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Miriam Margolyes

Miriam Margolyes 2008.jpg
Margolyes in 2008
Born (1941-05-18) 18 May 1941 (age 83)
Oxford, England
Citizenship United Kingdom
Australia
Alma mater Newnham College, Cambridge
Occupation
  • Actress
  • comedian
  • narrator
  • author
Years active 1963–present
Partner(s) Heather Sutherland (1969–present)

Miriam Margolyes OBE (/ˈmɑːrɡəlz/ mar--leez; born 18 May 1941) is an English Australian actress. She has gained prominence as a character actor on stage and screen. She received a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role as Mrs Mingott in Martin Scorsese's The Age of Innocence (1993), and portrayed Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter film series (2002–2011). Margolyes was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2002 New Year Honours for Services to Drama.

After starting her career in theatre, she made her film acting debut in the British comedy A Nice Girl Like Me (1969). She has since appeared in Yentl (1983), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Little Dorrit (1988), Romeo + Juliet (1996), and Being Julia (2004). She is also known for her voice roles in Babe (1995), James and the Giant Peach (1996), Mulan (1998), Happy Feet (2006), Flushed Away (2006), and Early Man (2018).

Margolyes is also known for her television appearances including Kizzy, Blackadder, Cold Comfort Farm (1995), Vanity Fair (1998), and The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004). She is also known for her recurring roles as Prudence Stanley in Australian series Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (2012–2015) and Sister Mildred in the BBC series Call the Midwife (2018–2021). She has starred in productions in both the United Kingdom and Australia, including her 1989 one-woman show Dickens' Women and the Australian premiere of the 2013 play, I'll Eat You Last.

Margolyes has spent many years dividing her time between the United Kingdom, Australia and Italy. She became an Australian citizen in 2013. She has also written three books, Dickens' Women (2012), her autobiography This Much is True (2021) and Oh Miriam (2023)

Early life

Margolyes was born in Oxford on 18 May 1941, the only child of Joseph Margolyes (1899–1995), a Scottish physician and general practitioner from the Gorbals area of Glasgow, and property-developer Ruth (née Sandeman; 1905–1974), daughter of a second-hand furniture dealer and auctioneer at Kirkdale, Liverpool, who later relocated to London. The maternal family surname changed from Sandeman to Walters before Margolyes' birth. She grew up in a Jewish family. Her ancestors moved to the UK from Belarus and Poland. Her maternal great-grandfather, Symeon Sandmann, was born in the Polish town of Margonin, which Margolyes visited in 2013. Her grandfather Margolyes was born in a small shtetl called Amdur (now Indura) in Belarus, which at that time was part of the Russian Empire.

Margolyes attended Oxford High School and Newnham College, Cambridge, where she read English. There, in her 20s, she began acting and appeared in productions by the Cambridge Footlights. She represented Newnham College in the first series of University Challenge.

Career

Miriam Margolyes
Margolyes reading Oliver Twist in 2006

With her versatile voice, Margolyes first gained recognition for her work as a voice artist. She performed most of the supporting female characters in the dubbed Japanese action TV series Monkey. She also worked with the theatre company Gay Sweatshop and provided voiceovers in the Japanese TV series The Water Margin (credited as Mirium Margolyes).

In 1974, she appeared with Kenneth Williams and Ted Ray in the BBC Radio 2 comedy series The Betty Witherspoon Show.

Margolyes's first major role in a film was as Elephant Ethel in Stand Up, Virgin Soldiers (1977). In the 1980s, she made appearances in Blackadder opposite Rowan Atkinson: these roles include the Spanish Infanta in The Black Adder, Lady Whiteadder in Blackadder II and Queen Victoria in Blackadder's Christmas Carol. In 1986, she played a major supporting role in the BBC drama The Life and Loves of a She-Devil. She won the 1989 LA Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Flora Finching in the film Little Dorrit (1988). On American television, she headlined the short-lived 1992 CBS sitcom Frannie's Turn. In 1994, she won the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mrs Mingott in Martin Scorsese's The Age of Innocence (1993).

In 1989, Margolyes co-wrote and performed a one-woman show, Dickens' Women, in which she played 23 characters from Dickens' novels. In 2005 Margolyes hosted a ten-part BBC Four documentary, Dickens in America, which retraced Dickens's 1842 journey across the United States of America.

Margolyes played Aunt Sponge and voiced the Glow-Worm in James and the Giant Peach (1996). She played the Nurse in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet (1996). She voiced the rabbit character in the animated commercials for Cadbury's Caramel bars and provided the voice of Fly the dog in the Australian-American family film Babe (1995).

