Heir to the Redgrave name, one of the most distinguished theatrical legacies in the world, Jemma Redgrave is the granddaughter of Sir Michael and Lady Rachel, the daughter of Corin, and the niece of Vanessa and Lynn. Although her profile in the US has not yet reached the level of her first cousin, Natasha Richardson, Redgrave nevertheless has begun to make a name for herself in leading and supporting roles in films and TV in the 1990s. Redgrave studied at LAMDA, and then took to the stage, first performing in a production of "Lady Windemere's Fan" in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She then performed on London's West End in a variety of new and classic roles, including Emily in Thornton Wilder's "Our Town" with Alan Alda and Irina in a revival of Chekhov's "The Three Sisters", co-starring her aunts Vanessa and Lynn.
Redgrave began to appear on TV in the late 80s, first for Anglia TV in "A Time to Die". She was first seen by American audiences in "The Real Charlotte" on PBS' Masterpiece Theatre and was Carolyn, friend to the title character in "Diana: Her True Story" (NBC, 1993), the miniseries about the Princess of Wales. Her film roles have been sporadic. Redgrave made her debut as Diana, one of the girls plagued by the "Dream Demon" (1988). Her best-known role to date may be Evie Wilcox, the socially ambitious young wife in the Merchant-Ivory production of "Howards End" (1992). Redgrave has continued to work in British TV including "The Buddha of Suburbia" (briefly shown theatrically in the US in 1993) and in the title role of "Bramwell" (PBS, 1996). In the latter, Redgrave delivered a strong performance as a Victorian woman with ambitions to become a surgeon.
Family
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Aunt: Lynn Redgrave. born on March 8, 1943; acted together in London stage production of Three Sisters (1990)
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Aunt: Vanessa Redgrave. born on January 30, 1937; acted together in London stage production of Three Sisters (1990)
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Brother: Luke Redgrave. born in 1967
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Cousin: Carlo Gabriel Nero. born in 1969
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Cousin: Joely Richardson. born in 1965
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Cousin: Natasha Richardson. born in 1963
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Father: Corin Redgrave. born on July 16, 1939
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Grandfather: Michael Redgrave. born in 1908; died in 1985
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Grandmother: Rachel Kempson. born in 1910
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Mother: Dierdre Hamilton-Hill. divorced from Corin Redgrave; diagnosed with cancer in 1992; died in 1997 from pneumonia
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Son: Alfie Owen. born in summer 2000
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Son: Gabriel Owen. born c. 1995
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Step-mother: Kika Markham.
Significant Others
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Companion: Jonathan Cake. involved briefly in 1998 during her separation
Education
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London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, London, England, acting
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Godolphin and Latymer School, England
Milestones
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1988 Acted in Easter ; Redgraves claims that working on this production provided a breakthrough because the director David Leveaux told her I don t believe a word you re saying
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1988 Film debut, Dream Demons
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1990 Acted aliongside aunts Vanessa and Lynn in a London production of Three Sisters
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1990 Early TV work, The Real Charlotte seen in USA as a Masterpiece Theatre presentation
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1992 Had featured role as Evie Wilcox in Howards End
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1993 Co-starred in NBC miniseries, Diana: Her True Story
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1993 Offered a strong supporting turn as a neurotic actress in The Buddha of Suburbia
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1994 Played lead in Bramwell , a British TV series shown in USA on PBS Masterpiece Theater (1995-2000)
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1998 Portrayed Cimmie Mosley in the British TV biopic Mosley
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1998 Starred in the TV adaptation of Irvine Welsh s The Acid House
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2000 Portrayed a lawyer in the BBC series Fish
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2003 Co-starred in the romantic comedy I ll Be There
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2004 Cast as Agent Emily Tuthill in the mini series, The Grid, (aired on BBC, Fox and TNT)
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2006 Cast in Lassie, Charles Sturridge s film based on Eric Knight s classic 1938 novel
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Performed in numerous stage productions in Belfast and on London s West End