Lynn Redgrave 1943-2010
Tuesday, May 4th, 2010
I loved Lynn Redgrave and was thrilled when I got to be in the same room with her during a press conference at the Toronto Film Festival in 1998 for Gods and Monsters.
Like so many movie buffs, I became a big fan of hers thanks to her brilliant performance in the offbeat 1967 hit Georgy Girl; as an “ugly duckling” myself I identified with her performance as a plain jane who is looking for love.
While she had numerous film roles after that, they were mostly in supporting roles. She did most of her best work in the theater, including shows that she wrote about life in her famous family, including the play Shakespeare For My Father. She was the baby of the Redgrave family that included brother Corin Redgrave (who died last month), sister Vanessa Redgrave, and her actor parents Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson. Her niece, actress Natasha Richardson, died last year in a skiing accident. It has been a bad year for the Redgrave family.
As the down to earth member of the family, Lynn Redgrave did tons of television work, including recent stints on Ugly Betty, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Desperate Housewives. She loved America and became a U.S. citizen.
Lynn Redgrave was “the other Redgrave sister,” but when she appeared in a project, be it a terrific movie like Gods and Monsters (which earned her a second Oscar nomination), or an episode of The Love Boat, Lynn Redgrave always brought a smile to my face.
