Ralph Fiennes paid an emotional tribute to Vanessa Redgrave and her late daughter Natasha Richardson as he presented the actress with a lifetime achievement award in London on Monday night (07Sep09).
Redgrave was honoured at Harper's Bazaar magazine's Women of the Year ceremony for her long-running stage and screen career, as well as her tireless charity work.
Fiennes took the stage at the British capital's Dorchester Hotel to present the actress with the coveted award, and used the opportunity to praise Redgrave and pay tribute to her daughter, who died in a skiing accident earlier this year (09).
He told the audience, "You might think I'm a bit in love but I'm just a fan and a friend (of Vanessa), and if I am it's because of a great friendship I shared with Natasha and through that great friendship I've got to know Vanessa.
"Natasha was imbued with so many of your fantastic qualities as well as many of her own, and I feel blessed to have had that friendship, and thus through that friendship to have known Vanessa.
"If I think of a woman of truth, of loyalty, of integrity, of passion, of compassion, a woman with a great heart and a woman of all elements, I think of Vanessa Redgrave."
Tagged in Vanessa Redgrave Ralph Fiennes