Miranda Richardson she prefers new work rather than the classics because of the history which goes with them. In 1985, Richardson made her film debut as Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in the United Kingdom, in the biographical drama "Dance with a Stranger". Around the same time, Richardson played a comedic Queen Elizabeth I, aka Queenie, in the British television comedy "Blackadder II". Following "Dance with a Stranger", Richardson turned down numerous parts in which her character was unstable or disreputable, including the Glenn Close role in "Fatal Attraction". In this period, she appeared in "Empire of the Sun"
Miranda Richardson and His Best Friend Corky" (2005), an Australian animated series for children. In 2006, she appeared in "Gideon's Daughter". She played Mrs. Claus in the film "Fred Claus" (2007). Richardson appeared in the BBC sitcom, "The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle". She appeared as a guest in "A Taste of My Life". In 2008, Richardson was cast in a leading role in original AMC pilot, "Rubicon". She plays Katherine Rhumor, a New York socialite who finds herself drawn into the central intrigue of a think tank after the death of her husband. Additionally, she played Labour politician Barbara Castle