Share

Emma Thompson biography

1 photo

Quick Facts

Best Known For

Academy Award–winning actress Emma Thompson starred in films like Howards End, Sense and Sensibility and Nanny McPhee.

Quiz

Think you know about Biography?

Answer questions and see how you rank against other players.

Play Now

Synopsis

Emma Thompson was born April 15, 1959 to director Eric Thompson and actress Phyllida Law. She began acting at Cambridge University, then moved into stage and television comedy. In 1987, she worked with actor Kenneth Branagh, whom she married (1989–'95). Her notable films include Howards End, In the Name of the Father, The Remains of the Day and the popular Harry Potter and Nanny McPhee series.

Early Life

Actress and writer Emma Thompson was born on April 15, 1959, in London, England, into a theatrical family. Thompson is the daughter of director Eric Thompson and actress Phyllida Law, and her younger sister, Sophie, also became an actress.

At first, Thompson did not want to follow in her parents' footsteps. Instead, she went to Cambridge University to study English literature. But Thompson eventually caught the acting bug when she joined the university's famed Cambridge Footlights theatre club. Other members of the group included Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie (who Thompson briefly dated).

After completing her degree, Thompson tried her hand at stand-up comedy. She later described her act to a Newsweek reporter as "all rude . . . basically, herpes and things like that, which doesn't necessarily go down well with everyone."

Early Film Career

While her career as a stand-up comic may have flopped, Thompson enjoyed some success on the stage and on British television. She appeared with Robbie Coltrane, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, and others on the sketch comedy show Alfresco in 1983. On the London stage, Thompson enjoyed a long run in a revival of the 1930s musical Me and My Girl.

In 1987, Thompson starred in two television productions. She worked with Coltrane again on Tutti Frutti, which followed the misadventures of a fictional rock group known as the Majestics. For the World War II drama Fortunes of War, Thompson starred opposite Kenneth Branagh. The two played a married British couple living in Bucharest, Romania, when war breaks out. Thompson and Branagh eventually developed a relationship off-screen, culminating in their 1989 wedding.

Thompson and Branagh worked together on several more projects. In 1989, she had a supporting role in Branagh's film adaptation of William Shakespeare's Henry V. Thompson played a woman who has lost her memory in the well-received mystery Dead Again (1991), with Branagh on board as the private eye trying to help her.

In Peter's Friends, she and Branagh appeared as college friends in the ensemble comedy, which included Hugh Laurie and American comedienne Rita Rudner. Thompson's last film with Branagh had the pair taking on the famous Shakespearean roles of Beatrice and Benedick in the comedy Much Ado about Nothing (1993), which Branagh directed and adapted for the screen.

Serious Roles

In 1992, Thompson truly started to emerge from her husband's shadow with her powerful performance in Howards End.

ADVERTISEMENT
9506173 9506173
profile id: 9506173
profile name: Emma Thompson
profile occupation:
related profile id: 9506173
related profile name: Emma Thompson
related profile occupation:
related profile img: /imported/images/Biography/Images/Profiles/T/Emma-Thompson-9506173-1-402.jpg
related profile URL: /people/emma-thompson-9506173
profile
pop
Your Connections

Sign in with Facebook to see how you and your friends are connected to famous icons.

specific profile connection
See More Bio Connections
Your Friends' Connections
specific friend connection
Profile Connections
    Show More Connections
    Included In These Groups

    See all related groups

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Celebrity Connections

    Show More Connections
    Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!