View Full Version : Natasha Richardson Injured in Ski Accident
Natasha Richardson in ski accident
Richardson won a Tony award in 1998 for Cabaret
Natasha Richardson, the actress wife of Liam Neeson, is in a Montreal hospital after a skiing accident in Canada, her family has told the BBC.
There are no further details, but unconfirmed reports suggest the 45-year-old suffered serious head injuries at the resort of Mont Tremblant.
Neeson is believed to have flown to her bedside from the set of his latest film, which is shooting in Toronto.
They married in 1994 after appearing in the film Nell, and have two sons.
A member of Richardson's family, who spoke to the BBC but has asked not to be named, said the whole family was "very distressed".
Part of the Redgrave acting dynasty, Richardson is the daughter of Vanessa Redgrave and director Tony Richardson, and the sister of Nip/Tuck star Joely Richardson.
She has starred in a number of Hollywood films and acted opposite an 11-year-old Lindsay Lohan in 1998's The Parent Trap.
But she is better known for her work on the stage, winning a Tony award in 1998 for her starring role in Sam Mendes' Broadway production of Cabaret.
tammyy2j
17-03-2009, 21:33
Perez Hilton is reporting her death :(
The New York Post and Time Out New York are reporting that Richardson has been left brain dead from the accident, both citing sources close to the family. However, entertainment website TMZ.com says Richardson is suffering brain swelling and is not brain dead.
Jade Goody must be throwing a tantrum that her limelight is about to be stolen. :rolleyes:
CrazyLea
17-03-2009, 22:08
Omg hope she is not dead :eek:. Which of those sites/newspaper whatever, are more reliable?
From BBC News, this morning
British actress Natasha Richardson has been transferred to a hospital in New York after suffering a serious head injury while skiing.
She was flown from Canada, where the accident happened, by private jet with actor husband Liam Neeson.
A family spokesperson told the BBC they are all very distressed.
Richardson, 45, initially appeared unhurt after an "undramatic accident" on a beginners' run but was later found to have a serious head injury.
The Tony award-winning actress was taken ill an hour after the incident, which happened during a ski lesson at the resort of Mont Tremblant on Monday.
The actress was later taken to the nearby Centre Hospitalier Laurentien before being transferred to the larger Hopital du Sacre-Coeur, in Montreal.
Neeson left the set of his latest film, Chloe, which is shooting in Toronto, to be at his wife's bedside.
The Manhattan hospital where Richardson is believed to have been transferred to is near the family home.
An update on her condition is expected later on Wednesday.
Richardson's mother, the actress Vanessa Redgrave, has been looking after the couple's two sons in New York.
Acting dynasty
The statement from the Mont Tremblant resort in Canada said the actress "fell in a beginners' trail while taking a ski lesson".
"She was accompanied by an experienced ski instructor who immediately called the ski patrol," it continued.
"She did not show any visible sign of injury but the ski patrol followed strict procedures and brought her back to the bottom of the slope and insisted she should see a doctor."
Richardson and Neeson married in 1994 after appearing in the film Nell.
Part of the Redgrave acting dynasty, Richardson is the daughter of Vanessa Redgrave and director Tony Richardson, and the sister of Nip/Tuck star Joely Richardson.
She has starred in a number of Hollywood films and acted opposite an 11-year-old Lindsay Lohan in 1998's The Parent Trap.
But she is better known for her work on the stage, winning a Tony award in 1998 for her starring role in Sam Mendes' Broadway production of Cabaret.
Chloe O'brien
18-03-2009, 22:21
Natasha Richardson's family have gathered at her hospital bedside amid reports that she has been taken off life support following a ski accident.
The British actress is being treated at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York after being flown back (http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/a149917/richardson-transferred-to-new-york-hospital.html) to the US from Canada yesterday.
Richardson, 45, was hurt (http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/a149801/richardson-critically-injured-in-ski-accident.html) in a fall during a beginners' ski lesson at the luxury Mont Tremblant resort in Quebec on Monday. Although her condition has not been confirmed, several news outlets are suggesting that she is "brain dead" after suffering serious head injuries.
