The best Miranda Otto movies and TV shows include massive Oscar and box office champions, as well as highly rated releases, showing her immense talent. Otto grew up in both Hong Kong and Australia after her parents divorced, and it was in Sydney with her dad that she developed her love of acting. As a child, she acted in stage plays and then got her first break in the 1986 World War II drama Emma’s War. She attended the National Institute of Dramatic Art and began taking on film roles before graduating.
Since then, she has caught fans’ attention thanks to huge movies and big television shows. While her career was slow-moving in Australia, she got a small role in Terrence Malick’s The Thin Red Line, which led to her getting more Hollywood offers. What Lies Beneath was her first big break in 2000, leading to the biggest role of her career when Peter Jackson cast her as Éowyn in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Her career exploded after that, and Otto has become one of Hollywood’s best stars in the years since.
10 Annabelle: Creation (2017)
Miranda Otto Played Esther Mullins
Annabelle: Creation 3
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Annabelle: Creation is the sequel to the 2014 supernatural horror film centering around the demonic doll. Exploring the origins of Annabelle, Creation sees a family in mourning after their daughter dies tragically in an accident. Several years after the event, the family opens their doors to orphans, who become the targets of the mysterious doll – but the truth of Annabelle may be connected with their dearly departed daughter.
Cast Anthony LaPaglia , Alicia Vela-Bailey , Stephanie Sigman , Adam Bartley , Miranda Otto , Philippa Coulthard Release Date August 11, 2017 Director David F. Sandberg Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Runtime 109 minutes
In 2014, Miranda Otto starred in the horror prequel film Annabelle Creation. The possessed doll, Annabelle, first appeared in The Conjuring, and the prequel movies focused on the doll’s history. This specific entry was the best reviewed in the Annabelle line of films, as it tells the actual origin of the demonic doll. When a dollmaker’s little girl dies in an accident after a car runs her over, he creates a doll, and it ends up possessed by a demon who targets several girls from an orphanage.
The Conjuring
franchise has made over $2.3 billion worldwide.
Miranda Otto plays Esther Mullins in the movie. She is the wife of the dollmaker and the mother of the human girl, Annabelle. It is Esther who explains how the demon got into the doll and how it tricked them into thinking they were bringing the spirit of their dead daughter back, only to learn too late it was pure evil. Esther and Samuel opened their home to orphans, which is how the doll initially targeted them. The film was another commercial hit for the franchise and has a 70% Rotten Tomatoes score.
9 24: Legacy (2017)
Miranda Otto Played Rebecca Ingram
24: Legacy 1
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A spin-off of the original drama-thriller series on Fox, 24: Legacy follows a new protagonist, a former Army Sergeant named Eric Carter, who has returned from duty only to discover that a terrorist organization is hunting down him and his team. Having taken a flash drive with sensitive criminal information from them, the cell will stop at nothing to get them back. To survive and stop a colossal incoming threat, Carter reaches out to the CTU, the agency Jack Bauer worked for, to help him complete his new mission.
Cast Corey Hawkins , Anna Diop Release Date February 5, 2017 Seasons 1 Showrunner Howard Gordon
In 2017, 24 was working on new spinoffs that kept the franchise rolling, but it was also dropping in quality as Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer was phased out of the storyline. 24: Legacy ended up as the last season of the series, and Fox canceled the future plans for more stories. This season followed a war hero and ex-Army Ranger, Eric Carter (Corey Hawkins), who learns his squad mates are being hunted down and killed. Carter seeks out the Counter Terrorist Unit to help protect him in exchange for his service.
Related 10 TV Spinoffs That Didn’t Make It Past One Season
Popular TV shows always end up having spinoffs but only a few ever get to match the original’s success. Some even get canceled after a single season.
Miranda Otto stars as Rebecca Ingram, the former National Director of the Counterterrorist Unit who is now the wife of Senator John Donovan (Jimmy Smits), who is running for President of the United States. While the critical reception was not as high as the franchise was used to, it still received a 60% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, after over 20 million people tuned in for the premiere, the ratings dropped to about five million for most of the season, leading to the cancellation.
