Beloved Iconic Actress, 88, Delights Fans With Rare Social Media Moment originally appeared on Parade.
A legendary actress who has been in the entertainment business for nearly 70 years is doing well away from the limelight. Vanessa Redgrave, 88, recently popped up in an Instagram post on her daughter Joely Richardson’s page, and fans loved to see a glimpse of her.
The Julia star, who has won a Tony Award, an Academy Award, and two Primetime Emmy Awards, looked happy and peaceful in a short video that Richardson shared on Instagram on July 30.
Redgrave sat on a bench outdoors with her bare feet resting on the grass. She spoke to Richardson as she petted a white dog that lay on the ground next to her.
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A post shared by Joely Richardson (@joelyrichardsonsinsta)
Richardson noted that her mother was wearing “my PEACE tshirt,” which appears to be the same shirt highlighted in an Instagram highlight on Richardson’s page. In that highlight, she noted that the proceeds from the sales of the shirt would go to the organizations Plan International, Save the Children U.K., and the UN Refugee Agency
In the caption of her post, Richardson quoted a line from the Michael Leunig poem, “When the Heart.” It read, “When the heart is cut or cracked or broken, do not clutch it, let the wound lie open.”
She noted, “For some reason these words from the poem came to me- simple summer morning.”
Richardson continued, “Mum wearing my PEACE tshirt. Bare feet on grass, and astonishment at my little apple tree.” She noted that she had picked eight apples off that short tree on the day she snapped the photograph.
“All deliciously edible. Small wonders. Enough to keep going, 1 foot in front of [the] other,” Richardson added.
Redgrave spoke to her daughter briefly, seemingly saying, “Darling, a little video?” as she chuckled softly. She then greeted viewers by saying, “Hello!”
Fans of Redgrave were thrilled to see a glimpse of her.
“Dearest Vanessa looks so so well, as do you gorgeous Joely,” one fan wrote.
“Lovely to see Vanessa again … beautiful person .. fab performances,” added another fan.
Someone else shared, “This post warmed my heart so. Your mum is still and will always be so lovely. I was first captured by her in Isadora. I just turned 80. I understand so much more now.”
“Blessings to you and your symphony of a mother,” read an additional comment.
Richardson has also been in the entertainment industry for decades, known by many for her time on the series Nip/Tuck with Julian McMahon. Redgrave’s other daughter, and Richardson’s sister, was Natasha Richardson, who died after a skiing accident in 2009. She had been married to Liam Neeson.
Beloved Iconic Actress, 88, Delights Fans With Rare Social Media Moment first appeared on Parade on Jul 31, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
