Corin Redgrave
A gifted actor who channeled his family's theatrical intensity into a lifelong, radical political crusade.
1939–2010 (age 71)·English actor·Birthday: July 16·The Silent Generation
Biography
Corin Redgrave was born into a dynasty of British stage and screen, but he carved a distinct path defined by fierce political conviction. While he delivered powerful performances in films like 'A Man for All Seasons' and on the London stage, his life was equally a drama of activism. He and his sister Vanessa became prominent, often controversial, figures on the far left, co-founding the Workers' Revolutionary Party and campaigning against the Vietnam War and for Irish republicanism. His art and politics were inseparable; he even performed a one-man show about the socialist lawyer Gareth Peirce. Redgrave's later years were marked by serious health struggles, but he continued to act, bringing a weathered gravitas to roles that reflected his enduring principles, ensuring his legacy was one of both artistic pedigree and unyielding political fire.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Corin was born in 1939, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Corin Was Born
The biggest hits of 1939
#1 Movie
Gone with the Wind
Best Picture
Gone with the Wind
Corin's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1939Born
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1944Started school
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1952Became a teenager
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1955Could drive
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1957Could vote
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1960Turned 21
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1969Turned 30
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1979Turned 40
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1989Turned 50
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1999Turned 60
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 70
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2010Died at 71
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
Key Achievements
- Co-founded the Workers' Revolutionary Party, a significant Marxist group in 1970s Britain.
- Delivered a celebrated stage performance in 'Not About Nightingales', a rediscovered Tennessee Williams play.
- Authored and performed a one-man show, 'Blunt Speaking', about the spy Anthony Blunt.
- Served as a key figure in the Socialist Labour League, a forerunner to his later political party.
Did You Know?
He was arrested in 1999 for disrupting a performance of the Chinese State Circus in protest against the Chinese government.
Redgrave suffered a major heart attack while giving a speech at a rally for the Socialist Alliance in 2004.
He was the father of actress Jemma Redgrave.
He studied at Cambridge University, where his early political views began to solidify.
“The theatre is a place where you can say things that are very dangerous in a way that is not dangerous.”
