One of Aotearoa’s most-loved actors and acting coaches, Dame Miranda Harcourt DNZM has spent more than four decades at the heart of New Zealand’s screen and theatre industry, shaping powerful stories and the people who tell them.
Miranda’s career began in the early 1980s, when she became a familiar face on New Zealand television in series such as Gloss, Marlin Bay, Typhon’s People, City Life, Ends Meat and the TV1 telemovie Duggan. These roles established her as a versatile screen actor, equally at home in drama and comedy, and marked the beginning of a career that would span stage, film and television.
A pioneer of verbatim theatre in New Zealand, Miranda co-created the groundbreaking solo work Verbatim with writer William Brandt, touring it throughout the country and to Edinburgh, London, Denver, Hong Kong and Sydney. She went on to develop further acclaimed verbatim projects, including Portraits, using real voices and lived experience to explore crime, justice and social issues with honesty and compassion.
Alongside her performance work, Miranda has been a driving force in actor training. As former Head of Acting at Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School, a role she held for seven years, she helped to shape a new generation of stage and screen talent. She continues this educational legacy through her acting courses at Rātā Studios in Wellington, where she works with teens and adults on both screen and stage craft.
Today, Miranda is an in-demand acting coach with a truly global reach. She mentors actors, directors and ensembles on major international films and television series, working with performers who have gone on to become Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe nominees. Through masterclasses, workshops and one-on-one coaching, she supports artists across the world to deepen their craft, build confidence and deliver authentic, emotionally resonant performances.
Miranda’s career has always been driven by a strong social conscience. She has taught drama in prisons, psychiatric institutions, schools and within deaf and disabled communities, using creativity, communication and storytelling as tools for connection, education and change. In recent years she has used her public profile to speak out against domestic violence, including work as an ambassador for Women’s Refuge, and continues to advocate for women, children and marginalised voices.
Her contributions have been widely recognised. Miranda’s accolades include an ONZM, a Media Peace Prize, and awards for Best Actress, Best Short Film and Best Production at both the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards and the New Zealand Film and Television Awards. In the 2022 New Year Honours, she was appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the screen industry and theatre.
With a career that weaves together acting, directing, coaching, activism and education, Dame Miranda Harcourt stands as a creative stalwart of New Zealand arts and culture. Her work brings together themes of activism, charity and philanthropy, domestic violence awareness, education, creativity and innovation, gender equality, resilience and inspirational storytelling – and her influence is felt on stages and screens around the world
Miranda tied the afternoon together brilliantly. Her style was very relaxed but also very professional. ... keep reading Russell McVeagh McKenzie Bartleet & Co
Wonderful to work with; warm, friendly and engaging with the audience.
Miranda invested time with us to really understand our delegates, the focus of the conference and the objectives of her sessions. This meant she delivered a tailored and highly relevant keynote and 2 workshops that were meaningful and practical for our delegates.
Miranda was excellent, we received lots of positive comments.
Miranda's presentation was wonderful. As the last speaker on the last day of the conference she was amazing - great to work with, nothing too much trouble, on time, well prepared, professional, content targeted the audience.