Her husband, 56-year-old actor Liam Neeson, has been by her bedside after flying from the set of his new film Chloe in Toronto. Her mum Vanessa Redgrave, 72, sister Joely Richardson, ex-husband Robert Fox and aunt Lynn Redgrave are also thought to be at the hospital, along with her sons Michael, 13, and Daniel, 12.
Legendary actress Lauren Bacall, 84, was photographed leaving the facility after paying a visit earlier today.
Richardson, who lives in New York with her family, showed no obvious sign of injury after the fall, according to a Mont Tremblant spokesperson. However, the ski patrol took her back to the bottom of the slope and told her to see a doctor.
She was taken to hospital about an hour later after she began complaining of a headache.
British actress Natasha Richardson has died from injuries sustained in a skiing accident, her husband Liam Neeson's publicist has said.
Richardson, 45, who was a member of the Redgrave family, fell on a beginners' slope at the Mont Tremblant resort in Canada on Monday.
She initially showed no sign of injury after the incident.
Relatives had gathered at her bedside at the Lenox Hill hospital in New York where she had been transferred.
She was later taken to hospital after feeling unwell and it was confirmed her injuries were critical.
Richardson starred on film and TV but won most acclaim for her stage work.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7949195.stm
Jessie Wallace
19-03-2009, 00:17
so so sad, i really enjoyed watching her on screen
My thoughts are with her family wow that's so sad
Chris_2k11
19-03-2009, 01:13
omg thats terrible, RIP. all you seem to hear about is people dying at the moment :(
tammyy2j
19-03-2009, 09:58
RIP :(
prayers for her family and friends
StarsOfCCTV
19-03-2009, 10:07
Aw.. no...RIP. :(
tammyy2j
19-03-2009, 10:45
Lindsay Lohan has paid tribute to her former co-star Natasha Richardson, who passed away yesterday following a skiing accident.
Lohan made her big screen debut opposite Richardson at the age of eleven, when she played the star's daughter in a remake of Disney's The Parent Trap.
In a statement, Lohan said: "She was a wonderful woman and actress and treated me like I was her own. I didn’t see much of her over the years but I will miss her."
She added: "My heart goes out to her family. This is a tragic loss."
Richardson, 45, passed away after sustaining serious head injuries in a beginners' skiing lesson in Quebec on Monday. Her husband Liam Neeson and their two sons - Michael, 13 and 12-year-old Daniel - have said that they are "shocked and devastated" by the actress's death.
Chloe O'brien
19-03-2009, 11:02
What a tragic accident to happen out thoughts are will Liam and Natasha's family they must all be devasted.
R.I.P Natasha.
RIP
poor Liam and the boys and her family
di marco
19-03-2009, 14:18
thats so sad, RIP
CrazyLea
19-03-2009, 15:28
:( It's so much worse when it's unexpected. What a way to go.. at 45 :(.
Literally just watched a film with her in it the other day. So sad. Wishes to her family, R.I.P
tammyy2j
19-03-2009, 16:10
Other tributes to Natasha - whose husband Liam Neeson is 'shocked and devastated' about her death - came from Dame Judi Dench, Sam Mendes, Jane Fonda and Michael Parkinson.
Dame Judi told the BBC: "She had an incredibly luminous quality, that you seldom see, and a great sense of humour," she said. "I thought she was a really great actress."
Asked if she had had more great work to come, Dame Judi said: "I have no doubt about it. It's just so shocking, really shocking, and I hope that everybody leaves the family quietly to somehow pick up the pieces."
Sam Mendes, in whose 1998 Broadway production of Cabaret Richardson starred as Sally Bowles, winning a Tony award, said: "She was one of a kind, a magnificent actress.
"She was also an amazing mother, a loyal friend, and the greatest and most generous host you could ever hope to meet."
Demi Moore wrote online: "I am sending out prayers for Natasha Richardson and her family. A real reminder of how precious life is and how quickly it can be gone."
