Miranda Caroline Raison (born 18 November 1977) is an English actress and voice-over narrator.
Early life
Miranda Raison was born in
Burnham Thorpe
Burnham Thorpe is a small village and civil parish on the River Burn and near the coast of Norfolk, England. It is famous for being the birthplace of Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson, victor at the Battle of Trafalgar and one of Britain's greatest he ...
, Norfolk, on 18 November 1977. Her mother is former Anglia News reader Caroline Raison (''née'' Harvey). Her father, Nick Raison, is a
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
pianist who accompanied the BBC National Orchestra of Wales when Raison played a showgirl in the ''
Doctor Who'' episodes "
Daleks in Manhattan
"Daleks in Manhattan" is the fourth episode of the third series of British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on BBC One on 21 April 2007. It is part one of a two-part story. Its concluding part, "Evoluti ...
" and "
Evolution of the Daleks".
Raison's parents divorced when she was five years old. From a young age she attended five boarding schools, including
Gresham's School,
Felixstowe College and
Stowe School; her education was paid for by her grandfather.
It was at
Felixstowe College where she developed an interest in acting; she moved there after experiencing bullying at her previous school. She trained at the
Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art Webber may refer to:
*Webber, Kansas, a US city
*Webber Township, Jefferson County, Illinois, USA
*Webber Township, Lake County, Michigan, USA
*Webber International University, in Babson Park, Florida, USA
*Webber (surname)
Webber (/ˈwɛbər/) i ...
.
Career
Theatre
In 1999, she played the role of June Stanley in the play ''
The Man Who Came to Dinner
''The Man Who Came to Dinner'' is a comedy play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. It debuted on October 16, 1939, at the Music Box Theatre in New York City, where it ran until 1941, closing after 739 performances. It then enjoyed a number of N ...
.''
In 2000, Raison played
Desdemona
Desdemona () is a character in William Shakespeare's play ''Othello'' (c. 1601–1604). Shakespeare's Desdemona is a Venetian beauty who enrages and disappoints her father, a Venetian senator, when she elopes with Othello, a Moorish Venetian ...
in
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's ''
Othello'' at the Theatre Royal, York.
From 27 February to 7 April 2001, she performed in the role of Davina in the farce ''
Don't Just Lie There, Say Something!
''Don't Just Lie There, Say Something!'' is a 1974 British political themed-comedy film based on the popular "Whitehall farce" written by Michael Pertwee, who also wrote the screenplay.
In the film, a government minister and his best friend co-s ...
'' (originally titled ''Whitehall Farce'') at The Mill, Sonning.
From 2002–3, she appeared as Ben-Hur's love interest in a minimalist production of the
eponymous play at the
Battersea Arts Centre. Later in 2003, she was featured in ''Pains of Youth'', again at the
Battersea Arts Centre, playing the death obsessed bisexual Desiree; Lyn Gardner of ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' described her performance as making "Desiree's death wish seem tragic rather than merely silly."
In 2010 she played the title role in ''
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key ...
'', a new play by Howard Brenton, who had also been involved in scripts for BBC's ''
Spooks'' in which Raison went on to appear in 5 series, which premiered at
Shakespeare's Globe
Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays, in the London Borough of Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames. The original theatre was built in ...
on 24 July 2010 to high critical acclaim. In the same
Shakespeare's Globe
Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays, in the London Borough of Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames. The original theatre was built in ...
season Raison also played
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key ...
in ''
Henry VIII'' by
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
.
In 2011, she appeared as Ann in the short play "Oliver Lewis" by
Jack Thorne
Jack Thorne FRSL (born 6 December 1978) is a British playwright, television writer, screenwriter, and producer.
He is best known for writing the stage play '' Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'', the films '' Wonder'' and '' Enola Holmes'', ...
, part of the series of plays ''
66 Books
''Sixty-Six Books'' was a set of plays premiered at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2011, to mark the theatre's reopening on a new site and the 400th anniversary of the King James Version. It drew its title from the 66 books of the Protestant Bibl ...
'' performed at the
Bush Theatre.
In June/July 2012 she appeared in a production of ''
The Physicists: A Comedy in Two Acts'' at the
Donmar Warehouse
The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977.
Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post held since 2019 by Mi ...
, playing the roles of Lina Rose, the lead character's ex-wife, and Monika Settler, the lead's attending nurse. From October 2012 Raison starred in ''The River,'' a new play by
Jez Butterworth
Jeremy "Jez" Butterworth (born March 1969) is an English playwright, screenwriter, and film director. He has written screenplays in collaboration with his brothers, John-Henry and Tom.
Life and career
In March 1969, Butterworth was born in Lo ...
, at the
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England ...
(Jerwood) alongside
Dominic West
Dominic Gerard Francis Eagleton West (born 15 October 1969) is an English actor, director and musician. He is best known for playing Jimmy McNulty in HBO's ''The Wire'' (2002–2008), Noah Solloway in Showtime's '' The Affair'' (2014–2019), ...
. Tickets became "the most sought-after theatre tickets in London" after rave reviews.
In 2013–14 she played Anne Faulkner in the theatrical version of ''
Strangers on a Train'' at the
Gielgud Theatre
The Gielgud Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, at the corner of Rupert Street, in the City of Westminster, London. The house currently has 986 seats on three levels.
The theatre was designed by W. G. R. Sprague and ...
, produced by
Barbara Broccoli
Barbara Dana Broccoli (born June 18, 1960) is an American film and stage producer, best known internationally for her work on the ''James Bond'' film series. With her half-brother Michael G. Wilson, Broccoli controls the ''James Bond'' film fr ...
