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Miranda Richardson

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Miranda Richardson
Richardson at New York Comic Con (2018)
Born
Miranda Jane Richardson

(1958-03-03) 3 March 1958 (age 67)
Southport, Lancashire, England
Alma materBristol Old Vic Theatre School
OccupationActress
Years active1978–present
Notable workChicken Run & Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget

Miranda Jane Richardson (born 3 March 1958)[1] is an English actress who has worked in film, television and theatre.[2][3]

After graduating from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School,[4] Richardson began her career in 1979 and made her West End debut in the 1981 play Moving,[4] before being nominated for the 1987 Olivier Award for Best Actress for A Lie of the Mind.

Richardson has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Damage[5] and the Academy Award for Best Actress for Tom & Viv.[5] A seven-time BAFTA Award nominee,[6] she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Damage.[6] She has also been nominated for seven Golden Globe Awards,[7] winning twice for Enchanted April[7] and the TV film Fatherland.[7]

Her other films include Empire of the Sun,[8][9] The Crying Game,[10][11] Sleepy Hollow,[12] The Hours, and Spider.[13][14] She also played a comedic version of Queen Elizabeth I in all six episodes of the sitcom Blackadder II, and appeared in one episode each of Blackadder the Third and Blackadder Goes Forth.

Richardson also voiced Mrs Tweedy from Aardman's 2000 stop-motion film Chicken Run and its 2023 sequel.

Early life

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Richardson was born in Southport, Lancashire. She recalls "a cinema about 50 yards from my house. So Saturday mornings were spent with The ABC Minors: the Saturday cinema club with the theme song set to the tune of Blaze Away by Abe Holzmann, a red ball bouncing over the lyrics so you could sing along. As I got older, I would go to the cinema by myself to watch matinees of westerns and historical Technicolor dramas."[15]

Career

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Theatre

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Richardson enrolled at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School,[16] where she studied alongside Daniel Day-Lewis and Jenny Seagrove, having started out with juvenile performances in Cinderella and Lord Arthur Savile's Crime at the Southport Dramatic Club.

Richardson joined the Manchester Library Theatre in 1979 as an assistant stage manager, followed by making a number of appearances in repertory theatre. Her London stage debut was in Moving at the Queen's Theatre in 1981. She found recognition in the West End for a series of stage performances, ultimately receiving an Olivier Award nomination for her performance in A Lie of the Mind,[17] and, in 1996, she appeared in the single-actor theatrical adaptation of Orlando at the Edinburgh Festival. She returned to the London stage in May 2009 to play the lead role in Wallace Shawn's new play, Grasses of a Thousand Colours at the Royal Court Theatre.[18] Richardson has said that she prefers new works rather than the classics because of the history that goes with them.[19]

Film and television

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In 1985, Richardson made her film debut as Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in the United Kingdom, in the biographical drama Dance with a Stranger.[20][21] Around the same time, Richardson played a comedic version of Queen Elizabeth I, aka Queenie, in the British television comedy Blackadder II.[22][23][24] Richardson returned in guest roles in one episode each in Blackadder the Third (1987) and Blackadder Goes Forth (1989). She returned to play Queenie in the Christmas special Blackadder's Christmas Carol (1988)[25] and, later, played Field Nurse in a special edition for the millennium Blackadder: Back and Forth.[26][27]

Following Dance with a Stranger, Richardson turned down numerous parts in which her character was unstable or disreputable, including the Glenn Close role in Fatal Attraction.[19] In this period, she appeared in Empire of the Sun (1987)[9] and was nominated for the BAFTA Television Award for Best Actress for her role as Penny in After Pilkington (1987). In an episode of the TV series The Storyteller ("The Three Ravens", 1988), she played a witch.

