Miriam Margolyes is a British and Australian actress who is much loved across the world and in her native Britain she is considered a national treasure. She is known for her sharp wit and outspokenness as much as for her unforgettable television and big-screen roles.
In her over 50-year career M. Margolyes won a BAFTA (The Age of Innocence), and LA Critics Circle Awards (Little Doritt). She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2002 New Year Honours for Services to Drama. She recently received Lifetime Achievement prize at BBC Audio Drama Awards 2022.
In recent years she became known to global audiences as Professor Sprout from the Harry Potter franchise.
Born in 1941 in Oxford, Miriam was the only child of her parents. She began her theatre career in 1963 after graduating from Cambridge University. She regularly appeared in films since 1969 and on stage. She is considered one of the greatest female voices in Britain and has recorded many audiobooks including Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, Alice in Wonderland as well as many TV documentaries. Although her work can range from children's shows to the classics, via melodrama, M. Margolyes is most famous for comedy, appearing in several series of the iconic British sitcom Blackadder among many other memorable appearances. She is also a remarkable voice-over artist and often refers to radio as her true love.
It was part of the BBC Radio 4 Sentimental Journey programme in December 1999 when Miriam Margolyes travelled to Belarus to learn more about her family roots. Her family is Jewish, on both sides coming from the Eastern Europe. Her maternal grandfather was born in Poland and her paternal grandfather emigrated from a small village Indura in the Grodno region to Glasgow (Scotland). As part of this trip, Miriam Margolyes wanted to make a link to the place of her ancestors and to see for herself what her life might have been. Miriam described it as one of the most emotional experiences and was touched by the warmth of the people she met.
M. Margolyes has been politically active since her student years. She is a member of the UK Labour Party, not afraid to voice her views passionately and unapologetically and does not hold back on her opinions on politicians and events.
Miriam Margolyes supports several charities, including Crossroads, Sense, Jewish Care, Medical Aid for Palestinians, and other organisations. Being openly gay since 1966, Miriam is also a passionate advocate for the LGBT+ community and often shares her experiences and how it affected her relationship with her family.
Now in her eighties Miriam Margolyes remains very active and produces documentaries about her trips all over the world. Her authentic curiosity, improvisation, and hilarious sense of humour make her a popular guest on talk shows. Her recent photoshoot for the Vogue magazine is a vivid proof of her mischievous nature and zest for life.
As M. Margolyes wisely noted in one of her books, “… you shouldn’t fear failure. It’s not something that we relish – no one wants it – but it may be something we have to endure in order to improve and succeed", and this is something we should all take inspiration from.
Sources:
https://simple.wikipedia.org
#MiriamMargolyes #Britishicon #ActingLegend #Fearless
#WitAndWisdom #NationalTreasure #Belarus #AncestralJourney
#BelarusianHeritage #Inspiration #InspiringStories #UnknownFacts