This Star Cooked for Dad’s Parties & Coped with Mom’s Fame — She Married an Actor & Escaped to a Farmhouse with Him

 

  • This girl grew up with famous parents and coped with her mom’s fame.
  • The girl, who cooked for her dad’s parties, became an actress and married an actor.
  • She escaped to a farmhouse with the actor, raised their kids, and died in an accident.
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The girl and Vanessa Redgrave at their home on May 20, 1963 | Source: Getty Images

The girl and Vanessa Redgrave at their home on May 20, 1963 | Source: Getty Images

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This girl was born on May 11, 1963, in Marylebone, London, United Kingdom. She grew up to become a famous actress who garnered numerous accolades during her career spanning decades.

Some of the famous movies she starred in are “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Zelda,” “Past Midnight,” “The Wildest Dream,” “Suddenly, Last Summer,” and “Atonement.” The girl always wanted to be an actress, and she fulfilled her dream by becoming an exceptional and respected one.

The girl with her parents Vanessa Redgrave and Tony Richardson in London in 1963 | Source: Getty Images

The girl with her parents Vanessa Redgrave and Tony Richardson in London in 1963 | Source: Getty Images

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However, at one point in her childhood, the actress had a dream of being a flight attendant. When she looked back at this dream years later, she considered it ironic because she hated flying growing up. The actress had to take a pill before she got on to a plane because she was often so terrified.

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With her sister Joely Richardson and mother Vanessa Redgrave at their home on January 19, 1965 | Source: Getty Images

With her sister Joely Richardson and mother Vanessa Redgrave at their home on January 19, 1965 | Source: Getty Images

The desire to be an actress won over the one-time feeling of wanting to be a flight attendant. This desire was further intensified by the fact that she grew up on set as her mother was also an actress. Life on set with her parents, Vanessa Redgrave and Tony Richardson, was thrilling as it felt like she was in Disneyland. Her parents later divorced.

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Life with divorced parents was difficult for the girl and her siblings. Her mother was mostly broke, while her father was rich and would throw lavish parties at his home in Los Angeles. Their mom raised them in a drab semi-detached house in Hammersmith, West London.

The actress was descending a beginner’s slope on Mount Tremblant when she fell and hit her head.

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The kids mostly stayed with their nanny as their mom was mostly working or trying to save the world through the Workers Revolutionary Party. As a result, the actress and her siblings had a chaotic and turbulent childhood.

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The actress tried to cope with her mom’s fame and her parents’ divorce by sitting in front of the TV and binging on food. By the time she was 17, she had become a world-renowned actress and weighed 168lbs.

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Sadly, the difficult family times didn’t end there. When the actress grew up, she and her mother parted ways because of her mother’s political activism on behalf of Palestinians. Still, the girl’s mother, unlike her critical father, was always supportive of her acting career and happy that she made it.

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Family and friends also remember how the actress used to be growing up. When the girl was at her father’s house in the South of France, she would cook massive and regular meals for the floating parties her father hosted in the place.

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One of her father’s friends, Fiona Lewis, recalled how the girl would go to the market at St. Tropez and bring back boxes of food. She would then prepare and surprise her family with roast lamb and potatoes that could feed 30 people.

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Also evident during those parties was how the girl could easily hold conversations from as young as age 13. The actress would engage in deep conversations with David Hockney and other artists and writers. Lewis noted that due to the girl’s unique nature, she was never considered childlike in any way.

The girl and Vanessa Redgrave in London in 1970 | Source: Getty Images

The girl and Vanessa Redgrave in London in 1970 | Source: Getty Images

The girl grew up and married her first husband, Robert Fox, in 1990, but they divorced in 1992. The actress then married her second husband, Liam Neeson, in 1994. The two welcomed two kids, Micheál and Daniel. The girl’s marriage to Neeson gave her an escape route and a chance to be a mother.

The girl, Vanessa Redgrave, and Joely Richardson in Stockholm in 1968 | Source: Getty Images

The girl, Vanessa Redgrave, and Joely Richardson in Stockholm in 1968 | Source: Getty Images

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The girl in this story is Natasha Richardson. She fell in love with Neeson despite knowing he was a ladies’ man. Richardson left England for the US to live with Neeson and their two kids and was glad to leave behind expectations of her name.

Natasha Richardson during a portrait session in Los Angeles, California in 1988 | Source: Getty Images

Natasha Richardson during a portrait session in Los Angeles, California in 1988 | Source: Getty Images

In the US, the actress and the actor settled in Central Park West. They later moved to Millbrook in Upstate New York when they bought an 1810 farmhouse property. In July 1994, the pair got married in the presence of their guests in their new property.

