Miriam Margolyes is a British-Australian character actress, voice artist and author, born on May 18, 1941, in Oxford, England.
Audiences know her as Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter films and as Mrs. Mingott in The Age of Innocence, which earned her a BAFTA. She voiced Fly in Babe, played Sister Mildred in Call the Midwife and appeared in Blackadder.
In 2023, she voiced the Meep in Doctor Who. Across five decades on stage and screen, she earned an OBE and a reputation for outspoken, funny interviews. This guide covers her roles, awards, books and public life.
Miriam Margolyes at a Glance
| Detail | Fact |
|---|---|
| Born | May 18, 1941, Oxford, England |
| Age | 85 (2026) |
| Nationality | British, with Australian citizenship since 2013 |
| Occupation | Actress, voice artist, author |
| Education | Oxford High School, Newnham College, Cambridge |
| Honour | OBE, 2002 New Year Honours |
| Best-known roles | Professor Sprout, Mrs. Mingott, Fly |
| Memoirs | This Much Is True (2021), Oh Miriam! (2023), The Little Book of Miriam (2025) |
Early Life, Family and Education
Miriam grew up in Oxford in a Jewish family. Her parents were Joseph and Ruth Margolyes.
She attended Oxford High School, then studied English at Newnham College, Cambridge. At Cambridge she joined the Footlights drama club, and acting became her career.
Miriam Margolyes’ Acting Career
Her work covers theatre, film, television, documentaries, voiceovers and audio. Each area has its own strong credits.
Stage and Theatre Work
Her stage career ranges from musicals to classic comedies. She played Madame Morrible in Wicked in London. In Melbourne, she took the role of Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit.
She appeared as Miss Prism in The Importance of Being Earnest at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Lady Wishfort in The Way of the World came through the Sydney Theatre Company.
Other credits include The Vagina Monologues, She Stoops to Conquer and The Killing of Sister George. She also appeared in The Threepenny Opera and Orpheus Descending.
She played The Duchess in Me & My Girl. A Day in the Death of Joe Egg took her to the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow.
Film Roles
Her film debut came in A Nice Girl Like Me in 1969. Her first major screen success followed with Yentl in 1983, where she played Sarah.
| Film | Year | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Yentl | 1983 | Sarah |
| Little Shop of Horrors | 1986 | Dental Nurse |
| I Love You to Death | 1990 | Joey’s Mother |
| The Age of Innocence | 1993 | Mrs. Mingott |
| Immortal Beloved | 1994 | Nanette Streicher |
| Cold Comfort Farm | 1995 | Mrs. Beetle |
| Romeo + Juliet | 1996 | The Nurse |
| End of Days | 1999 | Mabel |
| Sunshine | 1999 | Rose Sonnenschein |
| Magnolia | 1999 | Faye Barringer (uncredited) |
| Cats & Dogs | 2001 | Sophie the Castle Maid |
| Being Julia | 2004 | Dolly de Vries |
| Modigliani | 2004 | Gertrude Stein |
| Ladies in Lavender | 2004 | Dorcas |
| The Life and Death of Peter Sellers | 2004 | Peg Sellers |
| The Guilt Trip | 2012 | Anita |
| The Man Who Invented Christmas | 2017 | Mrs. Fisk |
Frank Oz directed Little Shop of Horrors, and Martin Scorsese directed The Age of Innocence. Baz Luhrmann cast her as the Nurse in Romeo + Juliet.
Television Roles
On television, she played Queen Victoria in Blackadder’s Christmas Carol in 1988. She followed it with Miss Crawley in Vanity Fair in 1998.
Dickens roles ran through her screen work too. She played Flora Finching in Little Dorrit and Mrs Bumble in Oliver Twist.
Modern audiences know her from Call the Midwife, where she plays Sister Mildred. She also played Prudence Stanley in Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, which first aired in 2012.
Guest parts include Merlin, Doc Martin and Dharma & Greg. She voiced Margaret Thatcher in American Dad in 2005 and Shirley Finster in Rugrats. In 2023, she voiced the Meep in The Star Beast, the Doctor Who 60th anniversary special.
