Celebrity Inter view Miriam Margolyes
Retirement is increasingly becoming a luxury of the past. While for some the cost of living is the reason, for others working is addictive and good for the soul. This desire to keep working can be found in all sectors, from scientists (Professor Stephen Hawking is 74) through to business people (Sir Alan Sugar is 69 and Sir Richard Branson is 66) and David Attenborough the naturalist is 90.
BAFTA award winning actress Miriam Margolyes is a comparative youngster at a mere 75. She is widely known for her role as Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter fi lms. Miriam is as busy as ever, not just with her acting but also her work as a voice artist. “Sorry we’re going to have to reschedule our interview,” she says to me, “I’ve got another job on.” But we’re able to catch up at a quieter moment.
It is a craving for success that drives Miriam to work even harder. “I don’t think I’m as successful as I would like and I don’t think I’m as successful as people think I am. I’m just in the front rank of the second raters as Somerset Maugham put himself. I think I’m hugely talented and I think I have the potential to be great.”
As a voice artist, she has quickly become well- known to countless children the world over as Weathersnike in Bottersnikes and Gumbles. Set in Australia it tells the tale of the evil bottersnikes: ugly, lazy creatures whose ears become hot when they get angry. The Gumbles are small, giggly things who the bottersnikes try to enslave to make them do all their chores. This programme is aired in both Britain and Australia, a relationship that works well for Miriam because she has divided her time between the two countries for years. In 2013 she was presented with her Australian citizenship certifi cate by then prime minister Julia Gillard.
And she isn’t as wealthy as some might envisage. “I don’t have more than half a million in the bank… Some people would say that’s pretty wealthy but I
30
think you have to have a million in the bank before you’re wealthy.” Miriam does own or part-own a few properties, a home in south-west London, a Tuscan farmhouse and a penthouse close to Bondi Beach in Australia.
There are two facets to Miriam that have stood her in good stead. Her eloquent tones ensuring that her voice is familiar. And her appearance making her instantly recognisable on stage or screen. Miriam has a great ability to make any role memorable. Her career spans fi ve decades. She has appeared in TV programmes including Crossroads,
three
Blackadders and even an Agatha Christie (2004). More recently she has appeared in Doc Martin and Kingdom. Her fi lm appearances include The Age of Innocence (1993) where she won the BAFTA. Directed by Martin Scorsese, Miriam played the part of the Countess’ grandmother. The Countess was played by Michelle Pfeiff er. “But the thing that I am most proud of in my life is Dickens’ Women.” The one- person show includes 23 diff erent characters based on or inspired by characters in Charles Dickens’ novels.
Jewish, a Labour supporter and a lesbian, Miriam is her own harshest critic, known for her plain speaking. When she has time, she is passionate about genealogy and politics. “I have got back as far as 1790 with my family tree but it is diffi cult because records of Jews were destroyed in the Second World War. I also collect political cartoons of the past. It is the past that I am interested in these days.”
www.miriammargolyes.com Interview by Tim Saunders, author, journalist and businessman.
To advertise in thewire t. 07720 429 613 e. fi
ona@thewireweb.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100