My thoughts go out to Her family and friends.
She was am amazing actress want to watch parent trap now but i don't have.
R.I.P Natasha.
Very sad news :( RIP Natasha.
I want to watch The Parent Trap now; I have two copies and I can't find either of them.
DaVeyWaVey
19-03-2009, 19:40
What a tragedy :( RIP Natasha.
This is really sad news, the fact it was so sudden and that it seemed nothing at first
I really feel for her family and Liam Neesons
NEW YORK (AP) -- Tony-winning actress Natasha Richardson died of a brain injury after falling on a ski slope, an autopsy found Thursday.
The cause of death was epidural hematoma (bleeding between the skull and the brain's covering), said Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the New York City medical examiner's office. Richardson was not wearing a helmet and the death was ruled an accident.
An epidural hematoma is often caused by a skull fracture. The bleeding causes a blood clot that puts pressure on the brain. That pressure can force the brain downward to press on the brain stem that controls breathing and other vital functions, causing coma or death. Frequently, surgeons cut off part of the skull to give the brain room to swell.
Richardson, 45, died Wednesday at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan after falling at the Mont Tremblant resort in Quebec on Monday. Descended from one of Britain's greatest acting dynasties, including her mother, Vanessa Redgrave, Richardson was known for her work in such plays as "Cabaret" (for which she won a Tony) and "Anna Christie" and in the films "Patty Hearst" and "The Handmaid's Tale."
http://mail.live.com/default.aspx?wa=wsignin1.0
The autopsy and autopsy report have been done very quickly to say she only died 24 hours ago :hmm:
TEARS in his eyes, movie star LIAM NEESON looks a broken man arriving home from hospital after the death of his actress wife NATASHA RICHARDSON.
Her grief-stricken mother Vanessa Redgrave collapsed in shock as the tragic death of her daughter devastated one of the most famous dynasties in showbusiness.
Movingly, the 72-year-old screen and stage actress crooned the song Edelweiss to brain-dead Natasha in her last moments of life.
She had sung the Sound of Music hit at Natasha’s first wedding to Robert Fox in 1990.
Vanessa then fainted as doctors at New York’s Lenox Hill Hospital turned off skiing accident Natasha’s life support.
She was at the bedside with Natasha’s husband Liam Neeson on Wednesday.
Tributes to the British actress poured in last night. Broadway dimmed its lights for a minute at 8pm, with Liam present.
Fellow actors embraced the Hollywood star after the moving tribute.
And it was revealed an ambulance was sent away empty after mum-of-two Natasha, 45, at first tried to make light of her fall on a ski slope in Canada on Monday.
A source said: “As the life support was switched off, the family asked to be alone with Natasha. But the moment was overwhelming for Vanessa, who fainted briefly and nurses were asked to help.
“Vanessa recovered enough to be supported by her family and Neeson, who was clearly overwhelmed.”
Gaunt Liam, 56, who was married to Natasha for 15 years, nodded to acknowledge the crowd that had gathered outside the family’s New York apartment. Pain was clearly etched on Vanessa’s face.
She married Liam, who starred in Schindler’s List and Star Wars hit The Phantom Menace, in 1994.
Natasha had been taking a lesson on a beginners’ slope at the Mont Tremblant Resort in Quebec when she fell.
A resort spokesman said she insisted she was fine and refused to see a doctor — but developed a bad headache an hour later.
Yves Coderre, boss of an emergency services firm, said the ski patrol had requested an ambulance for Natasha but when it arrived the crew were told they were not needed and went away.
A second ambulance was called after her condition worsened, by a ski patroller who went with her to her hotel.
Mr Coderre said victims of head trauma often believe they are fine at first.
Liam rushed to her side in a Montreal hospital and she was then flown to New York.
An autopsy report yesterday said her death was caused by epidural haematoma — bleeding between the skull and the brain — following an accidental blow.
Legendary actresses MERYL STREEP and LAUREN BACALL visited Natasha’s hospital room to pay their final respects on Wednesday.
Her sons Michael, 13, and Daniel, 12, were also at the hospital.
