Rachel, Lady Redgrave (28 May 1910 – 24 May 2003), known primarily by her birth name Rachel Kempson, was an English actress. She married Sir Michael Redgrave, and was the matriarch of the famous acting dynasty.

Early life

Kempson was born in Dartmouth,

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

, the daughter of Beatrice Hamilton (née Ashwell) and Eric William Edward Kempson, who became headmaster of the Royal Naval College.

Career

Kempson trained at RADA before joining the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

. She married Michael Redgrave in 1935 and the couple appeared together many times on stage. She also appeared many times on film and television, most notably in the films '' The Captive Heart'', '' The Sea Shall Not Have Them'' (both opposite her husband

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), '' The Jokers'', '' Two Gentlemen Sharing'', '' Out of Africa'', '' Uncle Vanya''; and the television series '' Tales of Unease'', ('It's too Late Now', episode, 1970), '' Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill'' (1974) , and '' The Jewel in the Crown''. She made three films with her daughter Lynn ('' Tom Jones'', '' Georgy Girl'' and ''

The Virgin Soldiers ''The Virgin Soldiers'' is a 1966 comic novel by Leslie Thomas, inspired by his own experiences of National Service in the British Army. It was Thomas' debut novel; he had previously published an autobiography. ''The Virgin Soldiers'' sold mill ...

''), and two films with her other daughter Vanessa ('' The Charge of the Light Brigade'' – which also starred her son Corin – and ''

Déjà Vu ''Déjà vu'' ( , ; "already seen") is the phenomenon of feeling like one has lived through the present situation in the past.Schnider, Armin. (2008). ''The Confabulating Mind: How the Brain Creates Reality''. Oxford University Press. pp. 167–1 ...

''). Her 1986 autobiography, ''Life Among the Redgraves'' was published by Dutton. According to ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'', "Lady Redgrave writes with candour, wit, restraint and some sadness about her background, beginnings in the theatre in 1932, marriage and motherhood, the trials of moving and the problems of being married to a handsome matinee idol."

Personal life and death

Kempson married fellow actor Michael Redgrave in 1935, and became the daughter-in-law of Roy Redgrave and Margaret Scudamore. Kempson was the mother of Vanessa (born 1937), Corin (1939–2010) and Lynn Redgrave (1943–2010) and the grandmother of Joely and Natasha Richardson (1963–2009), Jemma Redgrave, Luke Redgrave, Arden Redgrave, Harvey Redgrave, Carlo Gabriel Nero, Benjamin B. Clark, Kelly B. Clark and Annabel Lucy Clark. In 1959, her husband was knighted and she formally became Lady Redgrave. However, she refused to use her title professionally. In 2003, four days before what would have been her 93rd birthday, she died of a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

at the home of her granddaughter, Natasha Richardson, in Millbrook, New York. Richardson died on 18 March 2009 in a skiing accident and was buried near Kempson. Kempson's youngest daughter, Lynn Redgrave, was buried in the same cemetery on 8 May 2010, near Kempson and Richardson.

Filmography

References

External links

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Rachel Kempson
interview on BBC Radio 4 '' Desert Island Discs'', 5 May 1989 {{DEFAULTSORT:Kempson, Rachel 1910 births 2003 deaths English expatriate actresses in the United States 20th-century English actresses Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art English film actresses English stage actresses English television actresses People from Dartmouth, Devon Royal Shakespeare Company members Actresses from Devon Redgrave family Wives of knights