Vanessa Redgrave: An Autobiography

by Vanessa Redgrave

"She is the greatest actress of our time," Tennessee Williams said. And not many people would argue with him. Vanessa Redgrave has been acclaimed for her work on the stage and in movies for over thirty years, since her first great success, playing Rosalind in As You Like It at Stratford-upon-Avon. She made the "leap into political life" almost simultaneously, joining Bertrand Russell in the movement for nuclear disarmament, and her commitment to political activism has been unwavering. As she explains here, these twin passions - for her art and for politics - nurture and feed on each other, providing the two great themes of a truly remarkable life. The Redgrave family has a long history in the theatre, and Vanessa writes thoughtfully and intelligently about her craft. Her grandparents and great-grandparents were actor-managers, writers, and actors. Her father, Michael Redgrave, was the son of an actor who starred in some of the first silent feature films in Australia. Vanessa married the director Tony Richardson, and they had two daughters, the actresses Natasha and Joely Richardson. She had a son, Carlo, with the Italian actor Franco Nero. Redgrave writes movingly of the strain her political activity has put on her family, and of the effect it has had on her career. But she is stalwart in her commitments. Her book is an honest and poignant account of an artist's compassionate, intelligent, brave, and loving engagement with the world.

Genres: Autobiography, Biography, Film, Nonfiction, Politics, Memoir

312 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Vanessa Redgrave, CBE, is an Academy Award-winning English actress of stage, screen and television, as well as a political activist.

She rose to prominence in 1961 playing Rosalind in As You Like It with the Royal Shakespeare Company and has since made more than 35 appearances on London's West End and Broadway, winning both the Tony and Olivier Awards. On screen, she has starred in more than 80 films; including Mary, Queen of Scots, Isadora, Mission: Impossible and Mrs Dalloway. Redgrave was proclaimed by Tennessee Williams to be "the greatest living actress of our times" and she remains the only British actress to ever have won the Oscar, Emmy, Tony, Cannes, Golden Globe and the Screen Actors Guild awards. She was also the recipient of the 2010 Bafta Fellowship for "Outstanding Contribution to Film".

A member of the Redgrave family of actors, she is the daughter of Sir Michael Redgrave, sister of the late Lynn Redgrave and Corin Redgrave, and the mother of Hollywood actresses Joely Richardson and the late Natasha Richardson.

Reviews

[Josefina Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bir kaç sayfası eksik olmasına rağmen okudum ve iyiki okudum diyeceğim kitaplardan ne yazık kı fazla uzatmış ama yine de iyiydi.
Oyunculuğunu çok beğendiğim Redgrave'nin hayat hikayesinin anlatı olarak bizlere sunduğunu görünce çok sevindim hemen kindle kitaplığıma ekledim.
Lakin şunu da ekleyim burda anlatılanlar sadece onun yaşantısının basma kalıp anlatımı değil aynı zamanda II.Dünya savaşı İngiltere'si , Stalin Rusyası , Avrupa ve ABD 'nin savaş zamanı yansımaları. Üstelik anlatım oldukça samimi bir dille ve kapsamlı bir şekilde anlatılmış ve bana göre bu sadece biyografi değil bir roman. Açıkcası bu kadar iyi olacağını unmamıştım ve olaylara bakış açısı , anti faşist izlenimlerine ise resmen bayıldım. Bilmediğim hatta bir çok kimsenin de bildiğini sanmadığım savaş dönemindeki olsun sonrası olsun İngiltere ve Dünyayı yönetme durumunda olan diğer ülkelerin de neler yaptıklarını okuma şansına vardım. Ve bunu harika bir şekilde anlatmış.

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[Rachael Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gifted actress and committed activist. One of the most fascinating lives of modern times. Recommend.

[Peter Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read,very well written and vivid,covering her artistic development and her political life and ideas,although some of her causes are now confined to history.She has a generous spirit and a deep empathy for all people but especially the oppressed and poor.

[Ian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Much more about her political activism than her acting and family. The book irritated me more than I thought it would and I liked her less after reading it.

[Cynthia Bemis Abrams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before reading this, I only knew "of" Vanessa Redgrave. I had seen a few of her films and a few articles about her activism. The only way I could understand her distinguished career and commitment was to read her own words. We've come to learn that opinionated and "aggressive" women are so often disparaged that the negative words become more used than any first-hand communication.

Redgrave balanced the book with mostly acting and her activism. There's not too much about her family. She's candid about all the challenges of being an actor: time, roles, aging, finances and the impact her outspokenness has had on her career. Her timeline, compassion and stories of her activism are inspiring and often rich with detail. The conflicts of which she wrote are now 30+ years in the rear view mirror, yet continue to influence conflict and positive relations around the globe.

[Steffi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wer eine reine Schauspielerbiografie mit viel Klatsch und Tratsch erwartet wird enttäuscht sein. Beeindruckend an dem Buch ist, wie Redgrave es in ihrem Leben immer besser schafft ernsthafte künstlerische Arbeit und poltisches Engagement so miteinander zu verbinden, dass beide Bereiche sich gegenseitig bereichern. Ihr Privatleben blendet sie dabei nicht aus (insbesondere ihre Beziehungen mit Tony Richardson, Franco Nero und Timothy Dalton; sehr offen schreibt sie auch darüber, wie sie die Geburten ihrer Kinder erlebte), aber ihr Leben ist an anderen Dingen so übervoll, dass ihr Privatleben in der Tat nur eine kleine Facette darstellt. Ihre Beschäftigung mit den unterschiedlichsten politischen Konflikten hat mir noch einmal deutlich gemacht, wie kritisierenswert und gefährdet die westlichen Demokratien zu vielen Zeitpunkten im letzten Jahrhundert waren.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

vanessa is my favorite.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great actress but kind of annoying person.