Miriam Margolyes

Miriam Margolyes

Miriam Margolyes reading at an event for the charity Sense, 2006
Born 18 May 1941 (1941-05-18) (age 70)
Oxford, England
Occupation Actress
Years active 1965–present

Miriam Margolyes, OBE (born 18 May 1941)[1] is an English actress and voice artist. Her earliest roles were in theatre and after several supporting roles in film and television she won a BAFTA Award for her role in The Age of Innocence (1993).

Contents

Early life

Margolyes was born in Oxford, England, the daughter of Ruth (née Walters), a property investor, and Joseph Margolyes, a Scottish-born physician from Glasgow.[2][1] She grew up in a Jewish family,[3][4] a descendant of immigrants from Belarus. She attended the local Oxford High School,[1] at which she also opened the new buildings in March 2011, and later Newnham College, Cambridge where she read English.[5] There, she began acting in her twenties, and also appeared in productions of the comedy troup Cambridge Footlights.[6]

Acting career

With her distinctive voice, Margolyes first gained recognition for her work as a voice artist. She recorded a soft-porn audio called Sexy Sonia: Leaves from my Schoolgirl Notebook.[7] 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.

Margolyes' 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 was cast as one of the major supporting characters in the BBC adaptation of the Fay Weldon novel The Life and Loves of a She-Devil. She received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Flora Finching in the 1988 movie Little Dorrit. On American television, she headlined the short-lived 1992 CBS sitcom Frannie's Turn. In 1993 she won a Best Supporting Actress, BAFTA for her role as Mrs Mingott in Martin Scorsese's The Age Of Innocence.

Margolyes came to the notice of younger audiences through two roles in 1996. The first was her comic take on the role of The Nurse in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet. The second when she starred as Aunt Sponge in James And The Giant Peach; she also provided the voice of the Glow Worm in the same movie. Around this time, she voiced the female rabbit character in the animated commercials for Cadbury's Caramel bars[8] and provided the voice of Fly the dog in the animated film Babe.[9] She played Professor Sprout in Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets in 2002.

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

In 2009, she appeared in a new production of Endgame by Samuel Beckett at the Duchess Theatre in London's West End. She (along with Simon Callow) voiced one of the Blathereen creatures in the Doctor Who spin off The Sarah Jane Adventures in a story from the 3rd season called The Gift.

In 2010, she appeared in the British Television situation comedy Coming of Age, playing Doreen a delinquent pensioner with a penchant for kissing strangers and blowing up ducks. In the 2010 film Legend of the Guardians, she voices Mrs. Plithiver. Margolyes reprised her role as Professor Sprout in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Appears in ITV series Doc Martin

Other work

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 Dickens Museum in London in December 2006, where she read a number of works written by talented deafblind people.[10][1]

Personal life

Margolyes is openly gay[11] and has been with her Australian partner Heather[9] for over 40 years.[1] She described herself as "gay" rather than as lesbian and mentioned her relationships with women on several occasions when she appeared on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs in September 2008.[12] She is a campaigner for a respite care charity, Crossroads.[13]

She appeared on the British television quiz University Challenge in 1963, whilst at Cambridge University. As part of a BBC documentary University Challenge: The Story so Far she claimed that during her appearance, she swore after getting a question wrong, although the actual word was bleeped out of the recording.[14][15]

She has become an Australian citizen.[13]

Margolyes is a regular attender at the annual Dickens Universe scholarly conference, held each summer at UC Santa Cruz.

Margolyes is a Palestinian human rights activist, having been a member of the British-based ENOUGH! coalition that seeks to end the "Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip and West Bank."[16]

Margolyes lives in Tuscany, Italy.

