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Emma Thompson

Emma Thompson

Dame Emma Thompson (born April 15, 1959) is a British actress and screenwriter. Regarded as one of the finest actresses of her generation, she has received numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over four decades, including two Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2018, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for services to drama.

Born to actors Eric Thompson and Phyllida Law, Thompson was educated at Newnham College, Cambridge, where she became a member of the Footlights troupe, and appeared in the comedy sketch series Alfresco (1983–1984). In 1985, she starred in the West End revival of the musical Me and My Girl, which was a breakthrough in her career. In 1987, she came to prominence for her performances in two BBC TV series, Tutti Frutti and Fortunes of War, winning the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for her work on both series. In the early 1990s, she often collaborated with then-husband, actor and director Kenneth Branagh, in films such as Henry V (1989), Dead Again (1991), and Much Ado About Nothing (1993).

For her performance in the Merchant-Ivory period drama Howards End (1992), Thompson won the BAFTA Award and the Academy Award for Best Actress. In 1993, she received two Academy Award nominations—Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress—for the respective roles of the housekeeper of a grand household in The Remains of the Day and a lawyer in In the Name of the Father, becoming one of the few actors to achieve this feat. Thompson wrote and starred in Sense and Sensibility (1995), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay—making her the only person in history to win Oscars for both acting and writing—and once again won the BAFTA. Further critical acclaim came for her roles in Primary Colors (1998), Love Actually (2003), Saving Mr. Banks (2013), Late Night (2019), and Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (2022).

Other notable film credits include the Harry Potter series (2004–2011), Nanny McPhee (2005), Stranger than Fiction (2006), An Education (2009), Men in Black 3 (2012) and the spin-off Men in Black: International (2019), Brave (2012), Beauty and the Beast (2017), Cruella (2021), and Matilda the Musical (2022). Her television credits include Wit (2001), Angels in America (2003), The Song of Lunch (2010), King Lear (2018) and Years and Years (2019). Authorised by the publishers of Beatrix Potter, Thompson has also written three Peter Rabbit children's books.

Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie

2026

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy

2025

as Dr. Rawlings

Merchant Ivory

2024

as Self

What's Love Got to Do with It?

2023

as Cath

The Laughter & Secrets of 'Love Actually': 20 Years Later

2022

as Self

Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical

2022

as Agatha Trunchbull

The Fringe, Fame and Me

2022

as Self

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande

2022

as Nancy Stokes

Why Didn't They Ask Evans?

2022

as Lady Marcham

An Audience with Adele

2021

as Self

Cruella

2021

as The Baroness

Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony

2021

as Self (archive footage)

How to Build a Girl

2020

as Amanda

Dolittle

2020

as Poly (voice)

Last Christmas

2019

as Petra Andrich

Extinction

2019

Hollywood's Dark Secret

2019

as Self

Men in Black: International

2019

as Agent O

Years and Years

2019

as Vivienne Rook

Missing Link

2019

as Dora the Yeti Elder (voice)

Late Night

2019

as Katherine Newbury

Johnny English Strikes Again

2018

as Prime Minister

Beyond Boundaries: The Harvey Weinstein Scandal

2018

as Self (archive footage)

Greenpeace: There's a Rang-Tan in My Bedroom

2018

as Narrator (voice)

The Children Act

2018

as Fiona Maye

King Lear

2018

as Goneril

Sea Sorrow

2017

as Self

The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)

2017

as Maureen Meyerowitz

Beauty and the Beast

2017

as Mrs. Potts

Die vielen Gesichter der Emma Thompson

2016

as Elle-Même

To the Ends of the Earth

2016

as Narrator (voice)

Bridget Jones's Baby

2016

as Dr. Rawlings

Upstart Crow

2016

as Queen Elizabeth I

Alone in Berlin

2016

as Anna Quangel

Sainsbury's: Mog's Christmas Calamity

2015

as Narrator (voice)

Burnt

2015

as Dr. Rosshilde

A Walk in the Woods

2015

as Catherine Bryson

The Legend of Barney Thomson

2015

as Cemolina

Funny Valentines

2015

as Debbie

Men, Women & Children

2014

as Narrator (voice)

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

2014

as Mrs. Lovett

Effie Gray

2014

as Lady Eastlake

And the Oscar Goes To...

