Summary Miranda Richardson is a versatile and acclaimed actor with an impressive filmography spanning various genres and diverse characters.
Her performances in projects like “Good Omens” and “The Hours” showcase her ability to deeply embody complex and emotional roles.
Richardson’s range extends to animated films as well, such as her standout voice work in “Chicken Run” as the sarcastic and menacing Mrs. Tweedy.
Miranda Richardson is a prolific TV and movie actor who has worked on multiple critically acclaimed and audience-favorite projects since her debut in the 80s. Born in Lancashire, England, Richardson began her career in the theater before quickly making her way on screen for a one-episode guest role on Agony. Stardom quickly followed when in 1985, she starred in Dance with a Stranger. Since then, she has gone on to work with such talented directors as Steven Spielberg, David Cronenberg, Mike Newell, and Tim Burton. Her career has spanned decades and major TV and movie franchises.
Miranda Richardson’s career has seen her appear in comedies, horror films, and fantasy movies, playing all sorts of characters from love interests to villains. Richardson has an incredible range and has always had the impressive ability to play characters from a variety of backgrounds and ages, always sinking deep into her characters until she’s almost unrecognizable. Fans of some of Miranda Richardson’s more popular roles may be surprised at just how prolific and acclaimed her filmography is.
15 Chicken Run (2000)
Chicken Run is available to stream on Netflix.
In one of her few voice-acting roles, Miranda Richardson plays Mrs. Tweedy in Chicken Run, the Aardman Animations stop-motion film about a group of chickens who attempt to escape their farm, a la The Great Escape. Mrs. Tweedy is the villainous owner of the farm who abuses the chickens in order to turn a profit in any way she can. It’s a charming and beautifully animated children’s movie with jokes and references for adults as well. Richardson does some fantastic voice work as the sarcastic and sinister Mrs. Tweedy, giving the character a menacing air.
14 Tom & Viv (1994)
Tom & Viv is not currently available to stream or rent online.
Willem Dafoe and Miranda Richardson star as T.S. Eliot and his wife Vivienne Haigh-Wood Eliot in Tom & Viv, a biopic about the famous poet’s relationship through their courtship and break up. The film covers a significant amount of time and can feel choppy for it, and it misses out on some key moments in the couple’s life. However, the stars at the center of the film are the reason the movie still succeeds. Richardson received an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe nomination in the Best Actress categories for her work and her chemistry with Dafoe is believable and saddening as time pulls them apart.
13 Empire Of The Sun (1987)
Empire of the Sun is available to rent on Apple TV+.
Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun follows James “Jim” Graham (a young Christian Bale) who becomes separated from his British family when Japan invades Shanghai during WWII. Jim is sent to an internment camp where he slowly loses his innocence in the face of war’s brutality. Miranda Richardson appears as another prisoner-of-war, Mrs. Victor, who provides comfort to the lonely Jim. It’s a subtle and quiet performance from Richardson who plays a character putting on a brave face that belies a grave fear. When Jim stumbles upon her dead body late in the film, it’s a heart-wrenching indictment of war and captivity.
12 The Hours (2002)
The Hours is available to stream on Paramount+.
Virginia Woolf and her novel “Mrs. Dalloway” form the connective tissue between three short stories in the anthology film, The Hours. The first of the stories, set on one day in 1923, follows Woolf (Nicole Kidman) as she works on her novel and struggles with her depression. Her sister Vanessa is played by Miranda Richardson, and she disappears into the role of a loving but deeply concerned sister to Virginia. The movie was nominated for nine Academy Awards with one win for Kidman and all three stories are powered by incredible female performances. It’s a subtle, careful, and deeply affecting portrait of sadness and depression.
11 Spider (2002)
Spider is available to rent on Apple TV+.
David Cronenberg’s Spider is a psychological thriller starring Ralph Fiennes as Dennis “Spider” Cleg, a man with schizophrenia who has recently been released from a mental health facility. Spider begins to unravel memories of a sex worker named Yvonne (Miranda Richardson) and his mother, who may be the same person. It’s a mind-bending movie with each detail meticulously crafted. The two performers at the center, Fiennes and Richardson, are unforgettable and fit perfectly in Cronenberg’s strange and dizzying plot.
10 Blackadder II (1986)
Blackadder II is available to stream on Hulu.
The Blackadder series is a British period sitcom that takes place in different years from 1485 to 1917. Miranda Richardson appears in a handful of these series and spinoffs, but her best role is co-starring as Queen Elizabeth I or “Queenie” in Blackadder II. Blackadder II is a marked improvement over the first series, discovering the tone of the show and the appropriate characterization of Edmund Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson). Richardson is spoiled and childish as Queenie, often sending people to be executed if they don’t laugh at her jokes. Her confidence as a comedic actor opened up a world of characters for Richardson.
9 Stronger (2017)
Stronger is available to stream on Netflix.
Based on the real-life story of Jeff Bauman, a victim of the Boston Marathon Bombing who lost both his legs, Stronger tells the story of Jeff’s (Jake Gyllenhaal) road to recovery and how he inspired others with his will to survive. Jeff’s mother Patty (Miranda Richardson) is an alcoholic enabler to Jeff though at her core, she cares deeply for her son. It’s a much different role than Richardson usually plays, she is often one step ahead of those around her, the smartest in the room. Stronger is an uplifting and powerful film without being too cliched and that’s in part thanks to Richardson’s human and vulnerable performance.
