Friends and family of Natasha Richardson have bid a final farewell to the actress at a private funeral service in upstate New York.

The ceremony took place at St Peter's Episcopal Church in Millbrook, near where Richardson shared a home with her husband Liam Neeson and their two children.

Neeson was among the pallbearers for his wife's coffin as it was taken inside the building.

He arrived at the tiny, white clapboard church with his sons Micheal, 13 and Daniel, 12, and mother-in-law, Vanessa Redgrave.

Others at the funeral included actor Ralph Fiennes. Burial will be in a nearby cemetery.

Richardson died in a hospital in New York on Wednesday after suffering a fatal head injury during a skiing accident in Quebec, Canada.

The 45-year-old fell during a lesson at the luxury resort of Mont Tremblant.

The actress's body was moved to Millbrook, around 90 miles north of New York City, following a private wake in the city at which Neeson mourned alongside family and friends including Uma Thurman and Fiennes.

He also attended a dimming of the lights in Broadway in tribute to the stage and screen actress.

In preparation for the funeral, Richardson's coffin was driven to the couple's Hudson Valley farmhouse, emblazoned with an Irish claddagh symbol, signifying love, friendship and loyalty.