Miriam Margolyes (born 18 May 1941) is an English-Australian actress. She is best known for her role as Professor Sprout in the "Harry Potter" movie series. She also appeared appeared in the movies "The Age of Innocence" (1993), which won her a BAFTA Award, "Babe" (1995), and "" (1998). She has appeared in television series such as "Merlin", "Doc Martin" and "The Sarah Jane Adventures".