Richard Gregson
Richard John Gregson (5 May 1930 – 21 August 2019)[1] was a British talent agent, film producer and screenwriter.
Richard Gregson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Richard John Gregson 5 May 1930 Pune, India |
| Died | 21 August 2019 (aged 89) Whitebrook, Monmouthshire, Wales |
| Occupation(s) | Talent agent, film producer, screenwriter |
| Spouses | Sally Ronaldson
(m. 1958; div. 1967) |
| Children | 5, including Natasha |
| Relatives | Michael Craig (brother) Jessica Gregson (niece) Reginald Hanson (great-grandfather) Barry Watson (son-in-law) |
Career
Gregson spent his early career working in America, alongside stars such as Robert Redford, Julie Christie, Alan Bates and Gene Hackman and director John Schlesinger. He married the American actress Natalie Wood on 30 May 1969. The couple filed for divorce on 4 August 1971, and the divorce was finalised in April of the following year. Together they had one child, the actress Natasha Gregson Wagner, born 1970.[1]
Gregson was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay at the 33rd Academy Awards for his work on The Angry Silence with his elder brother, Michael Craig, and Bryan Forbes.[2]
Among his clients were Joe Janni, John Schlesinger, and Alan Bates.[3]
Personal life
He was born in India to Violet Hanson, a granddaughter of Reginald Hanson, who was Lord Mayor of London from 1886 to 1887, and her second husband, Captain Donald Gregson, formerly of the 3rd Indian Cavalry.[4] In 1933, his uncle, Charlie Hanson, drowned somewhat questionably in the River Thames.[4] Gregson's parents divorced in 1944 and his mother remarried; she lived until the age of 100.[4]
In 2012, he published a memoir titled Behind the Screen Door: Tales from the Hollywood Hills.[1]
Gregson had three children – Sarah, Charlotte and Hugo – by his first wife, Sally, whom he divorced in 1967. He had a daughter, Natasha, by his second wife, Natalie Wood. He was married to the British author Julia Gregson from 1984 until his death in 2019. The couple had one daughter, Poppy.
On 21 August 2019, his daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner, announced his death from Parkinson's disease in Wales, on her mother's tribute Instagram account, also sharing a photo of him and her together taken earlier in the year. He was 89 years old.[5][6]
Select credits
- The Angry Silence (1960) – co-writer
- Downhill Racer (1969) – producer
References
- Gregson, Richard (2 June 2012). "'Natalie's dead, Dad ...'". The Guardian.
- http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/DisplayMain.jsp?curTime=1451437034859
- Brian McFarlane, An Autobiography of British Cinema, Metheun 1997 p. 246-248
- "Richard Gregson, film producer, Oscar-nominated screenwriter and agent who counted Robert Redford among his roster of stars – obituary". The Telegraph. 28 October 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- "Natalie Wood on Instagram: Richard 'Daddy' Gregson joined the angels this morning after a brave battle with Parkinson's Disease at his home in Whales surrounded by family. He was 89. This picture was taken there at Whitebrook Farm early Feb. 2019 during the shoot for Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind coming soon to HBO. So much love goes out to The Gregson Family in England". Instagram. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
- Elson, Mark (11 September 2019). "Tributes paid to Hollywood hotshot". Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Review.