Vanessa Redgrave is the Oscar, Emmy and Tony award-winning actress who has starred in dozens of films over several decades, but how many of those titles are classics? Let's take a look back at 15 of her greatest movies, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1937, Redgrave was almost destined to become a performer: her parents were Sir Michael Redgrave and Lady Redgrave (Rachel Kempson), her siblings were Lynn Redgrave and Corin Redgrave, her daughters are Joely Richardson and the late Natasha Richardson, and her son-in-law is Liam Neeson. So when it comes to the Redgraves, acting definitely runs in the family.
Redgrave earned her first Oscar nomination in 1966: Best Actress for "Morgan! A Suitable Case for Treatment." (Interestingly enough, she competed against her sister, Lynn, for her performance in "Georgy Girl.") She won 11 years later as Best Supporting Actress for "Julia" (1977) and competed four more times (lead for "Isadora" in 1968, "Mary, Queen of Scots" in 1971, and "The Bostonians" in 1984; supporting for "Howards End" in 1992).
Unfortunately, her Oscar victory is best remembered for her controversial acceptance speech than for the performance itself: the Jewish Defense League protested her nomination because of her involvement in "The Palestinian" (1977), a documentary supporting a Palestinian state. As protestors picketed the ceremony, the actress praised the Academy for having “refused to be intimidated by the threats of a small bunch of Zionist hoodlums, whose behavior is an insult to the stature of Jews all over the world and to their great and heroic record of struggle against fascism and oppression.”
On the TV side, Redgrave earned Emmys for her roles in "Playing for Time" (Best Movie/Mini Actress in 1981) and "If These Walls Could Talk 2" (Best Movie/Mini Supporting Actress in 2000). She won a Tony in 2003 as Best Actress in a Play for "Long Day's Journey Into Night," and considering she's still active, there's still time to record a spoken word album and complete the EGOT with a Grammy.
Tour our gallery of Redgrave's 15 greatest films, including a few titles for which she should've received Oscar nominations.
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15. WETHERBY (1985)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Written and directed by David Hare. Starring Ian Holm, Judi Dench, Stuart Wilson, Tim McInnerny, Suzanna Hamilton, Joely Richardson.
David Hare’s “Wetherby” begins with a stranger (Tom McInnerny) arriving at a dinner party held by a schoolteacher (Redgrave); the next night, he returns to blow his brains out. His suicide uncovers the dark secrets of everyone who witnessed it, including a married couple (Ian Holm and Judi Dench), an investigator (Tom Wilkinson), and a woman who knew him (Suzanna Hamilton). Flashbacks reveal the great pain in Redgrave’s past (her younger self is played by her real-life daughter, Joely Richardson). Though a bit too stylistically dour, the film is a showcase for great performances, particularly Redgrave.
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14. LITTLE ODESSA (1994)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Written and directed by James Gray. Starring Tim Roth, Edward Furlong, Maximilian Schell, Moira Kelly.
Redgrave leant her talents to James Gray’s gritty, gloomy directorial debut. Tim Roth stars as a hitman for the Russian Mafia who returns to his hometown in Brighton Beach for an assignment. At the same time, he attempts to reconnect with his domineering father (Maximilian Schell), terminally-ill mother (Redgrave), and younger brother (Edward Furlong). While the crime elements are a bit too convoluted for their own good, the scenes between the family ring with an authenticity that’s almost painful to watch.
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13. FOXCATCHER (2014)
Image Credit: Scott Garfield/Annapurna/Likely Story/Media Rights Capital/Sony Worldwide/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Bennett Miller. Written by E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman. Starring Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, Sienna Miller, Anthony Michael Hall.
