Miriam Margolyes Biography

Miriam Margolyes was born on May 18, 1941. She is a British-Australian actress, author, and activist. She has gained prominence as a character actor on stage and screen, winning a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in The Age of Innocence and portraying Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter film series.

Early Life and Education

Miriam Margolyes was born on 18 May, 1941 in Oxford. She is the only child of Joseph Margolyes, a Scottish physician from Glasgow, and Ruth Walters, a property developer from Liverpool. She grew up in a Jewish family and her ancestors moved to the UK from Belarus and Poland. Miriam Margolyes attended Oxford High School and Newnham College, Cambridge, where she read English and joined the Cambridge Footlights.

Career

Margolyes started her career in theatre, appearing in productions by Peter Hall, Tony Richardson, Michael Lindsay-Hogg, and others. She made her film debut in A Nice Girl Like Me (1969) and has since appeared in over 190 films and television shows, including Yentl (1983), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Little Dorrit (1987), Romeo + Juliet (1996), Being Julia (2004), Ladies in Lavender (2004), The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004), Vanity Fair (2004), Call the Midwife (2018–2021), and Doctor Who (2023). Miriam Margolyes also worked as a presenter for BBC Radio 1 and Channel 4, producing documentaries such as The Hate Debate and My Transgender Punk Rock Story. She has also starred in her own one-woman show, Dickens’ Women, which she performed around the world.

Personal Life

Margolyes is openly lesbian and has been in a relationship with Heather Sutherland, an Australian academic, since 1968. They live in London, Tuscany, and New South Wales. Margolyes became an Australian citizen in 2013 and holds dual British-Australian nationality. She is known for her outspokenness and humour, often making headlines for her frank interviews and wild anecdotes. She has also been involved in campaigns for transgender rights, animal welfare, and social justice.

Filmography

Some of Margolyes’ notable film and television roles are:

• Babe: Pig in the City (1998)
• Call the Midwife (2018–2021)
• Chamber of Secrets (2002)
• Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
• Flushed Away (2006)
• Fly the dog in Babe (1995)
• Harry Potter
• Mulan II (2004)
• Professor Pomona Sprout in Harry Potter
• Romeo + Juliet (1996)
• The Age of Innocence (1993)
• The Matchmaker in Mulan (1998)
• The Meep in Doctor Who (2023)
• The Sandman podcast series (2020–2022)

Awards and Nominations

Some of Margolyes’ awards and nominations are:

• BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for The Age of Innocence (1993) – won
• Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress for Little Dorrit (1987) – won
• Sony Radio Award for Best Actress for Oliver Twist (1989) – won
• Officer of the Order of the British Empire for Services to Drama (2002) – appointed
• National Diversity Award for Positive Role Model Award for LGBT (2012) – won
• Logie Award for Most Outstanding Supporting Actress for Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (2015) – nominated
• AACTA Award for Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama for Rake (2016) – nominated

Net Worth

Throughout Miriam Margolyes biography, her net worth is not publicly known, but she is estimated to have earned a significant amount from her long and successful career in film, television, theatre, radio, and literature.

Social Media Handles

Margolyes does not have any official social media accounts. However, she has a website where she posts updates about her work and life: miriammargolyes.com