Jemma Redgrave- Biography

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.