Miranda Hart

Miranda Katherine Hart Dyke (born 14 December 1972), known professionally as Miranda Hart, is an English actor, comedian and writer. Following drama training at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts, Hart began writing material for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and making small appearances in various British sitcoms including Hyperdrive and Not Going Out.

Based on her earlier BBC Radio 2 radio series Miranda Hart's Joke Shop (2008), Hart reached a wider audience with her self-written semi-autobiographical BBC sitcom Miranda. The television sitcom ran for three series and several Christmas specials from 2009 to 2015 and earned its star 4 BAFTA nominations, 3 Royal Television Society awards and 4 British Comedy Awards. In 2012, she began appearing in the BBC drama Call the Midwife as Camilla "Chummy" Fortescue-Cholmondeley-Browne.

Hart has also written two books, Is It Just Me? (2012), a semi-autobiographical book, and The Best of Miranda (2014), a compilation of scripts from the TV series. She embarked on her first stand-up tour, My, What I Call, Live Show, which toured arenas in the UK and Ireland in 2014.

Early life

Miranda Hart was born on 14 December 1972 in Torquay, Devon, to Royal Navy officer Captain David Hart Dyke CBE LVO RN and Diana Margaret Luce. Her father was commanding officer of HMS Coventry when it was sunk by the Argentinians in the 1982 Falklands conflict, as a result of which he was badly burned trying to escape the stricken warship. Her mother, Diana Margaret, is the daughter of Sir William Luce GBE KCMG (1907–1977), who was the British Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Aden, 1956–60. She has a sister, Alice Louisa Hart Dyke (born 1975).

Whilst from an aristocratic background, Hart has stated that she hates saying that, and does not consider herself upper class. Hart added that her family tree can be traced back to the 12th century and that her aunt and uncle (Lord and Lady Luce) live in a castle (Lullingstone Castle) which they cannot afford to run.

Though born in Torquay, Hart grew up in Petersfield, Hampshire, and was educated at Downe House, Berkshire, an independent girls' boarding school, where she was a contemporary and friend of the sports presenter Clare Balding, who was head girl.

She attended the University of the West of England in Bristol, graduating with a 2:1 degree in political science. Hart then completed a postgraduate course in Acting at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts. In 2002, she performed a solo show in Edinburgh and in 2004 she pitched a comedy show to the BBC. At her read-through for BBC executives, Ab Fab writer and star Jennifer Saunders was present.

Career

Television

Before her own series was commissioned, Hart made appearances in various British sitcoms. In Not Going Out she initially appeared as an acupuncturist. However, her performance impressed producers so much that they wrote a regular role for her as Barbara, a clumsy cleaner. She continued to play the part until the production of Miranda in 2009. Hart earned a British Comedy Award nomination for her role as Teal in two series of the BBC television comedy sci-fi sitcom Hyperdrive, which ran from January 2006 to August 2007.

She also appeared in even smaller roles in French & Saunders, My Family and Other Animals, Nighty Night, Absolutely Fabulous where she played a 'Japanese' woman called Yoko, The Vicar of Dibley as a speed-date programer, Lead Balloon, William and Mary, Smack the Pony (for which she wrote and performed in a couple of sketches and a number of video diaries), Stupid!, Monday Monday as Tall Karen, and as a minicab driver in the Channel 5 comedy Angelos, which ran for 6 episodes.

Hart is best known for her performance in her self-titled, self-penned and semi-autobiographical sitcom Miranda, which started recording for BBC Two in 2008 and began airing on 9 November 2009. The situation comedy also features Sarah Hadland, Tom Ellis, Patricia Hodge, James Holmes, and Sally Phillips. The series is based on Hart's semi-autobiographical writing and followed a television pilot and the BBC Radio 2 comedy Miranda Hart's Joke Shop.

Film

Hart played a cameo in David Baddiel's feature film The Infidel and appeared in World of Wrestling, a short film by Tim Plester, in which she played "Klondyke Kate", a wrestler billed as "hell in boots." The film was released in late 2007 alongside its companion shorts Blakes Junction 7 and Ant Muzak. Hart made a cameo appearance as a loan officer in the 2007 comedy film Magicians which featured David Mitchell and Robert Webb, both stars of the long running television series Peep Show. In 2013, 12 in a Box was released, a feature film in which Hart plays a small role that was originally made in 2007.

In 2014, she joined the comedy film Spy, which was filmed on location in Budapest, Hungary.

Personal life

Hart lives in Hammersmith, west London. In her early twenties, Hart had an unsuccessful trial at Queens Park Rangers Ladies. She revealed this during Would I Lie to You.

She did a special guest exclusive on the BBC Red Button. Her first guest was her good friend Clare Balding who was her head girl back at school, being a few years older than she.

[ Wikipedia ]