Harriet Walter: Which living person do you most admire, and why?

Which living person do you most admire, and why?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

The Guardian's Q&A repeatedly uses this prompt, sometimes dropping 'living' while retaining the same comparative judgment.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

Recorded Harriet Walter said elsewhere, not written here

Judith Clark, on whom I based my character in the prison trilogy. She has served over 35 years and turned herself around. She is an inspiration.

The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 23 December 2017 source ↗

Others on this question

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Bonnie Raitt Singer and guitarist

Dolores Huerta.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, September 2022 source ↗

Helena Bonham Carter Actor

My mother. She’s 85 and rather than diminishing with age, she keeps surprising and growing more marvelous. She finds fun when most are jaded, wonder when most are cynical, and is curious when most are bored. She gave me life and continues to show me how to live it daily. And I know that everyone who meets her thinks the same.

Recorded Vanity Fair, The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, April 2020 source ↗

James Bay English singer-songwriter and guitarist

My dad, for providing for the family for 20 years – he was a wine merchant and recently retired.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 9 January 2016 source ↗

Dawn O'Porter British writer, director, and television presenter

My Auntie Jane. She took me in, aged 10, and, after my mother died, healed my broken heart by filling our dining room with food and people. Still cooking at the grand old age of 89. My icon.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 15 August 2026 source ↗