Natasha Richardson and Liam Neeson during The Costume Institute's Gala Celebrating "Chanel" - Departures in New York City on May 2, 2005 | Source: Getty Images

Natasha Richardson and Liam Neeson during The Costume Institute’s Gala Celebrating “Chanel” – Departures in New York City on May 2, 2005 | Source: Getty Images

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Richardson gave birth to Micheál in June 1995 and Daniel in 1996. On giving birth to her babies 18 months apart, she said they didn’t plan it, but life never really goes according to plan. The actress strived to balance motherhood and her acting career, so she raised her kids in New York.

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The movie star was also in a happy relationship with Neeson. She once joked that she was already accustomed to being raised by famous parents, but having a famous husband made her feel a loss of self-confidence. Still, Neeson, who was smitten with her, described her as a radiant beauty.

Natasha Richardson and Liam Neeson arriving at the UK premiere of "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" in London on June 19, 2008 | Source: Getty Images

Natasha Richardson and Liam Neeson arriving at the UK premiere of “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” in London on June 19, 2008 | Source: Getty Images

The couple met while working together on Broadway on Eugene O’Neill’s classic play “Anna Christie” in 1993. The actor said he had never felt the kind of explosive chemistry he felt with Richardson with any other actress before.

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Neeson described Richardson as a woman who cared for everybody, had motherly instincts, made dinner for everyone, and really just took care of people. Unfortunately, the radiant, loving, and beautiful Richardson died in a tragic accident, leaving her husband and their two kids behind.

Natasha Richardson and Liam Neeson at the "Schindler's List" premiere in Paris, France on February 28, 1994 | Source: Getty Images

Natasha Richardson and Liam Neeson at the “Schindler’s List” premiere in Paris, France on February 28, 1994 | Source: Getty Images

Richardson was on a skiing vacation in March 2009 in Quebec, Canada, with her oldest son, Micheál, when she met an accident. The actress was descending a beginner’s slope on Mount Tremblant when she fell and hit her head. She was badly injured as she wasn’t wearing a helmet.

Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson during the British premiere of his film, "The Other Man," in London on October 17, 2008 | Source: Getty Images

Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson during the British premiere of his film, “The Other Man,” in London on October 17, 2008 | Source: Getty Images

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As per reports, an ambulance was called, but Richardson turned down medical attention and was taken to her hotel room by her ski instructor and a member of the ski patrol. Neeson was in Toronto when the accident occurred, and the actress called him right after, telling him she had “taken a tumble in the snow.”

Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson leave Studio 54 after the opening of "A Streetcar Named Desire" in New York on April 26, 2005 | Source: Getty Images

Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson leave Studio 54 after the opening of “A Streetcar Named Desire” in New York on April 26, 2005 | Source: Getty Images

Richardson felt like she was okay, but she actually wasn’t. She was experiencing lucid interval, a medical description for when a person with a traumatic brain injury seems normal, but blood is building in their brain, which can be fatal. A second ambulance was later called, which took the actress to the hospital three hours after her fall.

Liam Neeson and son during the New York premiere of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" on November 10, 2002 | Source: Getty Images

Liam Neeson and son during the New York premiere of “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” on November 10, 2002 | Source: Getty Images

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Neesan’s assistant called him and told him to go where his wife was immediately. He took a plane to a hospital in Montreal, where a young doctor showed him his wife’s brain X-ray. He saw that her brain was squashed up against the side of her skull.

Natasha Richardson and Liam Neeson at the Conde Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards & 20th Anniversary Party in New York City on October 10, 2007 | Source: Getty Images

Natasha Richardson and Liam Neeson at the Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards & 20th Anniversary Party in New York City on October 10, 2007 | Source: Getty Images

Richardson was brain-dead when Neeson arrived, but she was on life support. The actor went in and told his wife he loved her. He knew that Richardson would never recover, so he said goodbye to her and took her to New York, where she was taken off life support and died surrounded by her family members.

Natasha Richardson during the 4th Annual Tribeca Film Festival in New York City on April 25, 2005 | Source: Getty Images

Natasha Richardson during the 4th Annual Tribeca Film Festival in New York City on April 25, 2005 | Source: Getty Images

The Tony Award-winning actress died at age 45. The New York City’s Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy on her that confirmed she died from an epidural hematoma caused by a blunt impact to her head. Up until her death, Richardson was a loving wife, doting mother, and phenomenal actress.

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