Miranda Richardson
2 catalogued objects connected to Miranda Richardson.
Biography
Person.
Miranda Richardson is a British actress whose career has moved between high-intensity drama, eccentric comedy, theatre and large-scale international film without settling into a single screen persona. Born in 1958, she trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and worked in repertory and the West End before making her film breakthrough as Ruth Ellis in Mike Newell’s Dance with a Stranger in 1985.
The performance won Best Actress at the Evening Standard British Film Awards and was followed by the comic precision of Queen Elizabeth I in Blackadder, demonstrating an unusually broad register almost immediately. Richardson’s later work has included The Crying Game, Damage, Enchanted April, Empire of the Sun, Sleepy Hollow, Made in Dagenham and the Harry Potter films, alongside substantial stage work.
Reviewed 2026-08-19Selected sources
- National Portrait Gallery — Miranda RichardsonRichardson’s 1958 birth, Bristol Old Vic training, West End debut, 1985 film breakthrough in Dance with a Stranger, award recognition, Blackadder and later film and stage career.
- The Guardian — Miranda Richardson interviewRichardson’s Southport upbringing, Bristol Old Vic training, Dance with a Stranger breakthrough, Blackadder role and later film credits.