Documentaries and Presenting
Presenting gave her a second screen career. Each series follows her on a journey and shows her curiosity about people.
| Series | Year |
|---|---|
| Dickens in America | 2004 |
| The Real Marigold Hotel | 2016 |
| Miriam’s Big American Adventure | 2018 |
| Miriam’s Dead Good Adventure | 2019 |
| Miriam Margolyes: Almost Australian | 2020 |
| Miriam’s Big Fat Adventure | 2020 |
| Miriam and Alan: Lost in Scotland and Beyond | 2021 |
| Australia Unmasked | 2022 |
| Miriam’s Dickensian Christmas | 2022 |
She also narrated Gentleman Jack Changed My Life and The Story of Queen Victoria.
Talk Shows and Guest Appearances
Chat shows suit her storytelling. She has sat on the sofa of The Graham Norton Show on BBC One many times.
She appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers on NBC in 2014. The Last Leg and Loose Women also gave her a platform for interviews.
Voice Acting, Narration and Audio Work
Her voice is easy to recognise, and animation studios hired it often. She voiced Fly, the sheepdog, in Babe in 1995 and again in Babe: Pig in the City in 1998.
| Animated film | Year | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Balto | 1995 | Grandma Rosy |
| James and the Giant Peach | 1996 | Aunt Sponge and Glowworm |
| Mulan | 1998 | The Matchmaker |
| Happy Feet | 2006 | Mrs. Astrakhan |
| Flushed Away | 2006 | Rita’s Grandma |
| Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole | 2010 | Mrs. Plithiver |
On audio, her unabridged Oliver Twist won a Sony Radio Award. She also recorded Great Expectations, Alice in Wonderland and Matilda. Pinocchio and The Worst Witch series are on her list too, and she played Vera Sackcloth-Vest in the Radio 4 comedy Gloomsbury.
Miriam Margolyes as Professor Sprout in Harry Potter
Her best-known screen role is Pomona Sprout, the herbology teacher at Hogwarts. She first appeared in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in 2002, directed by Chris Columbus.
She returned in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 in 2011, directed by David Yates. In 2017, she lent her voice to the documentary Harry Potter: A History of Magic.
Dickens’ Women and Her Dickens Connection
Charles Dickens runs through her career. Her one-woman show, Dickens’ Women, toured from 1989 to 2012 and earned an Olivier Award nomination.
She performed it at festivals in Edinburgh, London and Sydney, and in Jerusalem, Santa Cruz, New York City, Boston and India. Her work on screen and audio, from Little Dorrit to Oliver Twist, drew on the same writer.
Awards and Honours
| Award | Year | Work |
|---|---|---|
| BAFTA, Best Supporting Actress | 1993 | The Age of Innocence |
| LA Critics Circle Award, Best Supporting Actress | 1989 | Little Dorrit |
| Sony Radio Award, Best Actress | 1993 | Oliver Twist (unabridged recording) |
| Olivier Award nomination | N/A | Dickens’ Women |
| OBE | 2002 | Services to drama |
The Queen awarded her the OBE in the 2002 New Year Honours.
Books and Memoirs
Margolyes has written three memoirs. This Much Is True came out in 2021. Oh Miriam! Stories from an Extraordinary Life followed in 2023, and The Little Book of Miriam arrived in 2025. Each book collects anecdotes from her life and career.
Recent and Current Projects
Her recent work spans television, film and books. In 2024, she presented Miriam Margolyes: Impossibly Australian and appeared in Miriam Margolyes Remembers… Cold Comfort Farm.
In 2023, she appeared in My Happy Ending as Judy and voiced Aunt in Mog’s Christmas. She also featured in Lady Gregory: Ireland’s First Social Influencer. In 2022, she voiced Sylvie in Dog Squad.
Public Persona and Outspoken Personality
Margolyes built her public image on candid interviews and a sharp sense of humor. Broadcasters have bleeped her swearing on air. In 2013, she described herself live on television as a “dyke” in front of Australian prime minister Julia Gillard.
She has also criticised adult fans who stay devoted to Harry Potter, and some fans pushed back online.
Personal Life, Identity and Relationships
Margolyes is a lesbian and has spoken openly about her identity. Her partner is Heather Sutherland, a retired Australian professor of Indonesian studies. They have been together since the late 1960s and are in a civil partnership.