Redgrave has a small yet memorable role in Bennett Miller’s truth-is-stranger-than-fiction sports drama. “Foxcatcher” centers on John du Pont (Steve Carell), an eccentric billionaire who convinces U.S. Olympic wrestling champions Mark and David Shultz (Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo) to join his team. Things take a tragic turn, however, when du Pont kicks Mark out and murders David. Redgrave plays du Pont’s mother, a frail woman who domineers her son from the shadows. The film received acting nominations for Carell (lead) and Ruffalo (supporting), as well as bids for Miller, screenwriting, and makeup/hairstyling.
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12. MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (1974)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Sidney Lumet. Screenplay by Paul Dehn, based on the novel by Agatha Christie. Starring Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Martin Balsam, Ingrid Bergman, Jacqueline Bisset, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Sean Connery, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Anthony Perkins, Rachel Roberts, Richard Widmark, Michael York.
“Murder on the Orient Express” is the kind of big-budget, star-studded, entertainment Hollywood rarely makes anymore (except, of course, for the 2017 Kenneth Branagh remake). Directed by Sidney Lumet, this adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic whodunnit stars Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot, an eccentric detective called upon to investigate a murder aboard a train car stuck in deep snow. Everyone is a suspect, including Redgrave as an English teacher and Ingrid Bergman (in an Oscar-winning performance) as a shy Swedish maid. Costume and production designer Tony Walton lovingly recreates every detail of the mid 1930s, while Lumet and the A-list cast keep things sprightly and fun.
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11. PRICK UP YOUR EARS (1987)
Image Credit: ITV/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Stephen Frears. Screenplay by Alan Bennett, based on the biography by John Lahr. Starring Gary Oldman, Alfred Molina, Frances Barber, Julie Walters, Lindsay Duncan, Wallace Shawn.
With “Prick Up Your Ears,” Stephen Frears recounts the spectacular rise and violent death of playwright Joe Orton (Gary Oldman), who gained great success before being killed by his lover (Alfred Molina) in a murder-suicide. Redgrave plays Orton’s agent, who recounts his life story to a biographer (Wallace Shawn). The film removes any trace of luridness from its narrative, instead presenting it as a tragedy. Redgrave won the New York Film Critics Circle award and earned BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations as Best Supporting Actress for her performance, yet was overlooked at the Oscars.
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10. CORIOLANUS (2011)
Image Credit: Icon Entertainment International/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Ralph Fiennes. Screenplay by John Logan, based on the play by William Shakespeare. Starring Ralph Fiennes, Gerard Butler, Brian Cox, Jessica Chastain.
Among Shakespeare adaptations that transplant the Bard’s work to modern settings, Ralph Fiennes’s visceral, pulsating “Coriolanus” is one of the best. Adapted by John Logan, the film imagines a Rome that looks like war-torn Bosnia, with graffiti covering the walls and swords traded in for AK-47s. Fiennes stars as a celebrated general who is pushed into politics by his domineering mother (a scene-stealing Redgrave). Unfortunately, he can’t lead a country as well as he can an army, and he is soon banished from the city, only to team up with a sworn enemy (Gerard Butler) to exact revenge. Though she was snubbed by the Oscars, Redgrave did win the BIFA and was runner-up at the New York Film Critics Circle as Best Supporting Actress.
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9. MORGAN!: A SUITABLE CASE FOR TREATMENT (1966)
Image Credit: Studio Canal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Karel Reisz. Screenplay by David Mercer, based on his BBC teleplay. Starring David Warner, Robert Stephens, Irene Handl, Bernard Bresslaw, Arthur Mullard.
Redgrave earned her first Oscar nomination for Karel Reisz’s absurdist comedy that makes a serious case for restraining orders. “Morgan!” centers on a failed artist (David Warner) who goes off the deep end when his wife (Redgrave) leaves him for his best friend (Robert Stephens). He attempts to win her back in a series of increasingly bizarre stunts, including paying a wrestler to kidnap her and showing up at her wedding dressed as a gorilla. Redgrave lost her Best Actress bid to Elizabeth Taylor (“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”). Incidentally, she competed that year against her sister, Lynn Redgrave, who was nominated for “Georgy Girl.”
