Miranda Richardson was born in England on March 3rd 1958. She comes
from Southport in Lancashire (near Liverpool), and has one sister,
eight years her senior. Her parents and sister are not involved in
the performing arts. At an early age, she performed in school
plays, having shown a talent and desire to 'turn herself into'
other people. She has referred to it as 'an emotional fusion; you
think yourself into them'. This mimicry could be of school friends
or film stars. She left school (Southport High School for Girls) at
the age of 17, and originally intended becoming a vet. She also
considered studying English literature in College, but decided to
concentrate on drama and enrolled at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre
School (as did many well-known British actors). After three years
she graduated and moved into repertory theatre. She became
affiliated with the Library Theatre in Manchester in 1979, where
she became an assistant stage manager. She obtained her Equity
card, and after several regional productions, first appeared on the
London stage (Moving at Queens Theatre) in 1981. British television
roles soon followed, and then film. Since then, Miranda has moved
into the international arena, and has made films in America, France
and Spain. Television work (on both sides of the Atlantic)
continues, as does some stage work. Her roles are diverse, but
powerful and engaging. She has been quoted as stating "what I
basically like is doing things I haven't done before" and this
continually comes through in the variety of roles she has played in
her career. She is also selective in the roles she takes, being
uninterested in performing in the standard Hollywood fare, and
preferring more offbeat roles. She was approached to play the Glenn
Close role in 'Fatal Attraction', but found it 'regressive in its
attitudes'. Her attitude is summed up by a quote from an interview
that appeared in the New York Times (Dec 27 1992) "I would rather
do many small roles on TV, stage or film than one blockbuster that
made me rich but had no acting. And if that's the choice I have to
make, I think I've already made it". According to '1994 Current
Biography Yearbook', Ms Richardson resides in South London with her
two Siamese cats, Otis and Waldo. She has now moved to West London.
Her hobbies include drawing, walking, gardening, fashion, falconry,
and music. She, by her own admission is a loner and lives rather
modestly. An actor who studied with Ms Richardson at the Bristol
Old Vic Theatre in the late seventies described her as "a strong
minded, specially gifted, rather pretty young woman who enjoys
wearing jewelry. She wore toe rings, which in the late seventies
and especially in England, were a rarity and considered rather
racy." He also remarked on her drive, even then, to be an actress
of the highest calibre.
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