Walter, who was made a dame in the New Year Honours in 2011, trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before beginning a long association with the Royal Shakespeare Company.  Her many shows with the RSC – which made her an associate artist in 1987 – include Nicholas Nickleby, The Duchess of Malfi and Macbeth, alongside Sir Antony Sher.

In 1989 Walter received a Laurence Olivier award for her performances in Twelfth Night and Three Sisters.  Her film work includes appearances in the Oscar-winning films Sense and Sensibility, Atonement and Babel.  On the small screen, she has appeared in such BBC dramas as Little Dorrit, Ballet Shoes, The Men’s Room and Unfinished Business.  She was seen most recently as DI Natalie Chandler in ITV1 crime series Law and Order: UK.

Appointed a CBE in 1999, Walter also writes about the theatre, contributes to academic journals and is the author of Other People’s Shoes, a guide to acting.  As someone who has often called for better roles for older female performers, she organized a photography exhibition of older women at the National Theatre in London.

Thoughts on Acting: Harriet Walter in conversation with Martin White on Tuesday 10 May at 5.30pm at the Wickham Theatre, Department of Drama, University of Bristol.  Admission is free.