Harriet Mary Walter, is an Olivier award winning and a Tony Award-nominated British actress. She is the niece of renowned British actor Christopher Lee. She was educated at the Cranbourne Chase School and after training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, she gained early experience with the Joint Stock touring theatre company, Paines Plough touring, and the Duke's Playhouse, Lancaster.

Harriet is one of the most successful British actresses of all time.  She has worked constantly throughout her career with the Royal Shakespeare Company, in productions including Nicholas Nickleby (1980), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1981), All's Well That Ends Well (1981), The Castle (1985), Three Sisters (1988), The Duchess of Malfi (1989), Macbeth (1999), and Much Ado about Nothing (2002).

She was made an associate artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1987. Other theatre work includes Three Birds Alighting on a Field (1991), Arcadia (1993), Hedda Gabler (1996), Ivanov (1997), and Mary Stuart (2005). Her films include Sense and Sensibility (1996), Bedrooms and Hallways (1998), Onegin (1999), Villa des Roses (2002), and Bright Young Things (2003).

In 1999 she was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Her performance in Mary Stuart at the Donmar Warehouse transferred to Broadway, where it was nominated for numerous Tony Awards, including Best Actress nods for herself and her co-star Janet McTeer.

Harriet’s most recent credits include Film: Babel (2006), Atonement (2007) and The Young Victoria (2009). TV: Law & Order:UK. Theatre: Anthony & Cleopatra (RSC), Mary Stuart (Broadhurst Theatre NY), Women Beware Woman (National Theatre)