Redgrave Lends Support

By Caitlin O'toole

07/06/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

Vanessa Redgrave, 63, was in Moscow Thursday, to show support for families of the 118 men who died when the Kursk submarine sank in August, reports Reuters. At a news conference, the British actress offered her love and sympathy to relatives of the victims and handed over a $2,900 donation. Fighting back tears, she said the cash had been collected following one of her performances in Shakespeare's "The Tempest" in London. "When I heard about your men, I was in the Globe theater and all I could do was think about you and your families," she said. "I want you to know that we made the collection because I knew you could think of something important that could be done even with this small amount of money," the Oscar-winning actress added. Redgrave also said her own family connections with the navy made her empathize with the Kursk families.