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NEWS > ENTERTAINMENT > NATASHA RICHARDSON MORE FAMOUS DEAD THAN ALIVE
NATASHA RICHARDSON MORE FAMOUS DEAD THAN ALIVE
March 17 2009
New York, NY – Some of the most famous people in history never had a chance to enjoy the spoils of their success. Revered and legendary now, it was only upon death that they gained the full recognition that they deserved. Among those illustrious names are legends such as Bach, Dickinson, Thoreau, Gauguin, Kafka, Columbus, Van Gogh, and most recently Heath Ledger. With news that actress Natasha Richardson has suffered a fatal fall while skiing in Canada it appears as though, if the media has its way, yet another name will be added to that tragic list.
The actress, who suffered brain damage from the fall and is surviving only on life support, is descended from showbiz royalty with parents Tony Richardson and Vanessa Redgrave, Aunt Lynn Redgrave, and husband Liam Neeson all highly regarded and awarded in their various disciplines. Richardson hasn’t been so lucky in acting roles despite her natural beauty and English accent with the most notable film being the Jodie Foster vehicle Nell. As word roles in of her tragic and untimely death though, it appears that she is finally destined to the stardom that so evaded her in life.
“Vanessa Redgrave is widely considered to be one of the best actors, male or female, in the history of film. Richardson isn’t quite that and judging by her choices she wasn’t really making an attempt to copy her mother’s success,” said Scrape TV Entertainment analyst Tracey Temple. “Now though
with this tragic death my guess is people are going to look back on her filmography with a fresh eye. Movies like ‘Gothic’ and ‘Blow Dry’ may have been better than anyone ever thought they were. Or even if they weren’t because she’s dead they are now going to be classics.”
A similar phenomenon happened just last year with the death of Heath Ledger. The massive outpouring of grief and love for the actor were vastly disproportionate to his level of success previously despite acclaim and minor box office success. His second to last film role as The Joker in ‘The Dark Knight’ became a point of worship, sky-rocketing the box office to untold and unexpected heights. Richardson has no films in the pipeline, though it is expected that distributers are clawing through their back catalogue to find appearances from the actress.
“While it’s true that if there had been other news today this wouldn’t be such a big deal, despite its undeniable tragic circumstances but it’s a matter of the right place at the right time. Much like living success in Hollywood, dying is all about timing. Ledger died at exactly the right time and under the right circumstances which vaulted him to incredible success and we will see if the same thing happens with Richardson,” continued Temple. “No doubt though that at least celebrity
websites and gossip shows are making a fortune off this. It’s hard to get a lot of eyeball views when old people die unless they are really famous largely because people expect them to die. When younger people die though, it’s so shocking that it’s immediately interesting.”
Richardson is 45 years old and has two young sons with Neeson, the critically acclaimed and Oscar nominated star of amongst other films, ‘Schindler’s List’. It is not expected that if she were able to miraculously recover from the brain damage and live that she will achieve the same level of fame as she would upon death.
“Legends aren’t made by almost dying. Legends are
made by sacrifice. From Jesus to Kurt Cobain, the one requirement of martyrdom is
death. For the good of her career and residuals death should almost be welcomed. Throw in the fact that she will more or less be a vegetable if she doesn’t die and its win-win,” continued Temple. “There’s no doubt it’s a tragedy but tragedies happen every day. Mothers, fathers, children die all the time but in those cases most people just don’t care because they aren’t famous. For famous people, especially underachieving ones, the best thing that can happen sometimes is death.”
Samantha Dryden, Entertainment Correspondent
NEWS > ENTERTAINMENT > NATASHA RICHARDSON MORE FAMOUS DEAD THAN ALIVE
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