Lynn Redgrave, Famed British Actress, Dies of Breast Cancer
British actress, sister of Vanessa Redgrave, aunt of Natasha Richardson, was 67.
May 3, 2010— -- British actress Lynn Redgrave, the star of "Georgy Girl" and "Gods and Monsters," has died at the age of 67.
Her publicist Rick Miramontez, speaking on behalf of her children, told The Associated Press that Redgrave died peacefully Sunday night at her Connecticut home surrounded by children Ben, Pema and Annabel.
"Our beloved mother Lynn Rachel passed away peacefully after a seven-year journey with breast cancer," they said in a statement Monday. "She lived, loved and worked harder than ever before. The endless memories she created as a mother, grandmother, writer, actor and friend will sustain us for the rest of our lives. Our entire family asks for privacy through this difficult time."
Redgrave was a member of one of Britain's most celebrated theatrical families. Her death comes a year after her niece Natasha Richardson died from head injuries sustained in a skiing accident, and just a month after the death of her older brother, Corin Redgrave.
In 2003, at the age of 60, Redgrave was first treated for breast cancer. For six months she kept her cancer a secret, receiving treatment at Manhattan's Sloan-Kettering cancer clinic.
Afterward, she released a statement saying, 'Thanks to a series of new and encouraging treatments, I am lucky enough to be cancer-free."
Redgrave was the youngest child of actor-parents Sir Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson.
Thought she never achieved the acclaim of her elder sister, Vanessa Redgrave, Lynn Redgrave did receive Oscar nominations for "Georgy Girl" and "Gods and Monsters," and Tony nominations for "Mrs. Warren's Profession," "Shakespeare for My Father" and "The Constant Wife."
"Vanessa was the one expected to be the great actress," Lynn Redgrave told The Associated Press in 1999. "It was always, 'Corin's the brain, Vanessa the shining star, oh, and then there's Lynn.'"
She was also the aunt of actress Joely Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave's daughter and Natasha Richardson's sister.
In recent years, Redgrave also made appearances in the television shows "Ugly Betty," "Law & Order" and "Desperate Housewives."