Lights on New York’s Broadway theatre district were dimmed in respect last night.
SAM MENDES, who produced Natasha’s award-winning 1998 Broadway show Cabaret, said: “She was one of a kind, a magnificent actress. It defies belief that this gifted, brave, wonderful woman is gone.”
DAME JUDI DENCH said: “She had an incredibly luminous quality and a great sense of humour. It’s just so shocking.
And film maker KEN RUSSELL, who directed Natasha in her 1986 movie debut, Gothic, said: “She was as smart as she was pretty and as gentle as she was fierce. I loved her unashamedly.”
So sad, my heart goes out to her family
LINDSAY LOHAN hailed NATASHA RICHARDSON last night as Hollywood coped with the shock of her death.
The movie wild child, 22, who played Natasha’s daughter in the 1998 remake of Disney’s The Parent Trap, said: “She was a wonderful woman and actress. She treated me like I was her own.”
Comedienne JOAN RIVERS, 75, described Richardson as “amazing and darling”.
She added: “She and husband Liam were totally happy, totally devoted to each other. That is what kills me. It just shouldn’t happen.
“He doted on what she said, she doted on him — it was perfect.”
DEMI MOORE, 46, wrote: “I am sending out prayers for Natasha and her family — a real reminder of how precious life is and how quickly it can be gone.”
Film director MICHAEL WINNER, 73, said: “Whenever you met her, it was like a joy. It’s a twinkle and a sparkle that has left the world.”
JANE FONDA, 71, said she met Natasha as a child and described her as “beautiful and graceful”.
MIA FARROW, 64, said: “Natasha is irreplaceable. I cannot think of anyone kinder, more generous, thoughtful, smarter or more fun.”
HOWARD STERN, 55, a neighbour of Natasha and Liam in New York, said: “She was one of the nicest women you would ever meet.”
RALPH FIENNES, 46, who appeared with the actress in two films, said: “For everyone who knew her, Natasha’s death is a devastating loss. She was unique.”
Former Northern Ireland first minister the REV IAN PAISLEY, 82, said: “To Liam and his boys, I express my sadness for the loss of their wife and mother.”
Devastated Liam Neeson was supported by his actor pals as he attended a moving tribute to tragic wife Natasha Richardson in New York on Thursday night.
Theatres on Broadway dimmed their lights for a minute in honour of the Maid in Manhattan star, who died on Wednesday from head injuries after a skiing accident.
Neeson emerged from his New York home to witness the tribute - and was comforted by his close friends Sarah Jessica Parker and her husband Matthew Broderick.
The Sex and the City star was among the crowds lining Broadway to pay their respects to Richardson, and was seen hugging Neeson as he attended the event with his wife's mother Vanessa Redgrave and other family members.
Meanwhile, fellow British actor Jeremy Irons struggled to contain his emotions as he spoke about Richardson during a television interview.
Asked for his thoughts on the tragedy on U.S. TV's The Today Show, Irons said: "It's... it's... absolutely terrible. It just reminds us how fragile life is. As a father and as a husband I feel for him - for the family - so, so much.
"I suppose what I have to remember is that could happen to any of us at any time - so make the most of it."
Staff at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, where Richardson studied her craft, are to launch a scholarship fund in her memory.
can't say i'd ever heard of her, so i didn't understand why such a big deal was being made of her. but that's becuase i'm not a theatre going, but i now understand she's one of the biggest names out there on broadway.
just done a wikipedia search and found out she's the sister of Joely Richardson - Julia from Nip Tuck (my fave show) and that Natashas's mother Vanessa Redgrave played Julia's Mom in Nip Tuck for a few episodes, didn't realise they were mother and daughter in real life!!!
Thats so sad :( I remember her
RIP
Chloe O'brien
20-03-2009, 19:48
It's because she was so young and it looked like a silly accident that everyone is so stunned by her death. Although she wasn't really well known her husband Liam is and he is one of the most well respected actors in showbiz today, plus coming from such an iconic family. It's just so sad how she died.
