Emma Thompson
Dame Emma Thompson (born April 15, 1959) is a British actress and screenwriter. Her work spans over four decades of screen and stage, and her accolades include 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 her contributions 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 became famous for her performances in two BBC 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). Thompson won the BAFTA Award and the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the Merchant-Ivory period drama Howards End (1992). 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). She portrayed Mrs. Lovett in a Lincoln Center production of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in 2014. Authorised by the publishers of Beatrix Potter, Thompson has also written three Peter Rabbit children's books.
Born: 15 April 1959
Played In
Movie
Apr 2026
The Sheep Detectives
Lydia Harbottle
Movie
Mar 2026
Everybody to Kenmure Street
Van Guy
TV Show
Oct 2025
Down Cemetery Road
Zoë Boehm
Movie
Sep 2025
Dead of Winter
Barb
Movie
Feb 2025
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
Dr Rawlings
Movie
Dec 2024
Bad Tidings
Self (archive footage)
Movie
Aug 2024
Merchant Ivory
Self
Movie
Jan 2023
What's Love Got to Do with It?
Cath Stevenson
Movie
Nov 2022
The Laughter & Secrets of Love Actually: 20 Years Later – A Diane Sawyer Special
Self
Movie
Nov 2022
Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical
Agatha Trunchbull
Movie
Aug 2022
The Fringe, Fame and Me
Self
Movie
Jun 2022
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
Nancy Stokes
TV Show
Apr 2022
Why Didn't They Ask Evans?
Lady Marcham
Movie
Nov 2021
An Audience with Adele
Self
Movie
May 2021
Cruella
The Baroness
Movie
Mar 2021
Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony
Self (archive footage)
Movie
Sep 2020
How to Build a Girl
Amanda
Movie
Jan 2020
Dolittle
Poly (voice)
Movie
Nov 2019
Last Christmas
Petra Andrich
TV Show
Sep 2019
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Self - Guest
TV Show
Sep 2019
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Self
Movie
Sep 2019
Extinction
Movie
Jul 2019
Hollywood's Dark Secret
Self
Movie
Jun 2019
Men in Black: International
Agent O
TV Show
May 2019
Years and Years
Vivienne Rook
Movie
Apr 2019
Missing Link
Dora the Yeti Elder (voice)
Movie
Jan 2019
Late Night
Katherine Newbury
Movie
Sep 2018
Johnny English Strikes Again
Prime Minister
Movie
Aug 2018
Beyond Boundaries: The Harvey Weinstein Scandal
Self (archive footage)
Movie
Aug 2018
Greenpeace: There's a Rang-Tan in My Bedroom
Narrator (voice)
Movie
Aug 2018
The Children Act
Fiona Maye
Movie
May 2018
King Lear
Goneril
Movie
Nov 2017
Sea Sorrow
Self
Movie
Oct 2017
The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)
Maureen Meyerowitz
Movie
Mar 2017
Beauty and the Beast
Mrs. Potts
Movie
Nov 2016
Die vielen Gesichter der Emma Thompson
Elle-Même
Movie
Oct 2016
The Doubt Machine: Inside the Koch Brothers' War on Climate Science
Narrator (voice)
Movie
Oct 2016
To the Ends of the Earth
Narrator (voice)
Movie
Sep 2016
Bridget Jones's Baby
Dr Rawlings
Movie
Feb 2016
Alone in Berlin
Anna Quangel
Movie
Dec 2015
Sainsbury's: Mog's Christmas Calamity
Narrator (voice)
Movie
Oct 2015
Burnt
Dr. Rosshilde
TV Show
Sep 2015
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Self - Guest
TV Show
Sep 2015
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Self
Movie
Sep 2015
A Walk in the Woods
Catherine Bryson
Movie
Jul 2015
The Legend of Barney Thomson
Cemolina
TV Show
Feb 2015
Funny Valentines
Debbie
Movie
Oct 2014
Men, Women & Children
Narrator (voice)
Movie
Sep 2014
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Mrs. Lovett
Movie
Mar 2014
Effie Gray
Lady Eastlake
TV Show
Feb 2014
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Self
TV Show
Feb 2014
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Self - Guest
Movie
Jan 2014
The Real Mary Poppins
Self
Movie
Jan 2014
The Love Punch
Kate
Movie
Nov 2013
Saving Mr. Banks
P.L. Travers
Movie
Feb 2013
Beautiful Creatures
Mrs. Lincoln / Sarafine Duchannes
Movie
Jun 2012
Brave
Elinor (voice)
Movie
May 2012
Walking the Dogs
The Queen
Movie
May 2012
Men in Black 3
Agent O
TV Show
Apr 2012
Playhouse Presents
The Queen
Movie
Nov 2011
When Harry Left Hogwarts
Self
TV Show
Sep 2011
The Jonathan Ross Show
Self
Movie
Jul 2011
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Sybill Trelawney
Movie
Nov 2010
Fry and Laurie Reunited
Self
Movie
Oct 2010