Richardson starred as Charlie Maguire in Fatherland (1994),[28][29] for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film.[7] Other television roles in this period include Pamela Flitton in A Dance to the Music of Time (1997), Miss Gilchrist in St. Ives (1998), Bettina the interior decorator in Absolutely Fabulous and Queen Elspeth, Snow White's stepmother, in Snow White: The Fairest of Them All (2001).

Richardson at Metropolitan Opera's 2010–2011 Season Opening Night of Das Rheingold

Richardson has appeared in supporting roles in film, including Vanessa Bell in The Hours (2002), Lady Van Tassel in Sleepy Hollow (1999)[12] and Patsy Carpenter in The Evening Star (1996). For her role in Sleepy Hollow she was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress and won the Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actress – Horror. She also won acclaim for her performances in The Crying Game (1992)[10] and Enchanted April (1992), for which she won a Golden Globe.[7] She received Academy Award nominations for her performances in Damage (1992) and Tom & Viv (1994).[5]

Her film credits also include Kansas City (1996), The Apostle (1997) and Wah-Wah (2005). She voiced Mrs Tweedy, the main antagonist, in the stop-motion animated film, Chicken Run (2000). In 2002, she performed a triple role in the thriller Spider.[14]

In 2003, Richardson played Mary of Teck in the miniseries The Lost Prince, for which she was nominated for both BAFTA Television Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television.[30] She also starred as Hermione Granger in a Comic Relief sketch called Harry Potter and the Secret Chamberpot of Azibaijan.[31]

Richardson appeared as Queen Rosalind of Denmark in The Prince and Me and as the ballet mistress Madame Giry in the film version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical The Phantom of the Opera (2004).[32][33] In 2005, she appeared in the role of Rita Skeeter, the toxic Daily Prophet journalist in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.[31][34] She later reprised the role of Rita Skeeter in a cameo in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010).[35]

Richardson voiced Corky in The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky (2005), an Australian animated series for children. In 2006, she appeared in Gideon's Daughter.[36] In 2007 she played Mrs Claus in the film Fred Claus (2007)[37][38] and appeared in the BBC sitcom, The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle (2007).

In 2008, Richardson was cast in a leading role in the original AMC television pilot, Rubicon. She plays Katherine Rhumor,[39] a New York socialite who finds herself drawn into the central intrigue of a think tank after the death of her husband.[40] The following year, she portrayed Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, Duchess of Kent in film The Young Victoria (2009).[41]

Richardson played Labour Party politician Barbara Castle in the British film Made in Dagenham (2010).[42] She was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for this role. In 2012, she played roles in the BBC comedy television series Dead Boss,[43] historical drama series World Without End,[44][45] based on the 1989 Ken Follett novel The Pillars of the Earth, and historical drama series Parade's End,[46] based on Ford Madox Ford's eponymous novel cycle (1924–1928). In 2013, she played Lady Ashford in the film Belle (2013).[47]

In 2012, Richardson was cast as Queen Ulla in Disney's live action film Maleficent (2014),[48] where she was to play the titular character's aunt, but her role was cut from the film during post-production.[49] In 2015, she played Sybil Birling in Helen Edmundson's BBC One adaptation of J. B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls.[50]

In 2015, she played Hilda Lorimer in the film Testament of Youth[51] and was cast as Emily Brent in BBC One's three-part adaptation of Dame Agatha Christie's 1939 novel And Then There Were None.[52] In 2017, she portrayed Clementine Churchill in the biopic film Churchill[53] and starred in the films Stronger and iBoy.[54]

In 2019, Richardson voiced Pinky's Grandma in animated television series Pinky Malinky and played Lou Collins in seven episodes of television series Curfew.[55] In 2020, Richardson starred in the Australian comedy drama film Rams.[56]

Richardson reprised her role as the voice of Mrs Tweedy in the 2023 film, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget.[57]

Richardson is due to appear in an upcoming biopic about conductor Sergiu Celibidache, The Yellow Tie, and in the British film The Bitter End.