Liam Neeson and the family of actress Natasha Richardson, who died in a ski accident, have held a wake in New York.
Neeson and the couple's two teenage sons were joined by Richardson's mother, Vanessa Redgrave and sister, Joely Richardson.
The wake was held at the American Irish Historical Society in Manhattan.
On Friday night, more than 50 theatre venues in London's West End dimmed their lights in tribute to the respected stage actress.
Nica Burns, president of the Society of London Theatre, said it was "a gesture of condolence at this sad time."
Broadway theatres dimmed their lights on Thursday in honour of the 45-year-old actress, who died earlier this week following a skiing accident in Canada.
Richardson's husband Liam Neeson was present to see the theatre community commemorate his wife's passing.
Richardson's mother, Vanessa Redgrave, and her sister Joely Richardson were also present alongside actors Matthew Broderick, Sarah Jessica Parker and Laura Linney.
The lights went down at 2000 EST (0000 GMT), the traditional starting time for evening performances in New York.
In London, the two-minute mark of respect started just before 1900 GMT.
Because plays do not start simultaneously in the West End, however, the two-minute tribute was staggered over an hour.
Lights at 52 major venues in the capital went down just before curtain-up "as a mark of respect for both Natasha Richardson and her immediate family, and for the Redgrave family as a whole who have made such a unique contribution to British theatre."
Richardson's family went to Broadway as the lights were dimmed
Lights in London's theatre district were last dimmed in January as a mark of remembrance for the playwright Harold Pinter, who died in December.
Richardson's uncle, Corin Redgrave, is currently appearing at London's Jermyn Street Theatre in a play based on the writings of blacklisted Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo.
The theatre will join the tribute by dimming its own lights before a performance that the actor is dedicating to his niece's memory.
"She was the most adorable niece, most adorable person," said Redgrave on Friday. "Generous, kind, funny with a brilliant talent.
"I will miss her terribly and my thoughts - at this time - are with Vanessa, Liam and the children."
On Thursday the New York medical examiner's office said Richardson, who had two children with Neeson, died of epidural haematoma caused by a blunt impact to the head.
Doctors said she might have survived had she received immediate treatment.
According to officials, funeral arrangements will be made by the Greenwich Village Funeral Home in Manhattan.
Instead of flowers, Richardson's family have asked for donations to be made to the amfAR foundation for AIDS research.
The actress, whose father Tony Richardson died of complications from the disease in 1991, was a long-time supporter of the charity and served on its board of trustees for the last three years of her life.
The autopsy found that Richardson died from bleeding in her skull caused by a fall she took on a ski slope on Monday.
Such bleeding is often caused by a skull fracture that can quickly produce a blood clot that puts pressure on the brain.
That pressure can force the brain downward, pressing on the brain stem that controls breathing and other vital functions.
Patients with such an injury often feel fine immediately after being hurt, as symptoms from the bleeding may take time to emerge.
Richardson was skiing at Mont Tremblant at the time of her accident
The death of Richardson, who was not wearing a helmet at the time of her fall, has heightened the debate over skiing safety.
Questions have also been raised about why the first ambulance sent to the Mont Tremblant resort in Quebec after Richardson's accident was turned away.
Medics arrived shortly after the 45-year-old's fall, only to leave after the actress refused medical attention.
Another two hours elapsed before a second emergency call was made from Richardson's hotel room.
It was at this point that the actress, still conscious, was moved to a hospital 40 minutes away.
Actor Ralph Fiennes, who starred with Richardson in Maid in Manhattan and The White Countess, has joined the host of celebrities who have paid tribute to the Tony award-winning performer.
"She was a star," he said. "A great actress, a beautiful woman, a fiercely loyal friend, a brilliant and generous companion.
"I cannot imagine a world without her wit, her love, her mischief, her great, great talent and her gift for living," he continued.
Staff at the ski resort where Natasha Richardson suffered a fatal head injury have revealed that the actress decided not to rent a £6 helmet that may have saved her life.