She played Professor Sprout in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) and again in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011). In a 2011 interview on The Graham Norton Show, in regard to her Potter costars, Margolyes said that she got on well with Maggie Smith, but rather bluntly admitted that she "didn't like the one that died", referring to Richard Harris.

In 2004, Margolyes played the role of Peg Sellers, the mother of Peter Sellers, in the Golden Globe winning film The Life and Death of Peter Sellers.

Margolyes was one of the original cast of the London production of the musical Wicked opposite Idina Menzel in 2006, playing Madame Morrible, a role she played again on Broadway in 2008.

In 2009, she appeared in a new production of Endgame by Samuel Beckett at the Duchess Theatre in the West End.

Margolyes voiced the role of Mrs. Plithiver, a blind snake, in the 3D-animated-epic film Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010).

In 2011, Margolyes recorded a narrative for the album The Devil's Brides by klezmer musician-ethnographer Yale Strom.

Margolyes played recurring character Prudence Stanley in the Australian-based TV series Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries from 2012 to 2015.

In 2014, she voiced Nana in the Disney Junior animated series Nina Needs to Go!

In January 2016, Margolyes appeared in The Real Marigold Hotel, a travel documentary in which a group of eight celebrities traveled to India to see whether retirement would be more rewarding there than in the UK. The series was reprised for two Christmas Specials The Real Marigold On Tour, from Florida and Kyoto. She narrated the 2016 ITV documentary about Lady Colin Campbell entitled Lady C and the Castle.

In December 2017, Margolyes appeared in the second season of The Real Marigold On Tour to Chengdu and Havana. She appeared in the first episode of the third series, in which she traveled to St Petersburg with Bobby George, Sheila Ferguson and Stanley Johnson.

In January 2018, Margolyes hosted a three-part series for the BBC titled Miriam's Big American Adventure, highlighting the citizens of the United States and the issues facing the country. She voiced Queen Oofeefa in the film Early Man.

Since 2018, Margolyes has portrayed Mother Mildred in the BBC One drama, Call The Midwife.

She played Miss Shepherd in a 2019 production of The Lady in the Van for the Melbourne Theatre Company in Melbourne in Australia.

In October 2021 she played Lillian opposite Helen Monks in the BBC Radio 4 sitcom Charlotte and Lillian, where she introduced her autobiography This Much Is True. On 5 November she appeared on BBC One's The Graham Norton Show, where she discussed the book, explaining that it was written only because she "was paid an enormous amount of money". On 16 September the book was published by Hachette Books.

In April 2022, Margolyes was the subject of the BBC documentary Miriam Margolyes: Up for Grabs in the Imagine... series, where she was interviewed by Alan Yentob.

In November 2023, Margolyes appeared the voice of The Meep in "The Star Beast", the first of three Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials.

She appeared on BBC Radio 4's The Museum of Curiosity in February 2023. Her hypothetical donation to this imaginary museum was "Charles Dickens and all his works".

Personal life

Margolyes is a lesbian. On becoming an Australian citizen on Australia Day 2013, she referred to herself as a "dyke" live on national television and in front of the then Prime Minister, Julia Gillard. Since 1968, she has been in a relationship with Heather Sutherland, an Australian now-retired professor of Indonesian studies. They divide their time between homes in London and Kent in England, Robertson in Australia, and Montisi in Italy.

Margolyes is a Patron of My Death My Decision, an organisation in the UK which seeks a more compassionate approach to dying, including the legal right to a medically assisted death, if that is a person's persistent wish.

Margolyes is a supporter of Sense (the National Deafblind and Rubella Association) and was the host at the first Sense Creative Writing Awards, held at the Charles Dickens Museum in London in December 2006, where she read a number of works written by talented deafblind people.

Margolyes stated in an interview with David Baddiel that she is an atheist.

Political activism

Margolyes' political activism started at university. "I came from a very middle-class Jewish background, always Tory-voting", she later said. However, in the 1970s, she joined the Workers Revolutionary Party with other actors and Equity members such as Vanessa Redgrave, Frances de la Tour and Tom Kempinski. She is a signatory of Jews for Justice for Palestinians. Margolyes said, "What I want to try to do is to get Jewish people to understand what's really going on, and they don't want to hear it. If you speak to most Jews and say, 'Can Israel ever be in the wrong?' they say, 'No. Our duty as Jews is to support Israel whatever happens.' And I don't believe that. It is our duty as human beings to report the truth as we see it." She is also a campaigner for the respite care charity Crossroads.

