Miranda Raison

Miranda Raison
Born Miranda Caroline Raison
18 November 1977
Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk, England
Occupation Actress
Years active 2000–present

Miranda Caroline Raison is an English screen and stage actress.

Early life

Miranda Raison was born in Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk. Her mother, Caroline Raison [1] read the news for Anglia Television and her father, Nick Raison is a jazz pianist . She is the great-niece of Thomas William Edward Coke, 5th Earl of Leicester, the granddaughter of Max Raison and the niece of Timothy Raison. Her parents divorced when she was five years old and from the age of nine she attended several boarding schools, including Gresham's School, Felixstowe College and Stowe School.[2][3]

Raison trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.[4]

Career

TV and theatre

Raison's breakthrough role was as Jo Portman (2005-2009) in the BBC One television drama series Spooks (also broadcast under the title MI-5).

In April 2007 she appeared in Doctor Who, Daleks in Manhattan and Evolution of the Daleks as Tallulah, a show girl whose opening scene involved singing to a musical number for which her father played the piano background as part of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.[5] Also in 2007 she appeared in six episodes of the Channel 4 series Comedy Showcase Plus One alongside Duncan James, Rory Kinnear and Nigel Harman.

In 2010 after leaving Spooks, she starred as a model called Abbey in the ITV1 comedy-drama Married Single Other.[6]

In 2010 she played the title role in Anne Boleyn, a new play by Howard Brenton (who had also been involved in scripts for BBC's Spooks) which premiered at Shakespeare's Globe on 24 July 2010, to high critical acclaim. In the same Shakespeare's Globe season Raison also played Anne Boleyn in Henry VIII by William Shakespeare. In 2011 she returned to BBC1 in Sugartown, Death in Paradise and the third series of Merlin as the warrior Isolde.

Raison returned to Shakespeare's Globe in 2011 to reappear in the title role of the award-winning Anne Boleyn.

In 2012 she played DI Georgina Dixon alongside Toby Stephens in the second series of Vexed screened on BBC2.

In June/July 2012 she appeared in a production of The Physicists: A Comedy in Two Acts at the Donmar Warehouse.

From October 2012 Raison starred in The River a new play by Jez Butterworth at the Royal Court Theatre (Jerwood) alongside Dominic West. Tickets became "the most sought-after theatre tickets in London" after rave reviews.[7]

In 2013 she played 'Harriet Hammond' in the third series of BBC legal drama Silk.

In 2013/2014 she played Anne Faulkner in the theatrical version of Strangers on a Train which ran until February 2014 at the Gielgud Theatre and was produced by Barbara Broccoli.

In 2014 she appeared in six episodes of "24: Live Another Day".

Miranda Raison, November 2014

In July 2014 she was announced as a new cast member of "Spotless", a (10 x 1 hour episode) drama produced by Canal+.[8]

In early 2015 she appeared with Shaun Evans at the Hampstead Theatre in Hello/Goodbye.

On 15th April 2015 it was announced that a second series of Spotless was in development.[9]

Film

Raison appeared alongside Scarlett Johansson in Woody Allen's film Match Point in 2005 and appeared in Land of the Blind playing Ralph Fiennes's daughter in 2006.[10]

Other works

She has voiced several video game characters including Cassandra Pentaghast in the Dragon Age series.

Raison has also voice-acted in several Big Finish Doctor Who audios including "The Davros Mission" and "The Wreck of the Titan".

In 2013 she joined the CGI cast of Thomas & Friends and provides the voice of Millie (UK/US), first introduced in King of the Railway.

Personal life

Raison married fellow Spooks actor Raza Jaffrey in September 2007.[11] They are now divorced.

She plays golf and is a member of the Aldeburgh Golf Club.[12]

She doesn't drink alcohol.[13]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2002 The Inspector Lynley Mysteries Ros TV series (2 episodes: For the Sake of Elena, part 1 + 2)
2005 Spooks Jo Portman TV series (37 episodes: 2005-2009)
Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo Svetlana Revenko
Match Point Heather
2006 Land of the Blind Daisy
2007 Doctor Who Tallulah TV series (2 episodes: Daleks in Manhattan and Evolution of the Daleks)
Totally Doctor Who guest TV series (1 episode)
Plus One Linsey TV series (6 episodes)
2010 Married Single Other Abbey TV series (6 episodes)
Apache: Air Assault Lieutenant Sandra Lansing Video game
2011 Dragon Age II Cassandra Pentaghast, Varania, Dulci de Launcet, Additional Voices Video game
Sugartown Emily TV serial (3 episodes)
Renegade Ops Natasha Video game
Death in Paradise Megan Talbot TV series (Series 1 Episode 4 Missing a Body?)
Merlin Isolde TV series (2 episodes)
My Week with Marilyn Vanessa
2012 Dirk Gently Kate TV series (Episode 1)
Blades of Time Ayumi Video game
The Secret World Zaha, Rada Nastase, Aveline Belmont, Additional Voices Video game
Sinbad Lara Assuage TV series (1 episode)
Vexed DI Georgina Dixon TV series (Series 2 - 6 episodes)
2013 Lewis Dr Stella Drew TV series (2 episodes)
Thomas & Friends: King of the Railway Millie
Thomas & Friends Millie TV series (2 episodes)
2014 Silk Harriet Hammond TV series (6 episodes)
24: Live Another Day Caroline Fowlds TV series (6 episodes)
Dragon Age: Inquisition Cassandra Pentaghast Video game

References

External links