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8. ISADORA (1968)
Image Credit: Universal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Karel Reisz. Screenplay by Melvyn Bragg, Clive Exton, Margaret Drabble, based on the books ‘My Life’ by Isadora Duncan and ‘Isadora Duncan: An Intimate Portrait’ by Sewell Stokes. Starring James Fox, Jason Robards, Ivan Tchenko, John Fraser.
Following the success of “Morgan!,” Redgrave reunited with director Karel Reisz for this lavish biopic about Isadora Duncan, the radical 1920s dancer who challenged audiences’ conceptions about ballet. Though at times sluggish and overlong, the film is bolstered by its leading lady’s performance as a woman ahead of her time in every way. Despite winning Best Actress prizes at Cannes and the National Society of Film Critics, Redgrave lost the Oscar to Katharine Hepburn (“The Lion In Winter”) and Barbra Streisand (“Funny Girl”) in a famous tie.
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7. MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS (1971)
Image Credit: Universal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Charles Jarrott. Written by John Hale. Starring Glenda Jackson, Timothy Dalton, Nigel Davenport, Patrick McGoohan, Trevor Howard, Ian Holm.
Before there was Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie, there was Vanessa Redgrave and Glenda Jackson. In Charles Jarrott’s royal smackdown, Redgrave is Mary, Queen of Scots, who during the 16th century engaged in a two decades long rivalry with her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I of England (Jackson). The role brought Redgrave another Oscar nomination as Best Actress, and in an interesting example of art imitating life, she competed against her co-star, who was nominated for “Sunday, Bloody Sunday.” Both lost to Jane Fonda (“Klute”).
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6. THE BOSTONIANS (1984)
Image Credit: ITV/REX/Shutterstock Directed by James Ivory. Screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, based on the novel by Henry James. Starring Christopher Reeve, Jessica Tandy, Madeleine Potter, Nancy Marchand, Wesley Addy, Barbara Bryne, Linda Hunt, Charles McCaughan, Nancy New, John Van Ness Philip, Wallace Shawn.
Redgrave partnered up with the filmmaking team of director James Ivory, producer Ismail Merchant, and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala for one of their trademark literary adaptations. Based on the novel by Henry James, “The Bostonians” centers on a fiery suffragette (Redgrave) and a straight-laced Southern lawyer (Christopher Reeves) vying for the affections of a beautiful young woman (Madeleine Potter). The actress performance with a passion that brings fire to the stuffy affair. The role brought her an Oscar nomination as Best Actress, which she lost to Sally Field (“Places in the Heart”).
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5. A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS (1966)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Fred Zinnemann. Screenplay by Robert Bolt, based on his play. Starring Paul Scofield, Wendy Hiller, Leo McKern, Orson Welles, Robert Shaw, Susannah York.
Redgrave makes a memorable cameo appearance in Fred Zinnemann’s Best Picture-winning classic. Adapted by Robert Bolt from his own play, “A Man for All Seasons” recounts the final years of Sir Thomas More (Paul Scofield), who refused to sign a letter allowing King Henry VIII (Robert Shaw) to divorce his wife and marry Anne Boleyn (Redgrave). Redgrave was originally slated to play More’s daughter, Margaret, but had to take the smaller role due to a stage commitment (she was replaced by Susannah York). She later appeared in the 1988 made-for-TV version as More’s wife, Lady Anne, for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination.
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4. THE DEVILS (1971)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Written and directed by Ken Russell, based on the novel ‘The Devils of Loundun’ by Aldous Huxley and the play ‘The Devils’ by John Whiting. Starring Oliver Reed, Dudley Sutton, Max Adrian, Gemma Jones, Murray Melvin, Michael Gothard.