Margolyes is a member of the Labour Party and is registered to vote in Vauxhall.

Filmography

Miriam Margolyes with Julia Gillard
Margolyes shortly after being presented with her Australian citizenship certificate by Prime Minister Julia Gillard, 2013

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1969 A Nice Girl Like Me Pensione 'Mama'
1974 On the Game Narrator Uncredited
1975 Rime of the Ancient Mariner Dorothy Wordsworth
1977 Stand Up, Virgin Soldiers Elephant Ethel
Confessions from a Holiday Camp Blackbird Uncredited Voice Role
The Battle of Billy's Pond Tour Guide
1978 On a Paving Stone Mounted Performer
1980 The Apple Landlady
The Awakening Dr Kadira
1981 Reds Woman writing in notebook Uncredited role
1982 Crystal Gazing Newsreader
1983 Yentl Sarah
Scrubbers Jones
1984 Electric Dreams Ticket Girl
1985 The Good Father Jane Powell
Morons from Outer Space Doctor Wallace
1986 Little Shop of Horrors Dental Nurse
1987 Body Contact Mrs. Zulu
1988 Little Dorrit Flora Finching
1990 The Fool Mrs. Bowring
Pacific Heights Realtor
I Love You to Death Mrs. Boca
1991 The Butcher's Wife Gina
Dead Again Lady Uncredited role
1992 As You Like It Audrey
1993 The Age of Innocence Mrs. Mingott
Ed and His Dead Mother Mabel Chilton
1994 Immortal Beloved Nanette Streicherová
1995 Balto Grandma Rosy
Babe Fly the Female Sheepdog Voice role
1996 Different for Girls Pamela
Romeo + Juliet The Nurse
James and the Giant Peach Aunt Sponge/Glowworm Voice role
1998 Mulan The Matchmaker
Babe: Pig in the City Fly the Female Sheepdog Voice role; cameo
The First Snow of Winter Sean the duck Voice role
Left Luggage Mrs. Goldman
Candy Gisella
1999 Magnolia Faye Barringer Uncredited role
End of Days Mabel
Dreaming of Joseph Lees Signora Caldoni
Sunshine Rose Sonnenschein
2000 House! Beth
2001 Not Afraid, Not Afraid Performer
Cats & Dogs Sophie the Castle Maid
2002 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Professor Pomona Sprout
Plots with a View Thelma & Selma
Alone Caseworker
2004 Being Julia Dolly de Vries
Ladies in Lavender Dorcas
Modigliani Gertrude Stein
End of the Line Bag Lady Short Film
Chasing Liberty Maria
2006 Happy Feet Mrs. Astrakhan Voice role
Flushed Away Rita's Grandma
2007 The Dukes Aunt Vee
2008 How To Lose Friends and Alienate People Mrs. Kowalski
2009 A Closed Book Mrs. Kilbride
2010 Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole Mrs. Plithiver Voice role
2011 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 Professor Pomona Sprout
2012 Sir Billi Baroness Chantal McToff Voice role
The Wedding Video Patricia
The Guilt Trip Anita
2014 The Legend of Longwood Lady Thyrza
Maya the Bee The Queen Voice role
2017 The Little Vampire 3D Wulftrud
The Man Who Invented Christmas Mrs. Fisk
2018 Early Man Queen Oofeefa Voice role
2019 H Is for Happiness Miss Bamford
2020 Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears Prudence Stanley
2023 My Happy Ending Judy
Pored tebe Vera

