Natasha Richardson, the renowned Tony award–winning film and stage actress, passed away on March 18, 2009. She was 45 years old. Born November 11, 1963, in London to actress Vanessa Redgrave and director Tony Richardson, Richardson was a talented Second Generation Thespian. She attended the prestigious London Drama Centre, and in 1983 made her professional stage debut in Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull. The beloved and talented actress went on to appear in a variety of stage, film and television roles, including Cabaret, The Parent Trap, Waking Up in Reno, Maid in Manhattan, Asylum, and Evening. She was a frequent collaborator with the theater directors Richard Eyre and Trevor Nunn, and was lauded for her performances in such plays as Anna Christie in 1993 and Closer in 1999. Richardson won a 1998 Tony Award for featured actress in a play for her performance in the 1998 Broadway revival of Cabaret. She received a BAFTA nomination for best-supporting actress for 2006’s The Female of the Species, and an Emmy nomination for the 1998 television movie Grey Owl. The elegant and giving Richardson is survived by her husband, actor Liam Neeson, her mother, Vanessa Redgrave, her sister Joely Richardson and her half-sister Katherine Grimond. Her passing leaves behind a remarkable legacy of beloved performances and generous contributions to the world of theater and film.