unapologetic about 40-year-old 'Zionist hoodlums' remark". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- ^ Daniel Schorn (1 June 2007). "The New Direction of Vanessa Redgrave". CBS News. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
- ^ Shepard, Richard F. (8 August 1979). "Vanessa Redgrave's Casting Is Protested". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
- ^ "Google Scholar". google.com.
- ^ ISBN 1-58243-315-1.
- ^ "UK actress defends Chechen rebel". BBC News. 6 December 2002. Retrieved 17 December 2006.
- ^ "Court rejects Chechen extradition". BBC News. 13 November 2003. Retrieved 17 December 2006.
- ^ Branigan, Tania (17 November 2004). "Disillusioned with politics? Vote Redgrave!". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
- ^ Redgrave, Vanessa (30 September 2001), "We Need Justice. Bombs Will Only Create More Martyrs." Archived 21 March 2006 at the Wayback Machine CommonDreams.org. Retrieved 17 December 2006.
- ^ "Oscar-Winning Actress, Activist Vanessa Redgrave Calls For Justice, Legal and Human Rights For Guantanamo Prisoners" Archived 12 March 2006 at the Wayback Machine audio (9 March 2004), Democracy Now!. Retrieved 17 December 2006.
- ^ CNN Larry King Live interview with Vanessa Redgrave transcript (aired 18 June 2005), CNN.com. Retrieved 17 December 2006.
- ^ "Legendary Actor Vanessa Redgrave Calls Cancellation of Rachel Corrie Play an 'Act of Catastrophic Cowardice'" Archived 15 March 2006 at the Wayback Machine audio (8 March 2004), Democracy Now!. Retrieved 17 December 2006.
- ^ Vasagar, Jeevan (23 June 2006). "Redgrave centre stage in campaign to halt Romanian gold mine that has split village". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 December 2006.
- ^ Moore, Matthew (20 December 2007). "Vanessa Redgrave bails Guantanamo suspect". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
- ^ "Vanessa Redgrave Backs Israel". Tablet Magazine. 7 October 2009. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- ^ "Vanessa Redgrave slams Israeli film boycott". www.thejc.com. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
- ^ "Vanessa Redgrave joins protest against prison book ban". express.co.uk. 30 March 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
- ^ Helen William (28 March 2014). "Poetry reading held outside Pentonville in protest against prison books ban". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
- ^ Mark Haddon (8 December 2014). "The ban on books for prisoners is over. But how did it happen in the first place?". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
- ^ Alliss, Peter (22 December 2003). "Some who turned the offer down". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- ^ Leppard, David; Winnett, Robert (21 December 2003). "Revealed secret list of 300 who scorned honours". The Times. London.
- ^ "No. 63571". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 2022. p. N8.
- ^ "New Year Honours: Whitty, Van-Tam and Blair knighted, Lumley and Redgrave made dames". BBC News. 31 December 2021.
- ^ "New Year Honours 2022: Lumley and Redgrave become dames". BBC News. 31 December 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
Sources
- Redgrave, Vanessa (1991). Vanessa Redgrave: An Autobiography. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-679-40216-9.
External links
- Vanessa Redgrave at the Internet Broadway Database
- Vanessa Redgrave at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Vanessa Redgrave at IMDb
- Vanessa Redgrave at the BFI's Screenonline
- Vanessa Redgrave: Actress and Campaigner
- "She's Got Issues" – The Observer, 19 March 2006
- Lee Israel research files on Vanessa Redgrave, 1982–1987 Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library.