Vanessa Redgrave CBE (born 30 January 1937) is a multi-award winning English actress. She is the most famous member of the Redgrave family, the world renowned theatrical dynasty. She is also a social activist for human rights. She was made a Commander of the British Empire in 1967 and has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 1995. Vanessa Redgrave is widely considered to be one of the most talented and respected actressess of all time.

Biography

Ancestry and family

Redgrave was born in London, the daughter of actors Sir Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson. Laurence Olivier announced her birth to the audience for a performance of Hamlet at the Old Vic, when he told them that Laertes played by Sir Michael had a daughter. She was educated at The Alice Ottley School in Worcester. Her siblings, Lynn Redgrave and the equally outspoken Corin Redgrave, are also acclaimed actors. Redgrave's daughters, Natasha Richardson and Joely Richardson (by her 1962–1967 marriage to film director Tony Richardson) have also built respected acting careers. Redgrave's son Carlo Nero (né Carlo Sparanero), by her relationship with Italian actor Franco Nero (né Francesco Sparanero), is a writer and film director. She met Nero while filming Camelot in 1967, the year in which she divorced her husband Tony Richardson.