8 Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Sleepy Hollow is available to stream on Max.
Tim Burton’s underappreciated Sleepy Hollow is an adaptation of the legendary story about the Headless Horseman and Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp). Burton puts his own twist on the story, featuring Miranda Richardson as Lady Mary Van Tassel who proves to be a witch controlling the Headless Horsemen. The film has the incredible set design expected of Burton and the atmosphere of the movie is tense and sinister. Sleepy Hollow is not always sure if it wants to be a blockbuster slasher or a slow period piece, but it’s an engrossing ride all the way through. Richardson is incredible at matching the campiness of the film with her performance as the dynamic and animated Lady Mary.
7 Good Omens (2019-2023)
Good Omens is available to stream on Prime Video.
Based on the novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, Good Omens is an Amazon TV series that premiered in 2019 but took four years for season 2 to arrive. The series follows the angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and the demon Crowley (David Tennant) who have to work together to stop the apocalypse from destroying Earth. Miranda Richardson plays Madame Tracy in season 1 and Shax in season 2. With fantastic imagery and clever, funny dialogue, Good Omens is a treat for newcomers and book fans alike. Richardson’s double-turn allows her to use both sides of her acting repertoire: the loving, jovial, and the smirking, wicked side.
Related: Good Omens Season 2 Ending Explained – Do Aziraphale & Crowley Finally Get Together?
6 Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire (2005)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is available to stream on Max.
Miranda Richardson entered the Harry Potter universe as Rita Skeeter in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Rita Skeeter is a tabloid journalist who irks Harry throughout the film, trying to sit him down for interviews that paint him as a tragic hero and lies about his relationships. It’s one of the more lighthearted parts of a movie that is much more grim than its predecessors making Richardson a welcome bubbly addition. J.K. Rowling was extremely specific in how she described Rita Skeeter and Richardson is a perfect match with bouncing, curly, blonde hair; pencil-thin eyebrows; a set jaw; and jeweled spectacles.
5 Dance With A Stranger (1985)
Dance with a Stranger is available to stream on Tubi.
Dance with a Stranger was Miranda Richardson’s first feature film and also the movie that helped jumpstart her and her co-star Rupert Everett’s careers. The film is based on the true story of Ruth Ellis (Richardson), the last woman to be hanged in Britain. This would be the start of a long collaborative union between director Mike Newell and Richardson, and they would go on to work together in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Enchanted April. Richardson and Everett have a palpable chemistry that makes the violent ending all the more believable and disheartening.
4 Merlin (1998)
Merlin is available to stream on Plex.
Miranda Richardson stars as two characters in Merlin, the two-part miniseries recounting the mythical life of Merlin the Wizard (Sam Neill). In the series, Richardson plays The Lady of the Lake, and the main villain of the series, Queen Mab. The series garnered 15 Emmy nominations and four Golden Globe nominations, with a win for Richardson in Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television. While the series is usually celebrated for its portrayal of Merlin himself, the show would not work without Richardson. In an all-star cast that includes Helena Bonham Carter, Martin Short, and Lena Headey, Richardson is exceptional in both her roles.
3 Damage (1992)
Damage is available to rent on Apple TV+.
Damage is a romantic psychological drama about British politician Stephen Fleming (Jeremy Irons) who begins an affair with his son’s long-time girlfriend Anna Barton (Juliette Binoche). Miranda Richardson earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Stephen’s wife, Ingrid. It’s a compelling film that is carefully crafted so despite the erotic and lurid plot, it remains honest and controlled. Richardson is mesmerizing as she slowly uncovers her husband’s infidelity and her final scene in the kitchen is intense and vulnerable.
2 The Crying Game (1992)
The Crying Game is available to stream on Max.
In The Crying Game, an IRA volunteer, Fergus (Stephen Rea), finds himself falling in love with a British trans woman, Dil played by Jaye Davidson in an acclaimed role for the non-professional actor. Richardson plays Jude, a female member of the IRA who is hell-bent on forcing Fergus to complete an assassination. Nominated for six Academy Awards, The Crying Game is a haunting and thought-provoking film about sexuality, guilt, and love with incredible performances at the center. Miranda Richardson is electric and terrifying as an IRA volunteer who discovers Fergus’ secret romance and uses it against him. Her last scene, up against Dil, is a violent and thrilling finale.
1 Enchanted April (1991)
Enchanted April is available to rent on Apple TV+.
Based on the Elizabeth von Arnim novel “The Enchanted April”, Enchanted April follows Lottie Wilkins (Josie Lawrence), Rose Arbuthnot (Richardson), Caroline Dester (Polly Walker), and Mrs. Fisher (Joan Plowright) who separately travel from England to Italy on holiday and soon find kinship among each other. The film received three Academy Award nominations and three Golden Globe nominations with one win for Richardson in the Best Actress category. It’s an upbeat and uplifting film with an honest and skillful performance by Richardson who is both melancholy and buoyant. Well-polished and delightful, this Miranda Richardson movie is hard to look away from with its crackling dialogue and gorgeous cinematography.