8 The Clearing (2023)
Miranda Otto Played Adrienne Beaufort
The Clearing 0
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Loosely based on the true story and the novel by J.P. Pomare, The Clearing is a drama-thriller series that follows a woman named Freya, who, once a member of a cult known as The Kindred, has been since deprogrammed. When a local girl goes missing, Freya dives back into her past to save her and protect future children from being indoctrinated into the dangerous cult.
Cast Teresa Palmer , Miranda Otto , Guy Pearce , Julia Savage Release Date May 24, 2023 Seasons 1 Showrunner Elise McCredie , Matt Cameron
In 2023, Miranda Otto joined the cast of the TV show The Clearing. This psychological thriller miniseries, which aired on Hulu, is based on the Australian cult group The Family. This real-life cult was formed in the 1960s by Anne Hamilton-Byrne, who claimed to be a reincarnation of Jesus Christ. In 1987, police raided their compound on child abuse allegations. The series is a fictionalized miniseries that is based on that cult and follows a woman who tries to stop a cult from kidnapping children.
Otto received high praise for her
unsettling performance
.
While Teresa Palmer takes on the lead role of the woman attempting to stop the cult, Miranda Otto stars as Adrienne Beaufort, the cult leader based on Anne Hamilton-Byrne. The series received high praise from critics, with an 89% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and Otto received high praise for her “unsettling performance.” The series ran for eight episodes and was nominated for Best Miniseries at the AACTA Awards, while Palmer was nominated for her performance as well.
7 War Of The Worlds (2005)
Miranda Otto Played Mary Ann Ferrier
War of The Worlds (2005) 0
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As extraterrestrial invaders ravage Earth, divorced father Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) must protect his estranged children, Rachel and Robbie. Evading destruction and aliens, they encounter harrowing scenes of devastation in their desperate bid for survival. As the invaders’ weaknesses are revealed, Ray fights to reunite his family and find refuge amidst the crumbling world.
Cast Tom Cruise , Dakota Fanning , Miranda Otto , Tim Robbins , Justin Chatwin , Rick Gonzalez , Yul Vazquez , Lenny Venito Release Date June 29, 2005 Director Steven Spielberg Distributor(s) Paramount Pictures Runtime 116 Minutes
In 2005, Steven Spielberg adapted the H.G. Wells science fiction novel The War of the Worlds, which had previously been adapted as a radio play by Orson Welles and a movie in 1953 by producer George Pal. For Spielberg, he brought in a high-wattage cast, with Tom Cruise in the lead role as Ray Ferrier, a father who searches for his children during the alien attack on Earth. Dakota Fanning and Justin Chatwin star as his kids, Rachel and Robbie, as Spielberg chose to focus on the family’s survival.
It holds a 75% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Miranda Otto plays an important role in the film as Mary Ann Ferrier, Ray’s pregnant ex-wife, drops the kids off with Ray before the alien attack. While she isn’t around much in the movie, Ray and his daughter Rachel are desperately searching for both Mary Ann and Robbie as they attempt to survive the devastating alien attack. War of the Worlds was a major box office hit while earning three Oscar nominations. It holds a 75% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
6 What Lies Beneath (2000)
Miranda Otto Played Mary Feur
What Lies Beneath 0
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What Lies Beneath is a supernatural thriller directed by Robert Zemeckis, featuring Harrison Ford as Dr. Norman Spencer and Michelle Pfeiffer as his wife, Claire. The story revolves around the couple as they experience terrifying events in their seemingly perfect lakeside home, leading Claire to question her sanity and the dark secrets of their past. The film delves into themes of supernatural horror and psychological suspense.
Cast Harrison Ford , Michelle Pfeiffer , Diana Scarwid , Joe Morton , James Remar , Miranda Otto Release Date July 21, 2000 Director Robert Zemeckis Runtime 130 Minutes
What Lies Beneath was Miranda Otto’s first major Hollywood role after her minor appearance in The Thin Red Line. Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump) directed the movie, which stars Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer. This is a rare horror film for Ford and Zemeckis, a supernatural thriller where Claire (Pfeiffer) believes that one of her new neighbors (James Remar) might have killed his wife, Mary (Miranda Otto). Soon, Claire starts to see Mary’s ghost, despite her husband saying she went to her mother’s after a fight.
