We all know Natasha Richardson from movies such as The Parent Trap, Evening, and Maid in Manhattan, but most of us don’t know a lot about her early life. During this article, we will be following the journey of her glamourous life before it was abruptly ended by a tragic skiing accident.

Natasha Jane Richardson was born May 11th, 1963 to parents Vanessa Redgrave and Tony Richardson in London, England. She had one younger sister, Joely Richardson, who is also an actress on the show Nip/Tuck.

Natasha was trained at London’s Central School of Speech and Drama and performed in numerous stage roles such as Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Ophelia in Hamlet. In 1986, she was awarded the London Drama Critics’ Most Promising Newcomer award for her role as Nina in The Seagull. She performed alongside her mother and Jonathan Pryce. In 1987, she played Tracey Lord in Richard Eyre’s musical High Society.

In 1990, she got married to film maker Robert Fox, but the marriage began to fall apart and eventually ended in a divorce in 1992. Two years later, she got married to actor Liam Neeson who she met on the TV mini-series Ellis Island. The wedding was held on July 3rd at their home in New York under a white tent. Natasha wore a wedding dress designed by Donna Karan and was given away by actor Franco Nero since her mother was unable to make the wedding. Seventy guests attended, including Steven Spielberg, Emma Thompson, and Ron Shelton.

Shortly after in 1991, her father was killed by AIDS-related causes. Crushed by the death of him, she helped raise millions of dollars to help fight against aids through charities such as the American Foundation for AIDS Research.

Natasha has earned many awards, including The London Evening Standard Award for Best Actress of 1990, London Drama Critics’ Best Actress Award in 1992, the Best Actress Award at the 1994 Karlovy Vary Festival, the Tony, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League and Drama Desk Awards for Best Actress in a Musical in 1998, and many more. She was nominated for a Tony for Best Actress in a Play, a Theatre World Award for Outstanding Debut, the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Debut of an Actress, and a Drama Desk nomination for Best Actress.

In 1995 in Dublin, Ireland, Natasha gave birth to her first son, Micheal Richard Antonia Neeson. A year later, she gave birth to another son, Daniel Jack Neeson.

On March 16th, 2009, the 45-year-old star was skiing on the slops of Mont Tremblant in beautiful Montreal, Ontario. During her lesson, she fell, but shrugged off the accident since she appeared to be uninjured. Later in the evening she felt unwell, so she was taken to a local hospital.

Natasha’s condition quickly went from bad to worse, so she was flown to a New York medical Center the next day. On Wednesday, March 18th, 2009, her mother and husband made the decision to switch off her life support machine, and Natasha died a few hours later.

As we take a step back and look at her life’s accomplishments, we can see that Natasha was not only a great actress, but a great mother, sister, daughter, and spouse. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say her death was unexpected. Several stars have posted their reactions to her death around the internet and in magazines, and as we grieve the life of this wonderful actress, may we keep her spirit alive in her hearts and prayers.