Writers and Actors Recall Her Life

From the British press to celebrity co-stars, The Daily Beast presents a compilation of tributes to Natasha Richardson.

Geordie Greig, the Evening Standard’s editor, who was on the set of The White Countess with Richardson, her mother, and her aunt, Lynne:

"It was incredibly moving seeing Natasha with her mother and aunt on set," he says. "They talked, held hands, chatted, laughed, were one. Family was so important, even more so as they all had very separate professional lives.

"Their intense observations on the comedy of life were always there, as was a vulnerability. Natasha showed her strengths and weaknesses on her sleeve.

"There was a sort of translucent beauty about Natasha on set in Shanghai. She shone. She was also always excited for the moment when Liam and her children were due to arrive and to go on a trip off-set with them.

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"She was private and yet open. She was willing to talk about her father's sad death yet felt protective of his reputation, loving his warmth and big character but aware that he had a complicated life, being himself. She maintained long and loyal friendships with, among others, the writer Joanna Weinberg and her co-star Ralph Fiennes. She wanted to see, show and taste life, and was always more generous than most, in both her art and in her life."

The Times of London:

In England, she could never escape the long shadow cast by several generations of famous and often controversial relatives… Natasha Richardson grew up in the public eye.

The Guardian:

The Redgrave/Richardson family has been portrayed as one which has suffered divorce, scandal and apparent peccadillos. Yet Natasha was never one to buy into the whole "curse of the Redgraves". Her concern was more that the theatrical bloodline was one she could never escape to carve out her own niche. The family connections meant most mentions of her name always came with a qualification—that she was the daughter of Vanessa, the granddaughter of Michael, the sister of Joely. The subsequent decision to live in New York was in part to escape this level of association, something she explained in an interview in 2003.

The Telegraph:

Back in the UK, members of her family were anxiously awaiting further news. Her uncle, actor Corin Redgrave, 69, said: “I have heard from a family representative about Natasha’s accident and am very saddened.” His wife Kika Markham, 66, added: “We are very concerned.”