However, Claire learns that it isn’t Mary’s ghost but that of a woman named Madison, and then her life spirals into twists that threaten to tear everything she knows apart. Critics only gave the movie a 47% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while the audience awarded it a slightly higher 58% Popcornmeter score. Despite the lackluster reviews, What Lies Beneath was a success as the box office while earning five Saturn Award nominations, including Best Horror Film.
5 The Thin Red Line (1988)
Miranda Otto Played Marty Bell
The Thin Red Line 1
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The Thin Red Line is a war film directed by Terrence Malick, based on James Jones’ autobiographical novel. Released in 1998, it focuses on the Battle of Guadalcanal during World War II, exploring the psychological toll of combat on soldiers. The ensemble cast includes Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, and Nick Nolte, among others, and delves into themes of survival, fear, and the impact of war on human nature.
Cast Jim Caviezel , Sean Penn , Nick Nolte , Kirk Acevedo , Penelope Allen Release Date December 23, 1998 Runtime 171 Minutes
While she didn’t have a big role in the movie, Miranda Otto’s first major opportunity in America came when Terrence Malick cast her in his war movie The Thin Red Line. While the movie was slightly overlooked since it came out the same year as Saving Private Ryan, it is extremely different from Steven Spielberg’s release. Malick was more in touch with focusing on the feeling of being in a war as a soldier. The Thin Red Line’s story occurs during the Battle of Mount Austen in World War II.
Otto appears in his memories, which leads him to a tragic ending.
The cast was incredibly impressive, with names like Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, John Cusack, George Clooney, and more. As for Miranda Otto, she stars as Marty Bell. It is a small role, but she is Private Jack Bell’s (Ben Chaplin) wife who sends a letter to tell him she was leaving him while he was fighting in the war because she found someone else. Otto appears in his memories, which leads him to a tragic ending. With an 80% Rotten Tomatoes score, it picked up seven Oscar nominations.
4 Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina (2018-2022)
Miranda Otto Played Zelda Spellman
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina 3
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Based on the Archie comic series, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is a Netflix supernatural horror series that follows Sabrina Spellman, a young half-witch, half-human that is coming into her powers in her teenage years. To protect her friends, family, and the world itself, Sabrina will have to harness her powers and ignore the calls from her darker side to embrace her evil potential fully and instead use her powers for good. Despite the series cancellation in 2020, the show’s story was continued in The Occult World of Sabrina, a comic book serial. You can buy the seasons for just $9.99 for Prime Day.
Cast Kiernan Shipka , Ross Lynch , Lucy Davis , Chance Perdomo , Michelle Gomez , Jaz Sinclair , Tati Gabrielle , Adeline Rudolph , Richard Coyle , Miranda Otto Release Date October 26, 2018 Seasons 1 Showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
In 2018, Miranda Otto took on a major role in the Netflix reboot Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Based on the Archie Comics character, which previously was made into the show, Sabrina The Teenage Witch, this was a darker look at the source material. Kiernan Shipka stars as Sabrina Spellman, a half-human, half-witch teen beginning her dark magic education while trying to finish high school. As with the source material, she lives with her two aunts, who try to protect her and keep her out of danger.
Related Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Season 5: Cancellation, Comic, Riverdale Crossover, & Everything We Know So Far
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina has not been renewed for season 5 – at least, not on Netflix. However, Sabrina’s story will continue in the comics.
Miranda Otto plays Aunt Zelda, while Lucy Davis (Shaun of the Dead) plays Aunt Hilda. Zelda is strict and often clashes with Hilda over their beliefs. The series had two seasons, but it was broken up into four parts and 36 total episodes. The series received mostly positive reviews, with the first and third releases ranking over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and only the fourth part ranking lower, at 67%. The Netflix series was also nominated for several genre awards over its three-year run.
3 Talk To Me (2022)
Miranda Otto Played Sue
Talk to Me 2
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While trying to cope with the death of her mother, Mia (Sophie Wilde) becomes enthralled with an embalmed hand that can conjure spirits. While Mia and her group of friends get a thrill out of communicating with spirits, things go too far when Mia doesn’t close the door to the other side.
