Harry Potter star Miriam Margolyes OBE celebrates a landmark birthday today (May 18).
The British-Australian actress, who just turned 80, was born in Oxford in 1941 and grew up in a Jewish family
She’s spent many years dividing her time between the United Kingdom, Australia, and Italy with her partner Heather Sutherland.
Her earliest roles were in theatre and she went on to win a BAFTA Award for her role in Martin Scorsese’s The Age of Innocence.
With her distinctive voice, she went on to gain recognition for her work as a voice artist.
In the 1970s she recorded a soft-porn audio called Sexy Sonia: Leaves from my Schoolgirl Notebook.
(Image: GETTY / NCJ MEDIA)
She was later cast of Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter film series.
Before flying off the Hogwarts, Miriam represented Newnham College in the first series of University Challenge back in 1963 where she may have been one of the first people to say “f**k” on British television.
Miaram has a string of chaotic interviews under her belt from dropping swear words on morning telly to asking Daniel Radcliffe about his foreskin.
To celebrate the birthday girl, Daily Star has taken a look back at some of her shocking TV moments.
‘Wanted Boris Johnson to die’
(Image: Channel 4/The Last Log)
Miriam has left everyone stunned after admitting on television that she “wanted Prime Minister Boris Johnson to die” of coronavirus.
When asked on The Last Leg Locked Down Under how she thinks the government has been dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, she answered: “Appallingly, of course, appallingly.
“It’s a disgrace, it’s a scandal. It’s a public scandal. I had difficulty not wanting Boris Johnson to die.
“I wanted him to die. Then I thought that will reflect badly on me and I don’t want to be the sort of person that wants people to die.”
So then I wanted him to get better, which he did do, he did get better. But he didn’t get better as a human being.
“And I really would prefer that. So we’re in the s**t, basically, here.”
Accusing Phillip Schofield of taking drugs
The outspoken actress is regular face on This Morning and almost always causes mischief when she appears on the famous sofa alongside Phillip Schofield and Holly Schofield.
Promoting her show Miriam’s Big American Adventure, which saw her road tripping across the USA, she explained: “I will go back, and the wonderful thing for me is that I’ve remained friends with nearly all the people I met on the programme.
“Even though they came from different backgrounds, criminals, druggies… I’m always scared of drugs, I’ve never taken a drug stronger than aspirin.”
She then looked at Phil and said: “I bet you can’t say that!”
As Holly laughed, Phil tried to keep a straight face and said: “She says that with four seconds to go.”
Miriam went on to say: “No, you’re clean”.
Asking Daniel Radcliffe about his foreskin
(Image: PA Wire/Press Association Images)
Miriam’s definitely not one to hold back, especially among her former co-stars, as she proved when she and Daniel Radcliffe both appeared on The Graham Norton Show.
She was sat beside the Harry Potter star as well as Alan Cumming, who got a bit cheeky when he recalled someone once telling him his foreskin was like a pedal bin.
It appeared that Miriam grasped the opportunity to turn the talk dirty by asking Daniel: “Do you have a foreskin?”
Handling the question with complete professionalism, the Hollywood actor blushed: “No, I’m Jewish.”
She went on to ask host Graham on the same question, who answered: “Loads of them. I collect them”.
Swearing on live TV
Miriam seems to have made a bit of a habit of accidentally swearing on live TV, including one appearance on This Morning, which saw her dropping the word ‘t**t’ when talking about the Queen, no less.
She told Holly and Phil: “I was invited [to Buckingham Palace] as part of British Book Week.
“And when the Queen came over to me and asked me what I did… I said like a t***-“
A clearly very red-faced Holly and Phil were forced to step in and apologise to viewers after the slip-up.
“Sorry!” they said, immediately looking at the camera as the actress continued her story, seemingly unaware of her blunder.
Elsewhere, during an appearance on Peston back in 2018, Miriam managed to drop an f-bomb.
Foul-mouthed Donald Trump attack
The television personality stunned fans of Good Morning Britain after branded former President of the United States Donald Trump an “a*****e” live on ITV.
Speaking her mind when it came to the horrendous scenes that unfolded at The Capitol in January, Miriam said: “I am astonished and disgusted.
“I know this is a morning show but with Trump it ends with hole and starts with an A.
“He is a dangerous facist.
“It looks like there was planning with the Capitol attack. I long to see the back of him.
“America is a sweet country but there is a of silly people in it and they need to be smacked.”
Bizarre Australia rant
(Image: PA)
Miriam stayed true to form with a scathing rant about Australia.
The actress previously said she was horrified by the “brutality” and “greed” of Australia while filming Almost Australian.
Throughout her journey, she learnt about Aussie people and different places before soon realising that Australia was “much more complicated” than she first believed after landing there in the 1980s.
Speaking to TV Tonight, Miriam said: “We think we know what [Australia is] like, but we don’t.
“It’s quite complicated. It’s layered. Lots of things happen.
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“I do think I was right that it’s harsher than it was.
She continued: “Maybe that’s true in the world, there’s a harshness about it, which I didn’t expect.”
“There is a brutality there and a greed in Australia, which I don’t like.
Miriam added: “You know, the developers. Those horrible structures along the coast, that people should be ashamed of living in.
“Surfers Paradise, it’s disgusting. I think that actually shocked me because I don’t go there. It’s not my world and I don’t want to go there.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
