Rachel Kempson

'Rachel Kempson' (qv), the matriarch of one of theatre and film's most famous acting dynasties, took rather a back seat to the attention placed on several of the others.Born on May 28, 1910, in Dartmouth, Devon, England, to Beatrice Hamilton (Ashwell) and Eric William Edward Kempson, a headmaster, Rachel trained at RADA and made her professional stage debut at Stratford in 1933 playing Hero in Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing." She went on to grace other famed companies including the Royal Shakespeare Company, the English Stage Company and the Old Vic.Marrying actor 'Michael Redgrave' (qv) in 1935, she became Lady Redgrave when Sir Michael was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1959. Their three children grew to become celebrated acting icons of their own: 'Vanessa Redgrave' (qv), 'Lynn Redgrave' (qv) and 'Corin Redgrave' (qv). Over the years, the precedence of being a wife and mother strongly overruled her career ambitions. On stage she co-starred with Sir Michael in a number of plays including "Flowers of the Forest" (1935), "Love's Labour's Lost" (1936), "Storm in a Teacup" (1936), "The Wingless Victory" (1943), "Antony and Cleopatra" (as Octavia) (1953), "King Lear" (as Regan) (1953) and Samson Agonistes (1965).Besides featured roles in such films as _A Woman's Vengeance (1948)_ (qv), _Tom Jones (1963)_ (qv), _The Third Secret (1964)_ (qv), _Curse of the Fly (1965)_ (qv) and _The Jokers (1967)_ (qv), Rachel also appeared in movies alongside several different family members including her husband in _Jeannie (1941)_ (qv), _The Captive Heart (1946)_ (qv) and _The Sea Shall Not Have Them (1954)_ (qv); daughter Lynn in _Tom Jones (1963)_ (qv), _Georgy Girl (1966)_ (qv) and _The Virgin Soldiers (1969)_ (qv) and both Vanessa and Corin in _The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968)_ (qv).In 1986, Lady Redgrave wrote her autobiography "Life Among the Redgraves" in which she detailed her loving but difficult marriage with Sir Michael who was bisexual and had occasional discreet affairs. Their marriage endured, however, until his death in 1985, four months before they would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Today, the family's acting legacy has continued to expand into the next thriving generation. Grandchildren 'Natasha Richardson' (qv), 'Joely Richardson' (qv) and 'Jemma Redgrave' (qv) are all prominent actors.Her later screen career was focused on prolific British TV series, TV movies and mini-series, including _Jane Eyre (1970)_ (qv), _Elizabeth R (1971)_ (qv), _Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill (1974)_ (qv), _Love for Lydia (1977)_ (qv), _Tales of the Unexpected (1979)_ (qv), _The Jewel in the Crown (1984)_ (qv), _The Black Tower (1985)_ (qv), _Small World (1988)_ (qv) and _Lorna Doone (1990)_ (qv). Her twilight films included _Out of Africa (1985)_ (qv), _Stealing Heaven (1988)_ (qv) and her final _Déjà Vu (1997)_ (qv), the last being with Vanessa. Lady Redgrave died suddenly of a stroke at age 92 while staying at granddaughter Natasha's home in Millbrook, New York.::Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net