Filmography

  • Romeo + Juliet (1996) – The Nurse
  • James and the Giant Peach (1996) (voice) – Aunt Sponge / The Glowworm
  • Balto (1995) – Grandma Rosy/Extra Voices
  • Babe (1995) (voice) – Fly the Female Sheepdog
  • Cold Comfort Farm (1995) (TV) – Mrs. Beetle
  • Just William – Miss Polliter (1 episode, 1994)
  • Immortal Beloved (1994) – Nanette Streicherová
  • Moonacre (1994) TV series – Old Elspeth
  • The Age of Innocence (1993) – Mrs. Mingott
  • The Comic Strip Presents... – Mother (1 episode, 1993)
  • The Thief and the Cobbler (1993) (voice) – Maiden from Mombasa
  • Ed and His Dead Mother (1993) – Mabel Chilton
  • Stalin (1992) (TV) – Krupskaya
  • As You Like It (1992) – Audrey
  • Frannie's Turn (1992) TV series – Frannie Escobar
  • The Butcher's Wife (1991) – Gina
  • Dead Again (1991) (uncredited) – Lady
  • Tonight at 8.30 – Mrs. Wadhurst (2 episodes, 1991)
  • The Fool (1990) – Lady Isabel
  • Pacific Heights (1990) – Realtor
  • Orpheus Descending (1990) (TV) – Vee Talbot
  • The Finding (1990) (TV) – Poll
  • I Love You to Death (1990) – Joey's Mother
  • Old Flames (1990) (TV) – Nellie
  • The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship (1990) (TV) (voice)
  • Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story (1989) (TV) – Mrs. Rajzman
  • Little Dorrit (1988) – Flora Finching
  • Blackadder's Christmas Carol (1988) (TV) – Queen Victoria
  • Mr Majeika (1988) TV series – Wilhelmina Worlock (Seasons 1 and 2)
  • Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story (1987) (TV) – Elsa Maxwell
  • Body Contact (1987) – Tony's Mother
  • Little Shop of Horrors (1986) – Dental Nurse
  • The Life and Loves of a She-Devil – Nurse Hopkins (1 episode, 1986)
  • Blackadder II – Lady Whiteadder (1 episode, 1986)
  • A Little Princess (1986) (TV) – Miss Amelia
  • Scotch & Wry (1986) (V) – Various
  • The Good Father (1985) – Jane Powell
  • Oliver Twist (1985) TV mini-series – Mrs. Corney
  • Morons from Outer Space (1985) – Doctor Wallace
  • Freud (1984) TV mini-series – Baroness
  • Electric Dreams (1984) – Ticket Girl
  • Yentl (1983) – Sarah
  • The Black Adder – Infanta Maria Escalosa of Spain (1 episode, 1983)
  • Scrubbers (1983) – Jones
  • Crystal Gazing (1982) – Newsreader
  • Crown Court – Marilyn Munro / ... (2 episodes, 1976–1982)
  • Reds (1981) (uncredited) – Woman writing in notebook
  • Take a Letter Mr. Jones – Maria (6 episodes, 1981)
  • A Kick Up the Eighties (1981) TV series – Various Roles
  • The History Man (1981) (TV) – Melissa Tordoroff
  • The Apple (1980) – Landlady
  • The Lost Tribe (1980) TV mini-series – Queenie
  • The Awakening (1980) – Dr. Kadira
  • Tales of the Unexpected (TV series – Mary Burge (1 episode, 1980)
  • Saiyûki (1978) TV series
  • On a Paving Stone Mounted (1978)
  • Play for Today – Veronica (1 episode, 1977)
  • Spasms (1977) (TV) – Rose Finn
  • Stand Up, Virgin Soldiers (1977) – Elephant Ethel
  • Christmas Box (1976) (TV)
  • Angels – June Morris (2 episodes, 1976)
  • Kizzy – Mrs. Doe (2 episodes, 1976)
  • The Glittering Prizes (1976) TV mini-series – Olive Wise
  • The Battle of Billy's Pond (1976) – Tour Guide
  • Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1975) – Dorothy Wordsworth
  • The Girls of Slender Means (1975) (TV) – Jane Wright
  • World of Laughter (1974) TV series – Various parts
  • Fall of Eagles (1974) TV mini-series – Anna Vyrubova
  • Doctor in Charge – Doris (1 episode, 1973)
  • Jackanory – Storyteller (5 episodes, 1968)
  • Dixon of Dock Green – Anna (1 episode, 1968)
  • Boy Meets Girl – Maria (1 episode, 1967)
  • Theatre 625 – Rita (1 episode, 1965)

