Born in London on 24 September 1950, Dame Harriet Walter DBE is an Olivier-award winning English actor. At 75 years old, her career has spanned over 3 decades. She has starred in 21 Shakespeare plays since her association with the RSC began in the 1980s, and is renowned for her roles in TV’s Succession, Downton Abbey, and The Crown. Harriet has established herself as an esteemed actor of stage and screen, recognisable for playing powerful women. She will trace her family history on Who Do You Think You Are? on Thursday 30 July 2026. Here are five things you might not know about the acting legend…
1. From major to minor
Although Harriet has starred in films such as Sense and Sensibility, Atonement and The Last Duel, her movie appearances have not always been major. She briefly appears as Dr Kalonia in Star Wars: The Force Awakens where her dialogue contains six words and lasts for approximately seven seconds.
2. Gender equality
Harriet is passionate about gender equality in the arts. She is an advocate for a greater variety of roles for women on stage and screen. Having played both male and female characters, she has written books including Brutus and Other Heroines: Playing Shakespeare’s Roles for Women and She Speaks!, both challenging gender expectations in Shakespearean texts.
3. Keen hobbies
When she’s not on set, Harriet has many pastimes. These include playing the piano, the flute and even Duolingo. This helped her to learn Russian, which was useful for her role as Dasha, the former Russian Olympic gymnast and mentor to Villanelle, in BBC’s Killing Eve.
4. Rejection is redirection
Harriet turned down a place at Oxford University to study languages and was also rejected from five drama schools which she auditioned for. However, at around 20 years old, she gained a place at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), where she trained for around three years before starting her professional career.
5. Artistic eye
In 2010, Harriet channeled her lifelong passion for photography into creating the exhibition Facing It, which featured a collection of 75 photographs. It celebrated the beauty of older women in a society where they are often rendered invisible, and was on display at the National Theatre.