Dame Emma Thompson DBE is a British actor and writer whose career spans stage, television and film. Born in Paddington and raised in West Hampstead, London, she is the daughter of actor Eric Thompson and actress Phyllida Law and the elder sister of actress Sophie Thompson. Thompson trained academically at Newnham College, Cambridge, where she read English and later received an MA.

Career overview and style

Thompson is known for blending dramatic intensity with a sharp comic sensibility. She first became widely noticed in British television and on the stage before moving to international cinema. Her work ranges from intimate literary adaptations to larger commercial projects. Alongside acting, she has written screenplays and adapted novels for film, demonstrating a strong interest in character-driven storytelling and dialogue.

Notable roles and projects

Among Thompson’s best known screen performances are her roles in Howards End and Sense and Sensibility, the latter of which she also adapted for the screen. She has appeared in popular films including the Nanny McPhee series, the Harry Potter films as Professor Sybil Trelawney, and ensemble pictures such as Love Actually. She has also taken on biographical and historical roles in later work and has balanced mainstream projects with independent and stage work.

Awards, honours and recognition

Thompson has received widespread recognition for both acting and writing. She has won two Academy Awards: one for Best Actress and another for Best Adapted Screenplay for her work on Sense and Sensibility. In addition to Oscars, her achievements include multiple BAFTAs and other international prizes. For her services to drama she has been appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE).

Personal life and public activities

Thompson’s personal life has been of public interest: she was married to Kenneth Branagh in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and later married Greg Wise. Beyond performing and writing, she has been active in humanitarian and cultural causes and has used her public voice to comment on artistic and social topics. Her family background in acting and her long-running collaborations with other British artists have been a recurrent thread in her career.

Legacy and context

Emma Thompson is often cited as one of Britain’s most versatile performers, able to move between comedy and drama and between acting and writing with apparent ease. Her adaptations and performances have contributed to renewed interest in classic literature on screen and she remains an influential figure for actors and screenwriters in the UK and internationally.

Further reading and resources