Claim: Natasha Richardson starred as the main character in Patty Hearst.

Natasha Jane Richardson -LRB- 11 May 1963 -- 18 March 2009 -RRB- was an English stage and screen actress .   Richardson was a member of the Redgrave family . She was the daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave and director/producer Tony Richardson and the granddaughter of Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson . Early in her career , she portrayed Mary Shelley in Ken Russell 's Gothic -LRB- 1986 -RRB- , and Patty Hearst in the eponymous 1988 film directed by Paul Schrader , and later received critical acclaim and a Theatre World Award for her Broadway debut in the 1993 revival of Anna Christie .   She won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical , the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical , and the Outer Critics Circle Award for her performance as Sally Bowles in the 1998 Broadway revival of Cabaret . Some of her notable films included Patty Hearst -LRB- 1988 -RRB- , The Handmaid 's Tale -LRB- 1990 -RRB- , Nell -LRB- 1994 -RRB- , The Parent Trap -LRB- 1998 -RRB- , and Maid in Manhattan -LRB- 2002 -RRB- .   Richardson died on 18 March 2009 from an epidural hematoma after a skiing accident in Quebec , Canada .