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1965 Theatre 625 Rita Episode: "Enter Solly Gold"
1967 Crossroads Mrs. Perkins 3 episodes
ITV Play of the Week Heidi Episode: "The English Climate"
Boy Meets Girl Maria Episode: "Flight of the Kingfisher"
1968 Dixon of Dock Green Anna Episode: "An Ordinary Man"
1969 Thirty-Minute Theatre Voice Episode: "The Boat to Addis Ababa"
ITV Playhouse Kathie Episode: "The Ha Ha"
1972 A Place in the Sun Maid Episode: "Achilles Heel"
Jackanory Playhouse The Witch Episode: "The Wily Wizard and the Wicked Witch"
1972–1973 Words and Pictures Various Voices 20 episodes
1973 Doctor in Charge Doris Episode: "Men without Women"
1974 World of Laughter Various parts 6 episodes
Fall of Eagles Anna Vyrubova Episode: "Tell the King the Sky is Falling"
1975 The Girls of Slender Means Jane Wright 3 episodes
1976 Christmas Box Mrs. Kaplan Television film
Angels June Morris 2 episodes
Kizzy Mrs. Doe 2 episodes
The Glittering Prizes Olive Wise TV serial
1976, 1982 Crown Court Marilyn Munro; Mrs. King 2 episodes
1976 The Water Margin Voice English dub of Japanese series
1977 Play for Today Veronica Episode: "The Thin Edge of the Wedge"
Spasms Rose Finn Television film
1978 Monkey Voice English dub of Japanese series Saiyûki
52 episodes
1980 The Lost Tribe Queenie TV serial
Tales of the Unexpected Mary Burge Episode: "Fat Chance"
1981 Take a Letter, Mr. Jones Maria 6 episodes
A Kick Up the Eighties Various roles 3 episodes
The History Man Melissa Tordoroff 3 episodes
1983 The Black Adder Infanta Maria Escalosa of Spain Episode: "The Queen of Spain's Beard"
1984 Freud Baroness TV serial
1985 Oliver Twist Mrs. Corney TV serial
Honour, Profit and Pleasure Elephant and Castle Television film
1986 The Life and Loves of a She-Devil Nurse Hopkins 2 episodes
Blackadder II Lady Whiteadder Episode: "Beer"
A Little Princess Miss Amelia 6 episodes
Scotch and Wry Various Television film
1987 Poor Little Rich Girl:
The Barbara Hutton Story
Elsa Maxwell Television film
1988 Blackadder's Christmas Carol Queen Victoria Television Special
Mr Majeika Wilhelmina Worlock 2 episodes
1989 Murderers Among Us Mrs. Rajzman Television film
1990 Orpheus Descending Vee Talbot
The Finding Poll
Screen Two Nellie Episode: "Old Flames"
1991 Tonight at 8.30 Mrs. Wadhurst 2 episodes
1992 Stalin Nadezhda Krupskaya Television film
Frannie's Turn Frannie Escobar 6 episodes
1993 The Comic Strip Presents... Mother Episode: "Demonella"
1994 Just William Miss Polliter Episode: "William's Busy Day"
Moonacre Old Elspeth 6 episodes
1995 Cold Comfort Farm Mrs. Beetle Television film
1997 The IMAX Nutcracker Sugar Plum Short film
The Phoenix and the Carpet Cook BBC TV serial
The Place of Lions Miss Cole Television film
1998 Vanity Fair Miss Crawley TV serial
1998, 2001 Rugrats Shirley Finster Voice; 3 episodes
1998 The First Snow of Winter Sean McDuck Voice; UK version
Supply & Demand Chief Superintendent Edna Colley TV serial
2000 Dharma & Greg Chloe Episode: "Midwife Crisis"
2004 Agatha Christie's Marple Mrs. Price-Ridley Episode: The Murder at the Vicarage
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers Peg Sellers Television film, HBO
2005 Wallis & Edward Bessie Merryman Television film
Inconceivable Malva Episode: "Balls in Your Court"
2006 Jam & Jerusalem Mrs. Midge Season 2, Episode 6
2008 Kingdom Henny Episode 2.04
2009 The Sarah Jane Adventures Leef Slitheen-Blathereen Voice; 2 episodes
2010 Tinga Tinga Tales Giraffe and Squirrel Voice; Recurring Role
Merlin Grunhilda Episode: "The Changeling"
2011 Doc Martin Shirley Episode: Born with a Shotgun
2012–2015 Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Prudence Elizabeth Stanley 12 episodes
2013 Hebburn Millie Christmas special
2014 Nina Needs to Go! Nana Sheila Voice; 15 episodes
Trollied Rose Series 4
2016 Plebs Iona Episode: "The Cupid"
2016–2018 Rake Huntley-Brown 3 episodes
2016–2017 Bottersnikes and Gumbles Weathersnike 3 episodes
2017 Bucket Mim 4 episodes
Family Guy Right Eyeball Voice; Episode: "Emmy-Winning Episode"
2018–2021 Call the Midwife Sister Mildred/Mother Mildred 7 episodes
2019 101 Dalmatian Street Bessie Voice; Episode: "A Summer to Remember"
2020 The Windsors Queen Victoria Episode: #3.1
2021 Apple & Onion Queen Victoria Sponge Voice; Episode: "For Queen and Country"
2022 Dog Squad Sylvie Voice; 3 episodes
2023 Doctor Who The Meep Voice; "The Star Beast"
Hilda Astrid Voice; 4 episodes
Mog's Christmas Aunt Voice