Director Danny Philippou , Michael Philippou Release Date July 28, 2023 Distributor(s) A24 Cast Sophie Wilde , Joe Bird , Alexandra Jensen , Otis Dhanji , Miranda Otto , Marcus Johnson Runtime 94 minutes
Talk to Me was a surprise horror movie hit in 2022. The Australian supernatural horror movie featured a story about a group of teenagers who learn they can contact spirits by using a severed and embalmed hand. The lore is that the kids can grasp the hand and communicate with the dead, but they have to let go before 90 seconds pass, or the dead will be able to bind themselves to that person’s body. As expected, one of the teens holds the hand for too long, and their friends start to die.
Critics also loved the horror film, awarding it a 95% Certified Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes
Sophie Wilde is the lead character, Mia, the teen stuck with the spirit. Miranda Otto is one of the rare main adult characters in the movie as Sue, the mother of Jade and Riley, two of Mia’s closest friends. The movie was a surprise box office success on a small budget, which was enough to warrant a Talk to Me sequel. Critics also loved the horror film, awarding it a 95% Certified Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes. It went on to win eight AACTA Awards with 11 nominations.
2 Homeland (2015)
Miranda Otto Played Allison Carr
Homeland 0
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Homeland is a Showtime original series starring Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin, and Damian Lewis. The TV show ran for eight seasons on the network and focused on Danes’ character Carrie Mathison, a bipolar CIA operative that believes a terrorist attack is imminent after a prisoner of war is returned home.
Cast Claire Danes , Mandy Patinkin , Damian Lewis , Rupert Friend , Maury Sterling , F. Murray Abraham , Morena Baccarin Release Date October 2, 2013 Seasons 8 Showrunner Alex Gansa
In 2015, Miranda Otto joined the Homeland cast in its fifth season. Homeland started with an American soldier who was presumed dead in Iraq and returned 10 years later. However, his return comes with suspicions and thoughts he was “turned” by the enemy. Claire Danes stars as Carrie Mathison, a CIA case officer assigned to the Counterterrorism Center. The fifth season starts two years after the fourth, with Carrie as head of security for a private charitable foundation, the Düring Foundation.
Miranda Otto stars as Allison Carr, the current Berlin Chief of Station, working directly with Saul Berenson (Mandy Patinkin). Her foundation asks Carrie to work with her former CIA colleagues to stop a terrorist attack on Berlin and lure out a CIA mole. It is a rare villain role for Otto, and the season garnered an 88% fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes. The season also had four Primetime Emmy nominations, with Claire Danes picking up a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
1 The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy (2002-2003)
Miranda Otto Played Éowyn
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 4
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The final installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Return of the King concludes the epic saga of the Fellowship’s quest to destroy the One Ring and put an end to Sauron’s reign of terror. As Frodo and Sam continue on their way to Mordor and Mount Doom, accompanied by Gollom, the rest of the Fellowship work to defend Minas Tirith from Sauron’s forces. The film’s ensemble cast includes Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Ian McKellen, Vigo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, and Dominic Monaghan.
Director Peter Jackson Release Date December 17, 2003 Distributor(s) New Line Cinema Cast Elijah Wood , Ian McKellen , Liv Tyler , Viggo Mortensen , Sean Astin , Cate Blanchett , John Rhys-Davies , Bernard Hill , Billy Boyd , Dominic Monaghan , Orlando Bloom , Hugo Weaving , Miranda Otto , David Wenham , Karl Urban , John Noble , Andy Serkis , Ian Holm , Sean Bean Runtime 201 Minutes Expand
The biggest movies that Miranda Otto ever appeared in were part of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. In the second and third movies (The Two Towers and Return of the King), Otto plays Éowyn, the daughter of the House of Eorl and King Théoden of Rohan’s niece. Her uncle raised her after her father died fighting orcs, but she plays a huge role in the final battle of the trilogy. While asked to run as a woman, she puts on armor and blends in, fighting alongside her army anyway.
It is Éowyn who kills the Witch-King in
The Return of the King
, with one of the movie’s most memorable moments…
It is Éowyn who kills the Witch-King in The Return of the King, with one of the movie’s most memorable moments where the demon says no man can kill him, and she declares she is not a man and strikes him dead. That third LOTR movie won all 11 Oscars it was nominated for, including Brest Picture and Best Director. It also has a 94% Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes score. Miranda Otto returns to the franchise for the animated The War of the Rohirrim in 2024.