Emma Thompson
Biography
Dame Emma Thompson is a British actress, screenwriter, and comedian born on April 15, 1959, in Paddington, London. The daughter of actors Eric Thompson and Phyllida Law, she was educated at Newnham College, Cambridge, where she joined the Footlights troupe. Her professional career spans over four decades across stage and screen. In recognition of her contributions to drama, she was made a dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 2018. Throughout her career, she has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. She is also the elder sister of actor Sophie Thompson.
Career overview
Thompson began her career in television with the comedy sketch series Alfresco, which aired from 1983 to 1984. She achieved a significant career breakthrough in 1985 when she starred in the West End revival of the musical Me and My Girl. Her work in film has earned her critical acclaim for both her acting performances and her writing. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the 1992 film Howards End. Additionally, she received an Academy Award for her adapted screenplay for the 1995 film Sense and Sensibility. Known for her sophisticated and witty performances, she has maintained a prolific career with 155 known credits in film and television. Throughout her professional life, she has frequently worked alongside her mother, Phyllida Law, who has co-starred with her in several film projects.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- The Sheep Detectives (2026) as Lydia Harbottle
- Everybody to Kenmure Street (2026) as Van Guy
- Everybody to Kenmure Street (2026) Executive Producer
- Dead of Winter (2025) as Barb
- Dead of Winter (2025) Executive Producer
- Down Cemetery Road (2025) as Zoë Boehm
- Down Cemetery Road (2025) Executive Producer
- Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025) as Dr Rawlings
- Merchant Ivory (2024) as Self
- Mediha (2024) Executive Producer
- Bad Tidings (2024) as Self (archive footage)
- What's Love Got to Do with It? (2023) as Cath Stevenson
- Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical (2022) as Agatha Trunchbull
- Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (2022) as Nancy Stokes
- Why Didn't They Ask Evans? (2022) as Lady Marcham
- The Fringe, Fame and Me (2022) as Self
- The Laughter & Secrets of Love Actually: 20 Years Later – A Diane Sawyer Special (2022) as Self
- Cruella (2021) as The Baroness
- An Audience with Adele (2021) as Self
- Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony (2021) as Self (archive footage)
- Dolittle (2020) as Poly (voice)
- How to Build a Girl (2020) as Amanda
- The Kelly Clarkson Show (2019) as Self - Guest
- The Kelly Clarkson Show (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
- Last Christmas (2019) as Petra Andrich
- Last Christmas (2019) Screenplay
- Last Christmas (2019) Producer
- Ponyboi (2019) Co-Producer
- Hollywood's Dark Secret (2019) as Self
- Extinction (2019)
- Johnny English Strikes Again (2018) as Prime Minister
- King Lear (2018) as Goneril
- The Children Act (2018) as Fiona Maye
- Beyond Boundaries: The Harvey Weinstein Scandal (2018) as Self (archive footage)
- Greenpeace: There's a Rang-Tan in My Bedroom (2018) as Narrator (voice)
- Beauty and the Beast (2017) as Mrs. Potts
- The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (2017) as Maureen Meyerowitz
- Sea Sorrow (2017) as Self
- Bridget Jones's Baby (2016) as Dr Rawlings
- Bridget Jones's Baby (2016) Screenplay
- Alone in Berlin (2016) as Anna Quangel
- Sold (2016) Executive Producer
- To the Ends of the Earth (2016) as Narrator (voice)
- Die vielen Gesichter der Emma Thompson (2016) as Elle-Même
- The Doubt Machine: Inside the Koch Brothers' War on Climate Science (2016) as Narrator (voice)
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015) as Self - Guest
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015) as Self
- Burnt (2015) as Dr. Rosshilde
- A Walk in the Woods (2015) as Catherine Bryson
- Funny Valentines (2015) as Debbie
- Sainsbury's: Mog's Christmas Calamity (2015) as Narrator (voice)
- The Legend of Barney Thomson (2015) as Cemolina
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014) as Self - Guest
- Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014) as Self
- Men, Women & Children (2014) as Narrator (voice)
- Effie Gray (2014) as Lady Eastlake
- Effie Gray (2014) Screenplay
- The Love Punch (2014) as Kate
- The Real Mary Poppins (2014) as Self
- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2014) as Mrs. Lovett
- Beautiful Creatures (2013) as Mrs. Lincoln / Sarafine Duchannes
- Saving Mr. Banks (2013) as P.L. Travers
- Brave (2012) as Elinor (voice)
- Playhouse Presents (2012) as The Queen
