And so it ended...
After sustaining brain damage in a freak ski accident Monday, actress Natasha Richardson died Wednesday at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.
She was 45.
A member of the Redgrave acting dynasty -- and a Tony winner for "
Cabaret" in 1999 -- Richardson was skiing at Mont-Tremblant near Montreal when she suffered a seemingly minor fall during a ski lesson.
The actress felt fine, but later complained of a headache and was hospitalized, then flown on Tuesday to the U.S. with swelling of the brain. Reports indicate she was taken off life support on Wednesday.
She was married to Liam Neeson, with whom she had two sons, and was the daughter of Vanessa Redgrave.
She was born in London in 1963 and made her film debut at age 4 in "
The Charge of the Light Brigade," directed by her father, Tony Richardson.
In "
Vanessa Redgrave: An Autobiography," the actress describes her daughter as Ophelia in a Young Vic production of "
Hamlet." Richardson did not play the "mad scene" as insane, but rather grief-stricken at the horrors she'd seen adults commit. It quieted the rowdy audience of young students and her grandfather, Sir Michael Redgrave summed up, "She's a true actress" -- high praise from someone who was not easily impressed.
Her biggest triumphs continued to be on the stage, particularly in New York, though she had a successful career on TV and in films. One of her most prominent earlier roles was starring as "
Patty Hearst" in the 1988 Paul Schrader biopic.
Other notable film roles included Ken Russell's "
Gothic," "
A Month in the Country," "
The Handmaid's Tale" (1990), "
Nell," "
The Comfort of Strangers," "
Widows' Peak," "
The Parent Trap" (1998), "
Maid in Manhattan," "
The White Countess" (2005) and last year's "
Evening."
She also worked occasionally in television, notably opposite Maggie Smith in a 1993 remake of Tennessee Williams' "
Suddenly, Last Summer," directed by Richard Eyre.
"Not only was Natasha Richardson one of the greatest actresses of her generation," Roundabout A.D.'s Todd Haimes said in a statement, "but she was also a treasured member of the Roundabout family and a wonderful friend. Our hearts go out to Natasha’s family at this devastating time.”
Among her survivors are her husband; her mother; her sister, actress Joely Richardson; and two sons.
R.I.P.