Natasha Richardson starred in The Handmaid's Tale.
Natasha Jane Richardson ( 11 May 1963 -- 18 March 2009 ) was an English stage and screen actress . Some of her notable films included Patty Hearst ( 1988 ) , The Handmaid 's Tale ( 1990 ) , Nell ( 1994 ) , The Parent Trap ( 1998 ) , and Maid in Manhattan ( 2002 ) . The Handmaid's Tale (TV series) . It was ordered by streaming service Hulu with a straight-to-series order of 10 episodes , with the production beginning in late 2016 .