- Men in Black 3 (2012) as Agent O
- Walking the Dogs (2012) as The Queen
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) as Sybill Trelawney
- The Jonathan Ross Show (2011) as Self
- When Harry Left Hogwarts (2011) as Self
- Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (2010) as Nanny McPhee
- Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (2010) Screenplay
- Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (2010) Executive Producer
- The Song of Lunch (2010) as She
- Fry and Laurie Reunited (2010) as Self
- The Boat That Rocked (2009) as Charlotte
- An Education (2009) as Headmistress
- Locating the World of Sense & Sensibility (2009) as Self
- Elegance & Simplicity: The Wardrobe of Sense & Sensibility (2009) as Self
- A Very Quiet Man (2009) as Self
- A Sense of Character (2009) as Self
- Brideshead Revisited (2008) as Lady Marchmain
- Last Chance Harvey (2008) as Kate Walker
- The Graham Norton Show (2007) as Self
- The Graham Norton Show (2007) as Self - Guest
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) as Sybill Trelawney
- I Am Legend (2007) as Dr. Alice Krippin
- Stephen Fry: 50 Not Out (2007) as Self
- Stranger Than Fiction (2006) as Karen Eiffel
- Nanny McPhee (2005) as Nanny McPhee
- Nanny McPhee (2005) Screenplay
- Nos Bastidores de Hollywood (2005) as Self (archive footage)
- A Tribute To Ismail Merchant (2005) as Self (archive footage)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) as Sybill Trelawney
- The Tony Danza Show (2004) as Self
- QI (2003) as Self
- The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2003) as Self
- Love Actually (2003) as Karen
- Imagining Argentina (2003) as Cecilia Rueda
- Angels in America (2003) as Nurse Emily / Homeless Woman / The Angel
- Treasure Planet (2002) as Captain Amelia (voice)
- Timeshift (2002) as self
- Sucré salé (2002) as Self
- Friday Night with Jonathan Ross (2001) as Self - Guest
- Wit (2001) as Vivian Bearing
- Wit (2001) Writer
- Wit (2001) Teleplay
- Love & Loyalty: The Making of 'The Remains of the Day' (2001) as Self
- The Remains of the Day: The Filmmaker's Journey (2001) as Self
- Blind Loyalty, Hollow Honor: England's Fatal Flaw (2001) as Self
- Maybe Baby (2000) as Druscilla
- Parkinson (1998) as Self
- Junket Whore (1998) as Self
- Primary Colors (1998) as Susan Stanton
- Eight (1998) Thanks
- Judas Kiss (1998) as FBI Agent Sadie Hawkins
- The View (1997) as Self
- The View (1997) as Self - Guest
- Leute heute (1997) as Self
- The Winter Guest (1997) as Frances
- Hospital! (1997) as Elephant Woman
- E! True Hollywood Story (1996)
- Sense and Sensibility (1995) as Elinor Dashwood
- Sense and Sensibility (1995) Screenplay
- Carrington (1995) as Dora Carrington
- Ellen (1994) as Emma Thompson
- Junior (1994) as Dr. Diana Reddin
- My Father the Hero (1994) as Isabel (uncredited)
- The Blue Boy (1994) as Marie Bonnar
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993) as Self - Guest
- GMTV (1993) as Self
- Much Ado About Nothing (1993) as Beatrice
- In the Name of the Father (1993) as Gareth Peirce
- The Remains of the Day (1993) as Miss Kenton
- The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992)
- Howards End (1992) as Margaret Schlegel
- Peter's Friends (1992) as Maggie Chester
- Impromptu (1991) as Duchess D'Antan
- Dead Again (1991) as Margaret Strauss / Grace
- Rabbit Ears - The White Cat (1991) as Narrator (voice)
- Tin Fish (1990)
- Henry V (1989) as Katherine
- The Tall Guy (1989) as Kate
- The Winslow Boy (1989) as Catherine Winslow
- Look Back in Anger (1989) as Alison Porter
- Colleagues From Hell (1989)
- LIVE with Kelly and Mark (1988)
- LIVE with Kelly and Mark (1988) as Self - Guest
- Thompson (1988) as Self - Host
- Fortunes of War (1987) as Harriet Pringle
- Tutti Frutti (1987) as Suzi Kettles
- Screen Two (1985) as Marie
- Royal Variety Performance 1984 (1984)
- Slags (1984) as Young Woman
- Alfresco (1983) as Various
- Alfresco (1983) Writer
- The Crystal Cube (1983) as Jackie Meld / Various Roles
- Cheers (1982) as Nanny Gee
- The Comic Strip Presents... (1982) as Young Woman
- The Young Ones (1982) as Miss Money-Sterling
- The Cellar Tapes (1982) as various
- The Cellar Tapes (1982) Writer
- There's Nothing to Worry About! (1982) as Various
- There's Nothing to Worry About! (1982) Writer
- There's Nothing to Worry About! (1982) Creator
- Wetten, dass..? (1981) as Self
- Friday Night, Saturday Morning (1979)
- The Val Doonican Music Show (1977)
- Saturday Night Live (1975) as Self - Host
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) as Self
- The Oscars (1953) as Self
- Hear Me Roar as Elizabeth Butler-Sloss
- James Ivory: In Search of Love and Beauty as Self
- How to Stop a Nuclear War as Narrator (voice)