The 45-year-old was taking a beginner's ski lesson at Mont Tremblant in Quebec when she sustained a "blunt impact" to her head which led to internal bleeding and death.
A staff member told The Sun: "We are heartbroken that we didn't do more to persuade her to wear one. A helmet would have cost her just ten dollars."
The mother-of-two, who was married to Liam Neeson, was transferred to a New York hospital following Monday's accident and died two days later surrounded by Neeson, her mother Vanessa Redgrave and her sister Joely Richardson.
The tragedy has led to some calling for helmets to be made mandatory in Canada, while one company at the resort has already made the decision for protective headwear to be obligatory from next season. A spokesperson said that the tragedy had "tipped the balance" between restricting people's freedom of choice and keeping customers safe.
StarsOfCCTV
22-03-2009, 09:21
I'm surprised it isn't mandatory to wear helmets already at all ski resorts. Although different circumstance, in Australia its the law that you have to wear a helmet when you are on a bicycle.
Lets hope people learn from this tragic accident and wear helmets and get head injuries checked out straight away.
Another tragic death of someone quite young and leaving two children behind. No media circus for this one though.
Natasha Richardson has been laid to rest at a private funeral service attended by her family and friends.
The 45-year-old actress died last week after sustaining fatal head injuries while learning to ski in Quebec, Canada.
Her husband Liam Neeson was among the pallbearers at yesterday's service, which was held at St Peter's Episcopal Church in Lithgow, about 90 miles north of New York City.
The couple's sons Micheal, 13, and Daniel, 12, attended the ceremony along with Richardson's mother Vanessa Redgrave and sister Joely Richardson, reports the BBC.
Actors Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman, Uma Thurman, Timothy Dalton and Laura Linney were also among the mourners.
Donations in lieu of flowers will go to the amfAR foundation for AIDS research, of which Richardson was a long-time supporter.
Its scary to think how somone can die so quick
tammyy2j
24-03-2009, 11:28
Patrick Swayze has paid tribute to his former co-star Natasha Richardson - insisting "the world will be a different place" without the actress.
The actor - who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year - worked with the tragic star on 2002's Waking Up in Reno.
And Swayze has been left devastated by the loss of Richardson - who died on Wednesday after a fall while skiing on the slopes of Mont Tremblant in Montreal, Canada two days previously had left her with a serious brain injury.
He says, "It is such a great loss to this community to lose an actress and person such as Natasha. Gifts like her don't come along very often. It's a rare thing in this industry to have someone with so much talent, beauty, and dedication and yet is imbued with such humility.
"I know for me and many other people, the world will be a different place without her. My heart goes out to Liam and his two boys, but I'm sure that Natasha's light is shining down on them."
tammyy2j
24-03-2009, 11:29
Natasha Richardson was no fan of the sport that killed her, according to fashion designer pal Kenneth Cole.
The actress suffered a fatal brain injury after falling during a skiing lesson in Montreal, Canada last week. She died from her injuries on Wednesday.
And Cole, who attended his late friend's wake on Friday, has revealed the tragic British star was only on the piste because members of her family thought a skiing trip would do her good.
Speaking at the launch of her first husband Robert Fox's Broadway play Gods of Carnage on Sunday night, the fashion designer said, "She was a very calculated person. She didn't love skiing because it was dangerous."
tammyy2j
24-03-2009, 11:29
Alan Rickman, Ralph Fiennes, Uma Thurman and Holly Hunter were among the celebrities who paid their final respects to actress Natasha Richardson as she was laid to rest in New York state on Sunday.
The stars joined Richardson's widower Liam Neeson and their sons and her mother Vanessa Redgrave and sister Joely Richardson as the actress was buried at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Millbrook.
Meanwhile, Richardson's fellow Brit Hugh Laurie admitted he's still coming to terms with the terrible news.
Paying tribute to the actress, he said, "It's almost the very definition of tragedy; it's just an awful thing."
StarsOfCCTV
24-03-2009, 18:06
"She was a very calculated person. She didn't love skiing because it was dangerous."