Personal life

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Richardson's hobbies include dog walking, gardening and falconry. In 2013, she began learning the cello.[19][58]

Filmography

[edit]
Main article: List of Miranda Richardson performances

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Work Result Notes
1987 Olivier Award for Best Actress A Lie of the Mind Nominated
1988 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress After Pilkington Nominated [6]
1993 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical Enchanted April Won [7]
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Damage Nominated [7]
BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Won [6]
The Crying Game Nominated [6]
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Damage Nominated [5]
1995 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama Tom & Viv Nominated [7]
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Television Fatherland Won [7]
Academy Award for Best Actress Tom & Viv Nominated [5][59]
BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Nominated [6]
1998 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress A Dance to the Music of Time Nominated [6]
1999 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Merlin Nominated [7]
2000 Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Television The Big Brass Ring Nominated [7]
Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress Sleepy Hollow Nominated
2003 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture The Hours Nominated
2004 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress The Lost Prince Nominated [6]
2005 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Nominated [7]
2011 BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Made in Dagenham Nominated [6]
2015 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Narrator Operation Orangutan Nominated [60]

References

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  1. ^ "Miranda Richardson". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 August 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  2. ^ Patterson, John (28 December 2002). "Long live the Queen". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  3. ^ "Classic interview: Miranda Richardson". The Observer. 29 August 2009. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  4. ^ a b BBC. "BBC - Comedy - People A-Z - Miranda Richardson". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Academy Awards Database Search". Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on 15 August 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i "BAFTA Awards Search". BAFTA Awards. Archived from the original on 15 August 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Miranda Richardson". Golden Globes. Archived from the original on 15 August 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  8. ^ Maslin, Janet (9 December 1987). "Film: Spielberg's 'Empire of Sun' (Published 1987)". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  9. ^ a b "Empire Of The Sun | Film | The Guardian". www.theguardian.com. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  10. ^ a b Specter, Michael (27 December 1992). "FILM; Miranda Richardson: Running From Typecasters (Published 1992)". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  11. ^ Maslin, Janet (4 December 1992). "Critic's Choice/Film; A Thriller That Runs Deep (Published 1992)". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  12. ^ a b Weinraub, Bernard (19 November 1999). "AT THE MOVIES (Published 1999)". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  13. ^ Kehr, Dave (23 February 2003). "FILM; Awaking to the Nightmares of His Youth (Published 2003)". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  14. ^ a b Holden, Stephen (28 February 2003). "FILM REVIEW; Into Sinister Webs Of a Jumbled Mind (Published 2003)". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  15. ^ "Miranda Richardson's teenage obsessions: 'I rescued a kestrel and became fascinated by birds of prey'". The Guardian. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  16. ^ "Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Past Graduates". Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Archived from the original on 25 September 2009.
  17. ^ "The Society of London Theatre, Olivier Winners 1987". Officiallondontheatre.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 February 2012. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
  18. ^ "Royal Court Theatre website". Royalcourttheatre.com. Archived from the original on 21 September 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