Notes

Theatre

Documentary

Awards and nominations

References

  1. ^ a b c d e My lesbian confession led to mother's stroke says Harry Potter star Miriam Margolyes | Mail Online
  2. ^ Miriam Margolyes Biography (1941–). Filmreference.com. Retrieved on 25 August 2011.
  3. ^ "Harry Potter actress Miriam Margolyes on her Gorbals roots, women in comedy and how Monty Python stars shunned her". The Daily Record. 2011-11-02. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/2011/11/02/exclusive-miriam-margolyes-attacks-john-cleese-and-other-python-stars-in-exclusive-interview-86908-23532309/. Retrieved 2011-12-21. 
  4. ^ Farndale, Nigel (11 October 2009). "Miriam Margolyes: 'I'm still a naughty schoolgirl at heart'". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/6291521/Miriam-Margolyes-Im-still-a-naughty-schoolgirl-at-heart.html. 
  5. ^ Newnham College undergraduate admissions page for English. Newn.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved on 25 August 2011.
  6. ^ Footlights Alumni. Footlights.org. Retrieved on 25 August 2011.
  7. ^ Enough Rope. 1 October 2007. Transcript. Retrieved on 5 January 2011.
  8. ^ "Margolyes: Voice of a movie star" 31 December 2001, BBC News
  9. ^ a b Leah O'Brien (2010-05-11). "At home with Harry Potter star, Miriam Margolyes - Local News - News - Entertainment". Southern Highland News. http://www.southernhighlandnews.com.au/news/local/news/entertainment/at-home-with-harry-potter-star-miriam-margolyes/1826576.aspx. Retrieved 2011-12-21. 
  10. ^ Celebrity supporters | Miriam Margolyes. Sense. Retrieved on 25 August 2011.
  11. ^ The Graham Norton Show, 4 March 2011
  12. ^ Desert Island Discs – 28 September2008 – Miriam Margolyes. BBC. (28 September 2008). Retrieved on 25 August 2011.
  13. ^ a b Late Night Live – 10September2007 – Miriam Margolyes and Dickens' Women. Abc.net.au (10 September 2007). Retrieved on 25 August 2011.
  14. ^ Hellicar, Michael (25 December 2008). "Fingers on Buzzers: As BBC2 devotes a night of homage to University Challenge, why is this eccentric quiz so addictive?". Daily Mail (UK). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1101701/Fingers-Buzzers-As-BBC2-devotes-night-homage-University-Challenge-eccentric-quiz-addictive.html. Retrieved 22 May 2009. 
  15. ^ Walker, Tim (26 September 2008). "Why Britain’s comedy 'brain drain’ is no joke for Ronnie Corbett". The Daily Telegraph (UK). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mandrake/3081978/Why-Britains-comedy-brain-drain-is-no-joke-for-Ronnie-Corbett.html. Retrieved 22 May 2009. 
  16. ^ "Emma Thompson bids for Palestinian Rights Enough!" 27 January 2007, Electronic Intifada
  17. ^ Truitt, Brian (23 June 2010). "‘Merlin’ star Colin Morgan talks dragons and guest stars". USA Weekend. http://whosnews.usaweekend.com/2010/06/merlin-star-colin-morgan-talks-dragons-and-guest-stars/. Retrieved 24 June 2010. 
  18. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 56430. p. 11. 31 December 2001. Retrieved 4 August 2008.

External links