And yet she didn't wear a helmet. :confused:
It is funny, when I went skiing as a child noone wore helmets. Both of my sons have been skiing in France and Italy regularly with their school and they had to wear helmets - no helmet no ski, although the rule was age related, under 14s I think had to wear one but the school insists that all pupils wear a helmet regardless of age.
Times change, I guess, and we learn of dangers we ignored before.
Hard helmets don't look cute - I would never have dreamed of wearing one myself (and I am a similar age to Natasha). I would have felt unattractive. I guess that is much preferable to being pretty but dead.
I for one have learned from this tragedy.
THE family of tragic British actress NATASHA RICHARDSON has donated her organs.
Her grieving husband LIAM NEESON and mother VANESSA REDGRAVE told doctors she would have wanted to save others.
The 45-year-old star was buried on Sunday after suffering fatal head injuries in a skiing accident.
Surgeons at New York’s Lenox Hill Hospital spent hours after her death carefully removing organs for transplants.
One source said: “Some patient is going to wake up in the recovery room and start reciting Shakespeare.”
Good on them :clap:
Bereaved Vanessa Redgrave is concentrating on work following the tragic loss of her daughter Natasha Richardson - she has signed to star in Ridley Scott's 'Robin Hood' movie.
The acting great is set to play Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, mother of the folklore hero's nemesis King John, played by Oscar Isaacs.
It is the British actress' first major movie role since 2007's 'Atonement'.
The casting announcement comes just a week after the death of Redgrave's thespian daughter.
Natasha Richardson passed away on Wednesday after suffering a traumatic brain injury on the slopes Mont Tremblant in Montreal, Canada two days previously.
Redgrave and her daughter Joely Richardson, along with Natasha Richardson's widower Liam Neeson, laid the star's body to rest at St Peter's Episcopal Church in Millbrook, New York on Sunday.
Liam Neeson has reportedly returned to complete his forthcoming film following the death of wife Natasha Richardson.
The Irish actor left the set of Chloe earlier this month after learning that Richardson had been involved in a skiing accident in Quebec.
The 45-year-old actress died two days later after sustaining fatal head injuries during the fall.
Neeson, who has sons Michael, 13, and Daniel, 12, buried his wife last Sunday before returning to Toronto to finish filming the movie's final scenes.
Page Six reports that Neeson was seen sitting alone in a hotel between takes, with a source saying: "It was so sad. He looked like he was in an Edward Hopper print."
His representative confirmed that he has now completed the film.
tammyy2j
09-06-2009, 11:15
Uma Thurman still misses her close friend Natasha Richardson - because she delighted in watching the driven actress excel in every arena of life.
Richardson, Thurman's co-star in 2001's Chelsea Walls, died in March after suffering brain trauma following a freak skiing accident in Montreal, Canada.
And Thurman insists her death was a tragic loss because her pal's zest for life inspired those around her.
Thurman tells Harper's Bazaar U.K., "She would have a plan on arrival anywhere and would be carving the best out of life and every situation and every person.
"She wasn't as much a passenger as I am, which made us great companions in life... because every driver needs a passenger and every passenger needs a driver. So it's a big loss in my life."
But Thurman, who is currently preparing to wed tycoon Arpad Busson in London, insists Richardson's passing has taught her to maintain a positive perspective.
She adds, "Isn't life amazing? Isn't life full of surprises? When it comes to things like marriage, you just never know.
"I find that growing up has been all about realising that life gets more serious, and that it's also really important to increase your sense of humour."
Friends of Natasha Richardson are planning to honour the late actress by naming an English rose in her memory.
The 45-year-old actress, who was married to Liam Neeson, died in March following a skiing accident in Montreal, Canada.
Family and friends of Richardson have been planning a way to honour her memory, and they've decided on a floral tribute.
Search: Who else has a flower named in their honor?
One anonymous pal tells Britain's Sunday Express newspaper, "We all want something to remember Natasha and there's no one who better resembles a perfect English rose than her. The whole family loves the idea of having a rose named after her."
http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=439484>1=28101
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