In 2002, Margolyes received an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) for Services to Drama.
She has also won a BAFTA for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for The Age of Innocence, and Best Supporting Actress at the LA Critics Circle Awards for Little Dorrit.
When asked about her work earlier this year, the British–Australian actress said: “I love making people laugh. I’ve done that all my life.”
Many people will remember Margolyes as Professor Sprout from the Harry Potter franchise.
She made headlines earlier this year when she declared that adult fans of the iconic film series should ‘grow up’ and ‘get over it.’
Known for her no-nonsense, very outspoken personality, the star sparked a heated debate among fans at the time.
“I do Cameos (personalised video messages) and people say they are doing a Harry Potter-themed wedding, and I think, ‘Oh gosh what is their first night of fun going to be?’ I can’t even think about it. Harry Potter is wonderful, I’m very grateful to it. It’s over. That’s what I think,” she said in an interview with New Zeland’s 1News.
Last year, Margolyes revealed that she had undergone heart surgery.
In an interview on the Table Manners podcast with Jessie and Lennie Ware, she explained the surgery in more detail: “I’ve got a cow’s heart now,” she revealed. “Well, not the whole heart. I’ve had an aortic valve replaced by a cow’s aortic valve.
“I don’t know how common it is. I’d never heard of that operation. But it saves you from having open heart surgery, which would be infinitely more invasive.”
Mayo Clinic explains that, a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a procedure ‘to replace an aortic valve that is narrowed and doesn’t open fully.’
During TAVR, a doctor replaces a damaged aortic valve with one made from cow or pig heart tissue.
Margolyes also has spinal stenosis, which occurs when the space inside the backbone is too small. “This can put pressure on the spinal cord and nerves that travel through the spine,” the Mayo Clinic says.
Despite her recent health woes, the Call The Midwife star says she will continue to work.
Speaking to the Radio Times, she said: “I’m worried that I won’t have enough money for carers when I finally get paralyzed or whatever it is that’s going to happen to me. I’m saving up cash so that I can pay people to look after me and my partner.”
For the first time in 12 years, despite her recent heart surgery and spinal condition, Margolyes will be performing at the largest performing arts festival in the world, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where she will ‘bring to life the most colorful and iconic characters’ from the novels of Charles Dickens.
However, in a recent interview with The Telegraph, she talked about the effects that her medical conditions are having on her acting career.
Margolyes said: “I yearn to play roles that don’t confine me to wheelchairs, but I’m just not strong enough.” She said that her health issues are ‘limiting and depressing.’
The actress admitted that she feels as though her life is nearing its end.
“When you know that you haven’t got long to live – and I’m probably going to die within the next five or six years, if not before, I’m loath to leave behind performing. It’s such a joy,” she said.