For most of that time, they lived in different countries. They now divide their time among homes in the United Kingdom, Australia and Italy.
Australian Citizenship and Her Australian Connection
Margolyes became an Australian citizen in 2013 and now holds both British and Australian citizenship. Her ties to Australia grew through Heather Sutherland and years of work there.
On stage, she played Madame Arcati in Melbourne and worked with the Sydney Theatre Company. On screen, she played Prudence Stanley in Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. In Almost Australian in 2020, she travelled around the country for two months. Australia Unmasked in 2022 and Impossibly Australian in 2024 continued that theme.
Charity Work, Advocacy and Public Views
Margolyes has been patron of the Trinity Community Arts Centre in Bristol since 2014. She has also campaigned for the respite care charity Crossroads.
She is a member of the Labour Party and a signatory of Jews for Justice for Palestinians.
Miriam Margolyes’ Net Worth
Her income comes from many sources. These include film, television and stage tours. Memoirs and audio books add to it, along with voiceover work and brand endorsements.
Commercials and Brand Work
Famous Advert Voices
British audiences know her voice from advertising. She voiced the Cadbury’s Caramel Bunny. She also voiced Dolly the Chimp in the PG Tips campaign, along with the Manikin Cigar ads.
Booking Miriam Margolyes for Events and Campaigns
Both MN2S and Performing Artistes list her for bookings. MN2S covers live performance, brand ambassador roles and media appearances. Performing Artistes places her under After Dinner Entertainment and Raconteurs.
A campaign brief usually sets usage rights, exclusivity and deliverables. Budget, deadlines and scheduling decide availability.
Online Popularity and Audience Reach
On January 7, 2026, she ranked #2,560 among online actors by Wikipedia pageviews, with 2,404 daily views.
| Date | Rank | Pageviews |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 31, 2025 | #2,021 | 3,228 |
| Jan 1, 2026 | #2,370 | 3,078 |
| Jan 2, 2026 | #2,187 | 3,210 |
| Jan 3, 2026 | #2,456 | 2,921 |
| Jan 4, 2026 | #2,561 | 2,898 |
| Jan 5, 2026 | #2,700 | 2,384 |
| Jan 6, 2026 | #2,560 | 2,404 |
Her social following reaches 103.5K across three platforms. TikTok has 76.8K, Instagram 25K and YouTube 1.8K.
Legacy and Influence
Margolyes has shaped British and Australian screen culture across five decades. Her roles in Harry Potter, The Age of Innocence and Babe reached very different audiences. Her memoirs and documentaries added a personal voice to that career.
Conclusion
Miriam Margolyes remains one of the most recognisable character actresses working today. Her Professor Sprout, her BAFTA-winning Mrs. Mingott and her OBE mark a career built on range. Her recent memoir, The Little Book of Miriam, keeps her story current.
FAQs
What is Miriam Margolyes best known for?
Miriam Margolyes is best known for playing Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter films and for winning a BAFTA as Mrs. Mingott in The Age of Innocence.
How old is Miriam Margolyes?
Miriam Margolyes was born on May 18, 1941, in Oxford, England, and she turned 85 years old on her birthday in May 2026.
Did Miriam Margolyes win a BAFTA?
Yes, she won the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress in 1993 for playing Mrs. Mingott in Martin Scorsese’s The Age of Innocence.
Is Miriam Margolyes Australian?
Yes, Miriam Margolyes holds both British and Australian citizenship, and she became an Australian citizen in 2013 after years of working and travelling there.
What is Miriam Margolyes’ net worth?
Her income comes from film, television, stage tours, memoirs, audio books, voiceover work and brand endorsements, including her Cadbury Caramel Bunny voice.
Is Miriam Margolyes married or does she have a partner?
Miriam Margolyes is a lesbian, and she has been in a relationship with Australian academic Heather Sutherland since the late 1960s, including a civil partnership.
What did Miriam Margolyes say about Harry Potter fans?
Margolyes has criticised adult fans who stay devoted to Harry Potter, and some fans pushed back online while others defended her right to say it.
What is Miriam Margolyes doing now?
Miriam Margolyes published The Little Book of Miriam in 2025, after voicing the Meep in Doctor Who in 2023 and presenting Impossibly Australian in 2024.