Miranda Richardson's career is defined by a string of prestigious awards and critically acclaimed performances. She won a Bafta for her role in the 1992 psychological drama Damage, where she starred alongside Jeremy Irons. She also received Golden Globe awards for her performances in the 1991 historical drama Enchanted April and the 1994 Nazi thriller Fatherland. Richardson was nominated for an Oscar for both Damage and the 1994 film Tom & Viv, which dramatized the life of poet Emily Dickinson. Her other notable roles include playing an IRA member named Jude in The Crying Game, Ruth Ellis in Dance With a Stranger, and Lady Van Tassel in Sleepy Hollow. She has also shown her versatility in comedic roles, such as playing the sharp-tongued journalist Rita Skeeter in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the villainous Mrs. Tweedy in Chicken Run, and the eccentric Queenie in Blackadder II. Before becoming an actress, Richardson considered a career as a veterinarian. She trained at Bristol Old Vic and graduated in 1979 in the same class as Daniel Day-Lewis. She began her career in repertory theatre and made her West End debut in 1981. Her major film breakthrough came in 1985 with Dance with a Stranger, where she played Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain. On set, she was known for entertaining the crew with her impressions, including a screechy schoolgirl voice. A year later, she turned down the role in Fatal Attraction that eventually went to Glenn Close, and instead took on a variety of memorable roles that showcased her range. Richardson has continued to work in film and television, with roles ranging from Barbara Castle in Made in Dagenham and Clementine Churchill in Churchill to Madame Tracy and Shax in Good Omens, and Emily in And Then There Were None. In 2003, she was nominated for a Bafta and a Golden Globe for her role as Queen Mary in The Lost Prince, and later played Queen Victoria’s mother in The Young Victoria, alongside Emily Blunt. In 2023, she returned as Mrs. Tweedy in Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget. She is currently appearing in The Yellow Tie, a biopic of Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache, playing his wife Ioana opposite John Malkovich. As the Guardian prepares to interview Miranda Richardson, readers are invited to submit questions for her. Possible topics include her experience narrating Operation Orangutan, which earned her an Emmy nomination, whether she still practices falconry after rescuing a kestrel as a child, how far she progressed with the cello she began learning in her 50s, and which historical figure she would most like to see on a spike in Blackadder’s Traitor’s Cloister. Readers can post their questions by 6pm on Thursday, 24 September, and her responses will be published as part of the readers' interview series.