2014

as Self (archive footage)

The Real Mary Poppins

2014

as Self

The Love Punch

2014

as Kate Jones

Saving Mr. Banks

2013

as P.L. Travers

Beautiful Creatures

2013

as Mrs. Lincoln / Sarafine Duchannes

Brave

2012

as Elinor (voice)

Walking the Dogs

2012

as The Queen

Men in Black 3

2012

as Agent O

When Harry Left Hogwarts

2011

as Self

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

2011

as Sybill Trelawney

Fry and Laurie Reunited

2010

as Self

The Song of Lunch

2010

as She

Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang

2010

as Nanny McPhee

An Education

2009

as Headmistress

The Boat That Rocked

2009

as Charlotte

Last Chance Harvey

2008

as Kate Walker

Brideshead Revisited

2008

as Lady Marchmain

I Am Legend

2007

as Dr. Alice Krippin

Stephen Fry: 50 Not Out

2007

as Self

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

2007

as Sybill Trelawney

Stranger Than Fiction

2006

as Karen Eiffel

Hoodwinked!

2005

as Lesa (voice)

A Tribute To Ismail Merchant

2005

as Self (archive footage)

Nanny McPhee

2005

as Nanny McPhee

Nos Bastidores de Hollywood

2005

as Self

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

2004

as Sybill Trelawney

Angels in America

2003

as Homeless Woman / The Angel

Imagining Argentina

2003

as Cecilia Rueda

Love Actually

2003

as Karen

Treasure Planet

2002

as Captain Amelia (voice)

Timeshift

2002

as self

Love & Loyalty: The Making of 'The Remains of the Day'

2001

as Self

Wit

2001

as Vivian Bearing

Blind Loyalty, Hollow Honor: England's Fatal Flaw

2001

as Self

The Remains of the Day: The Filmmaker's Journey

2001

as Self

Maybe Baby

2000

as Druscilla

Junket Whore

1998

as Self

Judas Kiss

1998

as FBI Agent Sadie Hawkins

Primary Colors

1998

as Susan Stanton

The Winter Guest

1997

as Frances

Hospital!

1997

as Elephant Woman

E! True Hollywood Story

1996

Sense and Sensibility

1995

as Elinor Dashwood

Carrington

1995

as Dora Carrington

Junior

1994

as Dr. Diana Reddin

The Blue Boy

1994

as Marie Bonnar

My Father the Hero

1994

as Isabel (uncredited)

In the Name of the Father

1993

as Gareth Peirce

The Remains of the Day

1993

as Miss Kenton

Much Ado About Nothing

1993

as Beatrice

Peter's Friends

1992

as Maggie Chester

Howards End

1992

as Margaret Schlegel

Rabbit Ears - The White Cat

1991

as Narrator (voice)

Dead Again

1991

as Margaret Strauss / Grace

Impromptu

1991

as Duchess D'Antan

Look Back in Anger

1989

as Alison Porter

Henry V

1989

as Katherine

The Winslow Boy

1989

as Catherine Winslow

The Tall Guy

1989

as Kate

Thompson

1988

as Self - Host

Fortunes of War

1987

as Harriet Pringle

Tutti Frutti

1987

as Suzi Kettles

Slags

1984

as Young Woman

The Crystal Cube

1983

as Jackie Meld / Various Roles

Alfresco

1983

as Various

The Young Ones

1982

as Miss Money-Sterling

The Comic Strip Presents...

1982

as Young Woman

There's Nothing to Worry About!

1982

as Various

Cheers

1982

as Nanny Gee

The Cellar Tapes

1982

as various

The Val Doonican Music Show

1977

The Oscars

1953

as Self

How to Stop a Nuclear War

as Narrator

The Fisherwoman

James Ivory: In Search of Love and Beauty

as Self

Down Cemetery Road

as Zoë Boehm