Miriam Margolyes

“As I get older, people do come up to me just to give me a hug.”

“My feeling is that the English are naturally anti-Semitic.”

“I support children's charities; I just don't want them around me. It's not very admirable, but it's the truth.”

“Where I think the American actor is slightly at a disadvantage is in vocal technique. I don't think that words are their friend in the same way that English actors are used to using words: understanding about consonance and how to shade a vowel to show emotional color.”

“I cannot accept violence.”

“The American actor is much more used to being physically relaxed and using their bodies better, and English actors are a little bit unrelaxed, but they're better at vocal technique.”

“My partner of 45 years is Australian, and a big part of her character is that marvellous quality of irony which Aussies possess. I relish their humour and sense of fairness.”

“As long as I am working, I am grateful and happy.”

“I'm going to be 75 in May. How can I have lived this long and not know anything?”

“I still miss my parents every day; I adored them. And when you have no children, friends are even more important to you.”

“I don't like class distinction, and there is far too much of that in England.”

“I think Britain is a bit class-ridden. People tend to be judged by how rounded their vowels are.”

“Mummy was absolutely the rock in my life. It was not that I didn't love my father; he was such a quiet man, and she was not. She was the most vivid person I have ever known. She was accomplished and brave and fearless. She used to say to me, 'I want you to be able to talk to anyone about anything.'”

“That's one reason India is an attractive proposition for retiring. Servants are much more reasonable than in England. It's not exploitation so long as you pay a proper salary.”

“I don't think people realise how important it is to have your blood pressure checked. Stroke is so sudden, so catastrophic.”

“I'm not sure I approve of theatre as a university course. I think theatre's something you do. I mean, literature is a subject; theatre is practical.”

“If I could give my younger self one piece of advice, I would say, 'Lose weight.'”

“Nobody likes Jews. You can't say people like Jews. We're not popular. We're too smart to be liked. But it has been unacceptable to express anti-Semitism since the Holocaust.”

“I think all actors get scared because we're frightened to disappoint.”

“The main fear about growing old as an actor is not losing the looks. I never had any to speak of, and what I had I've still got, but losing the memory is another matter.”