Vanessa Redgrave facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dame Vanessa Redgrave DBE
Redgrave in 2019
Born	(1937-01-30) 30 January 1937 (age 88) Blackheath, London, England
Alma mater	Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Occupation	Actress political activist
Years active	1958–present
Notable work	Filmography
Spouse(s)	Tony Richardson ​ ​ (m. 1962; div. 1967)​ Franco Nero ​ ​ (m. 2006)​
Partner(s)	Timothy Dalton (1971–1986)
Children	Natasha Richardson Joely Richardson Carlo Gabriel Nero
Parent(s)	Michael Redgrave Rachel Kempson
Family	Redgrave
Awards	Full list

Dame Vanessa Redgrave, born on January 30, 1937, is a famous English actress and activist. She has been acting for over sixty years. During her long career, she has won many important awards. These include an Academy Award, a Tony Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and an Olivier Award. This makes her one of the few performers to win all three major acting awards for film, television, and theatre. She has also received special honors like the BAFTA Fellowship Award and the Golden Lion Honorary Award.

Vanessa Redgrave comes from a family of actors, known as the Redgrave family. Her parents, Sir Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson, were also actors. Her siblings, Lynn Redgrave and Corin Redgrave, also became actors. She is married to Italian actor Franco Nero. Her daughters, Joely Richardson and Natasha Richardson, followed in her footsteps as actresses. Her son, Carlo Gabriel Nero, is a screenwriter and director.

Early Life and Family

Vanessa Redgrave was born in Blackheath, London. Her birth was even announced by famous actor Laurence Olivier during a play! He said, "A great actress has been born this night."

Some of her earliest memories are from the Blitz, when bombs fell on London during World War II. Her family moved away for a while to stay safe. She went to schools for girls in Worcester and London.

Acting Career

Vanessa Redgrave started her acting journey at the Central School of Speech and Drama in 1954. She first appeared on stage in London in 1958.

Early Stage and Film Roles

In 1959, she performed at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre. She played Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream and also appeared in Coriolanus. In 1961, she became well-known for playing Rosalind in the play As You Like It with the Royal Shakespeare Company. She has since starred in many plays in London's West End and on Broadway in New York.

Redgrave around 1970.

Her first film role was with her father in Behind the Mask (1958). She gained fame in movies with Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment (1966). This role earned her her first of six nominations for an Academy Award. She also starred in Blowup (1966) and played the dancer Isadora Duncan in Isadora (1968). For Isadora, she won an award at the Cannes Film Festival.

She played many historical figures in films. These included Andromache in The Trojan Women (1971) and Mary, Queen of Scots in the film of the same name (1971). She also played Guinevere in Camelot (1967).

Winning an Academy Award

In 1977, Vanessa Redgrave starred in the film Julia. She played a woman who fought against the Nazis before World War II. Her co-star was Jane Fonda. For this role, Redgrave won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Later Film and TV Work

Redgrave continued to take on many different roles. She played writer Agatha Christie in Agatha (1979) and a Holocaust survivor in Playing for Time (1980). She was nominated for another Academy Award for The Bostonians (1984).

Later, she appeared in popular films like Mission: Impossible (1996), where she played an arms dealer. She also starred in Mrs Dalloway (1997) and Girl, Interrupted (1999).

In 2000, she won an Emmy Award for her role in the TV series If These Walls Could Talk 2. She also joined the cast of the TV show Nip/Tuck in 2004, playing the mother of a character played by her real-life daughter, Joely Richardson.

Redgrave in 1994.

She continued to act in films such as Venus (2006), Atonement (2007), and Foxcatcher (2014). She also voiced a character in the animated film Animals United (2010). Since 2012, she has narrated the popular BBC series Call The Midwife.

In 2017, at 80 years old, Redgrave directed her first documentary film, Sea Sorrow. This film focused on the challenges faced by child migrants and the broader European migrant crisis.

Recent Theatre Work

Vanessa Redgrave has won many awards for her stage performances. In 2003, she won a Tony Award for her role in the play Long Day's Journey into Night on Broadway.

In 2007, she performed in a play called The Year of Magical Thinking, based on a book. She was nominated for another Tony Award for this role. In 2010, she starred with James Earl Jones in the Broadway play Driving Miss Daisy, which was very successful.

In 2022, she played Mrs. Higgins in My Fair Lady at the London Coliseum. She is considered one of the greatest stage actors of all time.

Political Activism

Vanessa Redgrave has been a political activist for many years. She has often spoken out about human rights and peace. In the 1960s, she was part of the Committee of 100, which protested against nuclear weapons.

In the 1970s, she joined the Workers Revolutionary Party. She ran for parliament several times, but she did not win.

She has supported various causes, including the rights of Palestinians. In 1977, she helped produce a documentary film called The Palestinian. This film explored the activities of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

In 1995, she became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, working to help children around the world. She has also spoken out against the "war on terrorism" and has supported people seeking political asylum. In 2004, she and her brother Corin launched the Peace and Progress Party, which opposed the Iraq War.

Redgrave believes that governments should follow international human rights laws. She has used her voice to highlight issues like the treatment of refugees and the importance of free speech.

Selected Film and TV Acting Credits

Awards and Honors

Vanessa Redgrave has won many prestigious awards for her acting. These include:

• An Academy Award (for Julia)
• A BAFTA Award
• Two Primetime Emmy Awards
• A Laurence Olivier Award
• Two Golden Globe Awards
• A Screen Actors Guild Award
• A Tony Award

She was first honored as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1967. In 2022, she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for her contributions to drama.

Redgrave around 1981.

Images for kids

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  Redgrave in 2019

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  Redgrave around 1970.

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  Redgrave in 1994.

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  Redgrave around 1981.

See also

In Spanish: Vanessa Redgrave para niños