The Song of Lunch
She
Movie
Mar 2010
Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang
Nanny McPhee
Movie
Oct 2009
An Education
Headmistress
Movie
Apr 2009
The Boat That Rocked
Charlotte
Movie
Mar 2009
A Sense of Character
Self
Movie
Mar 2009
A Very Quiet Man
Self
Movie
Mar 2009
Locating the World of Sense & Sensibility
Self
Movie
Mar 2009
Elegance & Simplicity: The Wardrobe of Sense & Sensibility
Self
Movie
Dec 2008
Last Chance Harvey
Kate Walker
Movie
Jul 2008
Brideshead Revisited
Lady Marchmain
Movie
Dec 2007
I Am Legend
Dr. Alice Krippin
Movie
Aug 2007
Stephen Fry: 50 Not Out
Self
Movie
Jul 2007
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Sybill Trelawney
TV Show
Feb 2007
The Graham Norton Show
Self
TV Show
Feb 2007
The Graham Norton Show
Self - Guest
Movie
Nov 2006
Stranger Than Fiction
Karen Eiffel
Movie
Oct 2005
A Tribute To Ismail Merchant
Self (archive footage)
Movie
Oct 2005
Nanny McPhee
Nanny McPhee
Movie
Mar 2005
Nos Bastidores de Hollywood
Self (archive footage)
TV Show
Sep 2004
The Tony Danza Show
Self
Movie
May 2004
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Sybill Trelawney
TV Show
Dec 2003
Angels in America
Nurse Emily / Homeless Woman / The Angel
Movie
Sep 2003
Imagining Argentina
Cecilia Rueda
TV Show
Sep 2003
QI
Self
TV Show
Sep 2003
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Self
Movie
Sep 2003
Love Actually
Karen
Movie
Nov 2002
Treasure Planet
Captain Amelia (voice)
TV Show
Oct 2002
Timeshift
self
TV Show
Jun 2002
Sucré salé
Self
TV Show
Nov 2001
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Self - Guest
Movie
Oct 2001
Love & Loyalty: The Making of 'The Remains of the Day'
Self
Movie
Feb 2001
Wit
Vivian Bearing
Movie
Jan 2001
Blind Loyalty, Hollow Honor: England's Fatal Flaw
Self
Movie
Jan 2001
The Remains of the Day: The Filmmaker's Journey
Self
Movie
Jun 2000
Maybe Baby
Druscilla
Movie
Oct 1998
Junket Whore
Self
Movie
Sep 1998
Judas Kiss
FBI Agent Sadie Hawkins
Movie
Mar 1998
Primary Colors
Susan Stanton
TV Show
Jan 1998
Parkinson
Self
Movie
Dec 1997
The Winter Guest
Frances
TV Show
Aug 1997
The View
Self
TV Show
Aug 1997
The View
Self - Guest
TV Show
Jul 1997
Leute heute
Self
Movie
Mar 1997
Hospital!
Elephant Woman
TV Show
Aug 1996
E! True Hollywood Story
Movie
Dec 1995
Sense and Sensibility
Elinor Dashwood
Movie
May 1995
Carrington
Dora Carrington
Movie
Nov 1994
Junior
Dr. Diana Reddin
Movie
Jul 1994
The Blue Boy
Marie Bonnar
TV Show
Mar 1994
Ellen
Emma Thompson
Movie
Feb 1994
My Father the Hero
Isabel (uncredited)
Movie
Dec 1993
In the Name of the Father
Gareth Peirce
Movie
Nov 1993
The Remains of the Day
Miss Kenton
TV Show
Sep 1993
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Self - Guest
Movie
May 1993
Much Ado About Nothing
Beatrice
TV Show
Jan 1993
GMTV
Self
Movie
Sep 1992
Peter's Friends
Maggie Chester
TV Show
May 1992
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Movie
Mar 1992
Howards End
Margaret Schlegel
Movie
Sep 1991
Rabbit Ears - The White Cat
Narrator (voice)
Movie
Aug 1991
Dead Again
Margaret Strauss / Grace
Movie
Apr 1991
Impromptu
Duchess D'Antan
Movie
Apr 1990
Tin Fish
Movie
Dec 1989
Look Back in Anger
Alison Porter
Movie
Oct 1989
Henry V
Katherine
Movie
Apr 1989
The Winslow Boy
Catherine Winslow
Movie
Feb 1989
The Tall Guy
Kate
Movie
Jan 1989
Colleagues From Hell
TV Show
Nov 1988
Thompson
Self - Host
TV Show
Sep 1988
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
TV Show
Sep 1988
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
Self - Guest
TV Show
Oct 1987
Fortunes of War
Harriet Pringle
TV Show
Mar 1987
Tutti Frutti
Suzi Kettles
TV Show
Jan 1985
Screen Two
Marie
Movie
Nov 1984
Royal Variety Performance 1984
Movie
Feb 1984
Slags
Young Woman
TV Show
Jul 1983
The Crystal Cube
Jackie Meld / Various Roles
TV Show
May 1983
Alfresco
Various
TV Show
Nov 1982
The Young Ones
Miss Money-Sterling
TV Show
Nov 1982
The Comic Strip Presents...
Young Woman
TV Show
Oct 1982
There's Nothing to Worry About!
Various
TV Show
Sep 1982
Cheers
Nanny Gee
Movie
May 1982
The Cellar Tapes
various
TV Show
Feb 1981
Wetten, dass..?
Self
TV Show
Sep 1979
Friday Night, Saturday Morning
TV Show
Apr 1977
The Val Doonican Music Show
TV Show
Oct 1975
Saturday Night Live
Self - Host
TV Show
Oct 1962
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self
TV Show
Mar 1953
The Oscars
Self
Movie
How to Stop a Nuclear War
Narrator (voice)
Movie
James Ivory: In Search of Love and Beauty
Self
Movie
Hear Me Roar
Elizabeth Butler-Sloss