Video Games

Wallace & Gromit – Beryl

Non-fiction television

Year Title Role Notes
2005 Dickens in America Herself 10 episodes
2016 The Real Marigold Hotel BBC TV documentary series
2018 Miriam's Big American Adventure BBC TV documentary series
2019 Miriam's Dead Good Adventure BBC TV documentary series
2020 Miriam's Big Fat Adventure BBC TV documentary series
Miriam Margolyes: Almost Australian ABC TV documentary series
2021, 2022 Miriam and Alan: Lost in Scotland C4 TV documentary series
2022 Miriam Margolyes: Up for Grabs An Alan Yentob imagine... documentary for BBC TV
Miriam Margolyes Australia Unmasked ABC TV documentary series
Miriam's Dickensian Christmas C4 TV documentary
2023 Irish Road Trip with Miriam Margolyes SBS TV documentary series

Notes

  • The Thief and the Cobbler (1993) – the voice of the Maiden from Mombasa (original version only; the character was not heard at all in the re-edited versions and another actor was never available in all the re-edited versions)
  • The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004) – Peg Sellers – note this film was shown in cinemas in the UK, Ireland, and Australia – it aired on cable television on the HBO network in the US.

Stage

Year Title Role Venue
1970 Fiddler on the Roof Matchmaker UK Tour
1972 Threepenny Opera Nelly Piccadilly Theatre, London
1974 Canterbury Tales Wife of Bath Bristol Old Vic
1975 Kennedy's Children Performer Arts Theatre, London
1976 The White Devil Zanche the Moor Old Vic Theatre, London
1978 Cloud Nine Performer Joint Stock/Royal Court Tour
1979 Flaming Bodies Psychiatrist ICA
1984 84 Charing Cross Road Helen Hanff Colchester
1985–87 Gertrude Stein and a Companion Gertrude Stein Edinburgh Festival
Hampstead Theatre
Australian Tour
1986 Man Equals Man Widow Begbick Almeida Theatre, London
1988 Orpheus Descending Vee Talbot Theatre Royal Haymarket, London
1989–91 Dickens' Women Performer Edinburgh Festival
Hampstead Theatre
Duke of York's Theatre, London
1993 She Stoops to Conquer Mrs. Hardcastle Queen's Theatre, London
1995 The Killing of Sister George June Buckridge Ambassadors Theatre, London
1999 The Cherry Orchard Madame Ranevskaya Theatre Royal, York
2001 Romeo and Juliet Nurse Ahmanson Theater, Los Angeles
2003 The Way of the World Lady Wishfort Sydney Theatre Company
2004 Blithe Spirit Madame Arcati Melbourne Theatre Company
2006 The Importance of Being Earnest Miss Prism Ahmanson Theater, Los Angeles
Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York
2006 Wicked Madame Morrible Apollo Victoria Theatre, London
2008 George Gershwin Theater, New York
2009 Realism Performer Melbourne Theatre Company
2009 Endgame Nell Duchess Theatre, London
2010 Me and My Girl The Duchess Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
2011 A Day in the Death of Joe Egg Grace Citizens' Theatre, Glasgow
2012 Dickens' Women Performer World Tour
2014 Neighbourhood Watch Ana Adelaide State Theatre
2014 I'll Eat You Last Sue Mengers Melbourne Theatre Company
2015 The Importance of Being Miriam Performer Australian Tour
2017 Madame Rubinstein Helena Rubinstein Park Theatre, London
2019 The Lady in the Van Miss Shepherd Melbourne Theatre Company
2019 Sydney & The Old Girl Nell Stock Park Theatre, London

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result Refs
1989 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Supporting Actress Little Dorrit Won
1991 Laurence Olivier Award Best Actress in a Musical Dickens' Women Nominated
1993 Sony Radio Award Best Actress On Radio The Queen and I Won
1994 British Academy Film Award Best Supporting Actress The Age of Innocence Won
1997 The Talkies Performer of the Year N/A Oliver Twist Won
2001 Audiofile's Earphones Award N/A A Christmas Carol Won
2007 Theatregoer's Choice Award Best Supporting Actress in a Musical Wicked Won
2010 Best Supporting Actress in a Play Endgame Won
2018 Audiofile's Earphones Award N/A Bleak House Won

Margolyes was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2002 New Year Honours for Services to Drama.

See also

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