.
From January to February 2015, she starred opposite
Shaun Evans
Shaun Francis Evans (born 6 March 1980) is an English actor and director. He is best known for playing a young Endeavour Morse in the ITV drama series '' Endeavour''.
Early life
Shaun Francis Evans was born on 6 March 1980 into an Irish fam ...
in ''Hello/Goodbye'' at the Hampstead Theatre. In August 2015 she joined the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company in ''
The Winter's Tale
''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some crit ...
'' and ''
Harlequinade'' which ran at the
Garrick Theatre
The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play, ' ...
from October 2015 until January 2016. Raison played the wife of
Kenneth Branagh
Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh (; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Branagh trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and has served as its president since 2015. He has won an Academy Award, four BAFTAs (plus ...
's character in both plays. She stated that she enjoyed the experience and was grateful for the opportunity, given that previously she had a bad audition with Branagh for ''
Macbeth'' in 2011. She also enjoyed learning from
Judi Dench
Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Regarded as one of Britain's best actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her ...
.
Film and television
Raison's first film role in 2000 was playing
Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (born 29 December 1946) is an English singer and actress. She achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her hit single " As Tears Go By" and became one of the lead female artists during the British I ...
in ''
Suzy Q'' alongside
Carice Van Houten
Carice Anouk van Houten () is a Dutch actress and singer (born 5 September 1976 in Leiderdorp). Her first leading role in the television film ''Suzy Q'' (1999) won her the Golden Calf for Best Acting in a Television Drama; two years later, s ...
In 2004, Raison was cast as 'Heather' in ''
Match Point
''Match Point'' is a 2005 psychological thriller film written and directed by Woody Allen and starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode, Brian Cox, and Penelope Wilton. In the film, Rhys Meyers' charac ...
'', the first Woody Allen film to be made in London.
In 2005, she appeared in ''
Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo'', which she said "may as well have been the most brutal Lars von Trier film. Another actress and I actually spent a whole night just crying." She called the experience "regrettable from start to finish" and a "hideous, hideous moment and a great lapse of judgement on my part".
Raison's breakthrough role was as
Jo Portman
Joanna Portman (1979–2010) was a fictional Field Operative in the Counter-Terrorism department at MI5, featured in the British television series, ''Spooks (TV series), Spooks'', also known as MI5 in the United States. She was played by Miranda R ...
(2005–2009) in the
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
television drama series ''
Spooks'' (also broadcast under the title ''MI-5''). She requested that the production company let her go in 2009 as she felt that her character could not develop further and wanted to follow up on theatre opportunities.
In April 2007 she appeared in the ''
Doctor Who'' episodes "
Daleks in Manhattan
"Daleks in Manhattan" is the fourth episode of the third series of British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on BBC One on 21 April 2007. It is part one of a two-part story. Its concluding part, "Evoluti ...
" and "
Evolution of the Daleks" as Tallulah, a show girl whose opening scene involved singing to a musical number, for which Raison's father played the piano background as part of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
In 2009, she was featured in the show ''
Plus One''. She was originally featured in the Comedy Showcase pilot in 2007, where she wore a fat suit.
In 2010 after leaving ''Spooks'', she played a model called Abbey in the
ITV1
ITV1 (formerly known as ITV) is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the British media company ITV plc. It provides the Channel 3 public broadcast service across all of the United Kingdom except for t ...
comedy-drama ''
Married Single Other
''Married Single Other'' is a British television drama created and written by Peter Souter. The series is based on the lives of group of people who are either married, single or "other", other being defined as in a relationship. It began airing ...
''.
She had a small role in ''
My Week with Marilyn
''My Week with Marilyn'' is a 2011 biographical film directed by Simon Curtis and written by Adrian Hodges. It stars Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, Eddie Redmayne, Dominic Cooper, Julia Ormond, Emma Watson, and Judi Dench. Based on tw ...
''. She expressed pleasure in being able to work with great British talent and her fascination with Marilyn Monroe.
In 2012 she played DI Georgina Dixon in the second series of ''
Vexed
''Vexed'' is a British comedy-drama, police procedural television series for BBC Two that aired in 2010 and 2012.
Created and written by Howard Overman, the first series starred Lucy Punch as D.I. Kate Bishop and Toby Stephens as D.I. Jack ...
'', screened on
BBC2.
In 2013 she played 'Harriet Hammond' in the third series of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
;'' her character was a practice manager who shook up the firm and a potential love interest for her former ''Spooks'' co-star
'', playing "Stella", the lead interrogator in the "Tactical Questioning" portion of the lead character's training.
''.
In May 2019 it was announced that Raison would be joining the main cast of
for the second season.
In September 2021 it was announced that Raison had joined the first series of ''
'' playing Ruth Penny, a main character across all ten episodes.
Raison is set to reprise her role as 'Nellie Davenport', as part of the main cast of the third season of
which will begin filming in the summer of 2022.
. She has voiced several video game characters, including
''.
. She voiced three characters in ''
''.
Raison has also voice-acted in several
. She also provides additional voices in other Big Finish audio productions, including other ''Doctor Who'' stories and ''
''.
Since July 2017 she has been narrating the BBC2 documentary ''Hospital''.
She plays golf and is a member of the Aldeburgh Golf Club.
in November 2009, which ended in February 2013.
She married again in 2017 to Christopher Mollard and had a daughter in that same year.
She speaks fluent French and is conversational in Italian and Spanish.
.
.