Vanessa Redgrave — Nominee for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play

Show:
Driving Miss Daisy

Role:
Daisy Werthan, an elderly Southern Jewish woman who forms a surprisingly strong friendship with her African-American chauffeur.

Bio Brief:
A a member of an iconic British acting family, Redgrave earned an Oscar for 1977’s Julia and has five additional nominations to her name. She’s remained a prominent stage figure, appearing on Broadway in Orpheus Descending, Long Day’s Journey Into Night and the solo show The Year of Magical Thinking.

Other Honors for this Role:
—Broadway.com Audience Choice Award nomination for Best Actress in a Play
—Drama League nomination for Distinguished Performance 

Tony History:
2003: Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play, Long Day’s Journey Into Night
2007: Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Play, The Year of Magical Thinking

Fun Fact:
Redgrave made frequent guest appearances on TV’s Nip/Tuck as the mother of her real-life daughter, Joely Richardson.

Quotable Quote:
“Being in [Driving Miss Daisy] has reminded me why I wanted to be in the theater when I was young. It’s about getting my arms around a character who is a stranger to me. It has taken me back to an earlier time, and that makes me happy.”  —Redgrave in an interview with the New York Times, 2/11