  19. ^ a b c Cochrane, Kira (20 April 2013). "Miranda Richardson: 'I hate our sneering attitude to success'". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  20. ^ Robertson, Nan (16 August 1985). "NEW FACE: FROM MIRANDA RICHARDSON; FROM BRISTOL OLD VIC TO RUTH ELLIS ON FILM". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  21. ^ Benson, Sheila (14 August 1985). "TWO VIEWS OF THE UNDERCLASS : Dry-Ice Lust Establishes Theme for This Darkly Obsessive 'Dance With a Stranger'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  22. ^ Fidler, Matt (3 February 2015). "Elizabeth I in TV and film, from Bernhardt to Blanchett – in pictures". the Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  23. ^ "How accurately does Blackadder reflect history?". BBC News. 15 June 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  24. ^ Eales, Courtney (24 May 2025). "Blackadder cast and where they are 41 years after show first aired". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  25. ^ Jenne, Ellen (23 December 2021). "Blackadder's Miranda Richardson's life from never marrying to Harry Potter role". My London. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  26. ^ "The brilliant but sad end to Blackadder thirty years on". The National. 2 November 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  27. ^ "Blackadder Back and Forth - The forgotten special". British Comedy Guide. 31 December 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  28. ^ "Hauer, Richardson to Star in 'Fatherland'". Los Angeles Times. 4 March 1994. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  29. ^ Loynd, Ray (26 November 1994). "TV REVIEW : Provocative Journey Into the 'Fatherland'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  30. ^ ""The Lost Prince" (PDF). BBC One.
  31. ^ a b "Miranda Richardson (Rita Skeeter)". CBBC Newsround. 25 February 2005. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  32. ^ The Phantom of the Opera (26 January 2012). The Phantom's story. Retrieved 15 July 2025 – via YouTube.
  33. ^ French, Philip (12 December 2004). "Minnie makes it". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  34. ^ Mackie, Rob (17 March 2006). "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  35. ^ Kehr, Dave (9 September 2010). "November Release Schedule". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  36. ^ "BBC - Press Office - Gideon's Daughter Miranda Richardson". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  37. ^ "The next Santa is comin' to town". Los Angeles Times. 5 November 2007. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  38. ^ Corliss, Richard (11 November 2007). "The Claus That Won't Fly". TIME. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  39. ^ Frost, Vicky (14 April 2011). "Rubicon: episode two". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  40. ^ "Trio sneaking up on AMC pilot". Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2 January 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  41. ^ Dargis, Manohla (17 December 2009). "Poor Little Royal Girl: A Melancholy Monarch". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  42. ^ Singh, Anita (16 May 2009). "Sally Hawkins to star in strike film We Want Sex". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
  43. ^ "Dead Boss". BBC. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  44. ^ "World Without End". Time Out London. Archived from the original on 18 June 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  45. ^ Rooney, David (19 October 2012). "World Without End: TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  46. ^ Conlan, Tara (19 September 2011). "Rupert Everett and Miranda Richardson join BBC2 Stoppard drama". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  47. ^ "An untold story: go behind the scenes of sumptuous period drama Belle". Cineworld. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  48. ^ "On Location: Disney starts production of 'Maleficent' in London". Los Angeles Times. 19 June 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  49. ^ Bibbiani, William (27 May 2014). "Maleficent: Director Robert Stromberg on True Love and Reshoots". Mandatory. Archived from the original on 2 June 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  50. ^ "BBC – David Thewlis to lead cast of BBC One's adaptation of JB Priestley's An Inspector Calls". BBC Media Centre. 30 January 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  51. ^ "Testament of Youth, review: 'stirring'". The Telegraph. 16 January 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  52. ^ "BBC One - and then There Were None".
  53. ^ Hans, Simran (18 June 2017). "Churchill review – transparently nationalistic biopic". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  54. ^ Aroesti, Rachel; Hutchinson, Kate; Mumford, Gwilym; Holland, Luke; Holland, Gwilym Mumford & Luke (21 January 2017). "Catch-up and download: from Riverdale to Seth Meyers". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  55. ^ Ferguson, Euan (24 February 2019). "The week in TV: Traitors; Curfew; Flack; Baptiste – review". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  56. ^ Quinn, Karl (16 October 2020). "Rams stars Miranda Richardson and Sam Neill lock horns, sheepishly, in WA". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  57. ^ Ritman, Alex (5 September 2023). "Mrs Tweedy Returns for More Fowl Play in 'Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget' Teaser". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  58. ^ Duncan, Andrew (29 December 2014). "Miranda Richardson discusses her new role as Miss Elizabeth Mapp". Radio Times. Immediate Media Company. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
  59. ^ "In Contention for Academy Awards (Published 1995)". The New York Times. 15 February 1995. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  60. ^ "Miranda Richardson". Television Academy. Archived from the original on 15 August 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
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