Lynn Redgrave

LYNN REDGRAVE

Date of Birth: March 8, 1943

Date of Death: May 2, 1910

With a flair for comedic roles, Lynn Redgrave has made significant contributions to her illustrious family's five generation long reputation for producing fine British actors. The daughter of actors Sir Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson and the sister of actors Corin and Vanessa Redgrave, the London-born Lynn studied acting at the Central School of Music and Drama. She first appeared on stage in a 1962 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Royal Court Theatre.

She was next invited by Sir Laurence Olivier to become one of the first members in Britain's National Theatre. There, she appeared in Hamlet opposite her father and Peter O'Toole for three years as well as in many other prestigious productions. Redgrave made her feature film debut in Tony Richardson's ribald Tom Jones (1963). She then had a starring role in The Girl With Green Eyes (1964), but did not become an international star until she played the plump and pathetic protagonist in Georgy Girl (1966).

Her work earned her an Oscar nomination and a best actress award from the New York Film Critics and led to her playing leading roles in a number of films on both sides of the Atlantic. In 1974, Redgrave immigrated to the U.S., eventually becoming a U.S. citizen. She lost a lot of weight and became a fine comic actress, noted for her unabashed naughty sense of humor. For a while, she was a popular guest on the television talk show, game show circuit as well as a popular spokesperson for the Weight Watchers diet organization.

Her '70s film appearances ran the gamut from Woody Allen's Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, But Were Afraid to Ask (1972) to playing the title role in The Happy Hooker (1975). Redgrave has also appeared in television movies and in the series House Calls (1979-81), Teachers Only (1982-83) and Chicken Soup (1989). In the late 1990s, Redgrave staged a successful one-woman show, Shakespeare for My Father. In 1996, Redgrave won acclaim for her portrayal of the loving astrologer who married troubled pianist David Helfgott in Scott Hick's Shine.

In 1998, she won a Golden Globe For Best Supporting Actress for her role as a German housekeeper in Gods and Monsters which was followed by an 1999 Oscar® nomination and a win in 2000 as British Supporting Actress of the Year from the London Critics Circle Film Awards.

Redgrave had three children (Ben, Kelly and Annabel) with former husband, actor John Clark. She passed away in 2010 at the age of 67 following a seven year battle with breast cancer.

Filmography:

My Dog Tulip (2009)
Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)
The Jane Austen Book Club (2007)
The White Countess (2005)
Kinsey (2004)
Peter Pan (2003)
Charlie's War (2003)
Anita & Me (2002)
Hansel & Gretel (2002)
The Wild Thornberrys Movie (2002) (voice)
Spider (2002)
Unconditional Love (2001)
Deeply (2000)
How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog (2000)
Venus and Mars (2000)
The Next Best Thing (2000)
The Annihilation of Fish (1999)
Touched (1999)
The Simian Line (1999)
Gods and Monsters (1998)
Strike (1998)
Shine (1996)
Getting It Right (1989)
Midnight (1989)
The Tragedy of Antony & Cleopatra (1989) (V) Morgan Stewart's Coming Home (1987)
Antony and Cleopatra (1983)
Sunday Lovers (1980)
Disco Beaver from Outer Space (1978)
Big Bus, The (1976)
The Happy Hooker (1975)
The National Health (1973)
Every Little Crook and Nanny (1972)
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (1972)
¡Viva la muerte... tuya! (1972)
Killer from Yuma (1971)
Last of the Mobile Hot Shots (1969)
The Virgin Soldiers (1969)
The Deadly Affair (1967)
Smashing Time (1967)
Georgy Girl (1966)
Girl with Green Eyes (1964)
Tom Jones (1963)