Remembering Lynn Redgrave

Lynn Redgrave passed away today at the age of 67, after a long and public battle with breast cancer. Her death marks the end of a long, varied and illustrious career.

The scion of a theatrical family – parents were actors Sir Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson – Lynn Redgrave, along with siblings Vanessa and Corin, was exposed to showbiz from an early age. Here, you can see a 14-year-old Lynn portraying a Victorian miss in this BBC film on the history of fashion.

Redgrave made her stage debut in 1962, but it was 1966’s Georgy Girl that was her breakout. Redgrave’s role as a plucky but overlooked young woman won her an Oscar nomination.

Lynn enjoyed an accomplished career on stage and screen, winning particular acclaim for her stage work and her supporting turn in Gods and Monsters. She also collaborated a number of times with sister Vanessa, including a production of Chekhov’s Three Sisters and a remake of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane.

In 2007, all three Redgrave siblings — Lynn, Vanessa, and brother Corin — received a joint Lifetime Achievement Award from the Savannah Film Festival, an acknowledgment of the family’s contribution to the industry. Corin in April after a battle with cancer; Lynn survived him by less than a month, leaving Vanessa — whose daughter, Natasha Richardson, died last year — the only surviving Redgrave sibling. In addition to her sister, Lynn is survived by three adult children.