The pair starred together in 1968 movie A Midsummer Night'S Dream - the actress' second ever film role - and Mirren insists Richardson played a huge part in her success story.
His death came was a surprise because he hadn't been ill, his agent said, and was due to begin filming the television show "Midsomer Murders" next week, Sky News said....
Respected British actor Ian Richardson died in his sleep early this morning. He was 72. Richardson, who was best known for his Shakespearian roles and as a character actor, was not suffering from any illness before his death. [...] Read more!