Few films remain as shocking today as they were upon their original release as Ken Russell’s “The Devils,” which was slashed by censors, banned in several counties, and remains largely unavailable on home video. Given its reputation, it’s almost hard to watch this historical drama about a sexually repressed nun (Redgrave) who accuses a randy priest (Oliver Reed) of witchcraft just as a movie. But for those with strong stomaches (and more importantly, those who can find a copy), it’s a surreal, surprisingly funny, and always interesting examination of religion and carnality.
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3. HOWARDS END (1992)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Directed by James Ivory. Screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, based on the novel by E. M. Forster. Starring Anthony Hopkins, Helena Bonham Carter, Emma Thompson, James Wilby, Samuel West, Jemma Redgrave, Prunella Scales.
Redgrave reunited with the filmmaking team of James Ivory, Ismail Merchant, and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala for what would prove to be the artistic highlight of the trio’s career. “Howards End” centers on a middle-class woman (Emma Thompson) who marries a wealthy businessman (Anthony Hopkins) after his first wife (Redgrave) dies. As adapted from E. M. Forster’s novel, the film takes a harsh look at the class and gender discriminations that still exist today. The handsome production reaped nine Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and won three: Best Actress (Thompson), Best Adapted Screenplay (Jhabvala), and Best Art Direction. Redgrave competed in supporting, yet lost to Marisa Tomei (“My Cousin Vinny”).
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2. BLOW-UP (1966)
Image Credit: Arthur Evans/Mgm/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni. Screenplay by Michelangelo Antonioni and Tonino Guerra, based on the short story ‘The Devil’s Drool’ by Julio Cortazar. Starring David Hemmings, Sarah Miles, John Castle.
Decades after its release, Michelangelo Antonioni’s “Blow-Up” continues to perplex and titillate viewers with its opaque mystery and bold sexuality (it’s famous for an orgy scene with full-frontal nudity). David Hemmings stars as a hip London photographer who may have inadvertently captured a murder on film. Redgrave costars as the woman in the photo who might have committed the crime. Viewed today, it’s easy to giggle at the fashions and hairstyles that would become hilarious fodder for the “Austin Powers” series. Yet those dated aspects do little to diminish the films ability to engage and puzzle us. Antonioni earned Oscar nominations for writing and directing.
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1. JULIA (1977)
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Fred Zinnemann. Screenplay by Alvin Sargent, based on the book ‘Pentimento’ by Lillian Hellman. Starring Jane Fonda, Jason Robards, Hal Holbrook, Rosemary Murphy, Maximillian Schell, Meryl Streep.
Fred Zinnemann’s “Julia” brought Redgrave her lone Oscar win, and her victory is more famous for the actress’s controversial acceptance speech than for the performance itself: the Jewish Defense League objected to her nomination after she funded and narrated a documentary, “The Palestinian” (1977), that supported a Palestinian state. Protestors picketed the ceremony, and as Redgrave accepted her prize, she thanked the Academy for having “refused to be intimidated by the threats of a small bunch of Zionist hoodlums, whose behavior is an insult to the stature of Jews all over the world and to their great and heroic record of struggle against fascism and oppression.” Politics aside, it’s easy to see why voters wanted to reward her for this role. The film centers on playwright Lillian Hellmann’s (Jane Fonda) relationship with a childhood friend (Redgrave) who turns her back on her wealthy upbringing to fight against Fascism in the lead-up to WWII. Additional prizes went to Jason Robards’ supporting turn as Dashiell Hammett and Alvin Sargent’s screenplay, adapted from Hellman’s own memoir.
Holywood producers are mostly jewish. They would not support vanessa because of her support of the palestinians.
One o the most underrated gr8 actresses! K Hepburn was so taken by her in their collaboration, The Trojan Women, tt she proclaimed tt if ever Hollywood wanna made a film abt her, they shld cast V. Redgrave!!
She shld’ve won for The Bostonians! But sadly I guess after her infamous Oscars speech, the Academy r never gonna let her win again 😕
Vanessa Redgrave is my favorite actress of all time!! There is no one to compare. I always wished I could meet her.