The Sheep Detectives
2026 · Movie
as Lydia Harbottle
Emma Thompson
1959-04-15
•
Paddington, London, England, UK
Writers: , Alfresco, , There's Nothing to Worry About!
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.
Filmography
Everybody to Kenmure Street
2026 · Movie
as Van Guy
Dead of Winter
2025 · Movie
as Barb
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
2025 · Movie
as Dr Rawlings
Down Cemetery Road
2025 · TV Show
as Zoë Boehm
Merchant Ivory
2024 · Movie
as Self
Bad Tidings
2024 · Movie
as Self (archive footage)
What's Love Got to Do with It?
2023 · Movie
as Cath Stevenson
The Fringe, Fame and Me
2022 · Movie
as Self
The Laughter & Secrets of Love Actually: 20 Years Later – A Diane Sawyer Special
2022 · Movie
as Self
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
2022 · Movie
as Nancy Stokes
Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical
2022 · Movie
as Agatha Trunchbull
Why Didn't They Ask Evans?
2022 · TV Show
as Lady Marcham
An Audience with Adele
2021 · Movie
as Self
Hannibal Hopkins & Sir Anthony
2021 · Movie
as Self (archive footage)
Cruella
2021 · Movie
as The Baroness
How to Build a Girl
2020 · Movie
as Amanda
Dolittle
2020 · Movie
as Poly (voice)
Hollywood's Dark Secret
2019 · Movie
as Self
Extinction
2019 · Movie
Late Night
2019 · Movie
as Katherine Newbury
Missing Link
2019 · Movie
as Dora the Yeti Elder (voice)
Last Christmas
2019 · Movie
as Petra Andrich
Men in Black: International
2019 · Movie
as Agent O
Years and Years
2019 · TV Show
as Vivienne Rook
The Kelly Clarkson Show
2019 · TV Show
as Self - Guest, Self
Greenpeace: There's a Rang-Tan in My Bedroom
2018 · Movie
as Narrator (voice)
The Children Act
2018 · Movie
as Fiona Maye
King Lear
2018 · Movie
as Goneril
Johnny English Strikes Again
2018 · Movie
as Prime Minister
Beyond Boundaries: The Harvey Weinstein Scandal
2018 · Movie
as Self (archive footage)
Beauty and the Beast
2017 · Movie
as Mrs. Potts
The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)
2017 · Movie
as Maureen Meyerowitz
Sea Sorrow
2017 · Movie
as Self
Alone in Berlin
2016 · Movie
as Anna Quangel
Bridget Jones's Baby
2016 · Movie
as Dr Rawlings
To the Ends of the Earth
2016 · Movie
as Narrator (voice)
Die vielen Gesichter der Emma Thompson
2016 · Movie
as Elle-Même
No image
The Doubt Machine: Inside the Koch Brothers' War on Climate Science
2016 · Movie
as Narrator (voice)
WIRED's Autocomplete Interviews
2016 · TV Show
as Self - Guest
Sainsbury's: Mog's Christmas Calamity
2015 · Movie
as Narrator (voice)
A Walk in the Woods
2015 · Movie
as Catherine Bryson
The Legend of Barney Thomson
2015 · Movie
as Cemolina
Burnt
2015 · Movie
as Dr. Rosshilde
No image
Funny Valentines
2015 · TV Show
as Debbie
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015 · TV Show
as Self - Guest, Self
The Real Mary Poppins
2014 · Movie
as Self
Effie Gray
2014 · Movie
as Lady Eastlake
The Love Punch
2014 · Movie
as Kate
Men, Women & Children
2014 · Movie
as Narrator (voice)
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – In Concert with the New York Philharmonic
2014 · Movie
as Self / Mrs. Lovett
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014 · TV Show
as Self - Guest
Late Night with Seth Meyers
2014 · TV Show
as Self
Saving Mr. Banks
2013 · Movie
as P.L. Travers
Beautiful Creatures
2013 · Movie
as Mrs. Lincoln / Sarafine Duchannes
Men in Black 3
2012 · Movie
as Agent O
Brave
2012 · Movie
as Elinor (voice)
Walking the Dogs
2012 · Movie
as The Queen
Playhouse Presents
2012 · TV Show
as The Queen
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
2011 · Movie
as Sybill Trelawney
When Harry Left Hogwarts
2011 · Movie
as Self
The Jonathan Ross Show
2011 · TV Show
as Self
Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang
2010 · Movie
as Nanny McPhee
The Song of Lunch
2010 · Movie
as She
Fry and Laurie Reunited
2010 · Movie
as Self
An Education
2009 · Movie
as Headmistress
The Boat That Rocked
2009 · Movie
as Charlotte
No image
A Sense of Character
2009 · Movie
as Self
No image
A Very Quiet Man
2009 · Movie
as Self
No image
Locating the World of Sense & Sensibility
2009 · Movie
as Self
No image
Elegance & Simplicity: The Wardrobe of Sense & Sensibility
2009 · Movie
as Self
Brideshead Revisited
2008 · Movie
as Lady Marchmain
Last Chance Harvey
2008 · Movie
as Kate Walker
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
2007 · Movie
as Sybill Trelawney
I Am Legend
2007 · Movie
as Dr. Alice Krippin
Stephen Fry: 50 Not Out
2007 · Movie
as Self
The Graham Norton Show
2007 · TV Show
as Self, Self - Guest
Stranger Than Fiction
2006 · Movie
as Karen Eiffel
Nanny McPhee
2005 · Movie
as Nanny McPhee
A Tribute To Ismail Merchant
2005 · Movie
as Self (archive footage)
Nos Bastidores de Hollywood
2005 · Movie
as Self (archive footage)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
2004 · Movie
as Sybill Trelawney
No image
The Tony Danza Show
2004 · TV Show
as Self
Love Actually
2003 · Movie
as Karen
Imagining Argentina
2003 · Movie
as Cecilia Rueda
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
2003 · TV Show
as Self
QI
2003 · TV Show
as Self
Angels in America
2003 · TV Show
as Nurse Emily / Homeless Woman / The Angel
Treasure Planet
2002 · Movie
as Captain Amelia (voice)
Sucré salé
2002 · TV Show
as Self
Timeshift
2002 · TV Show
as self
Wit
2001 · Movie
as Vivian Bearing
Love & Loyalty: The Making of 'The Remains of the Day'
2001 · Movie
as Self
Blind Loyalty, Hollow Honor: England's Fatal Flaw
2001 · Movie
as Self
The Remains of the Day: The Filmmaker's Journey
2001 · Movie
as Self
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
2001 · TV Show
as Self - Guest
Maybe Baby
2000 · Movie
as Druscilla
Primary Colors
1998 · Movie
as Susan Stanton
Judas Kiss
1998 · Movie
as FBI Agent Sadie Hawkins
Junket Whore
1998 · Movie
as Self
Parkinson
1998 · TV Show
as Self
The Winter Guest
1997 · Movie
as Frances
Hospital!
1997 · Movie
as Elephant Woman
The View
1997 · TV Show
as Self, Self - Guest
Leute heute
1997 · TV Show
as Self
E! True Hollywood Story
1996 · TV Show
Sense and Sensibility
1995 · Movie
as Elinor Dashwood
Carrington
1995 · Movie
as Dora Carrington
Junior
1994 · Movie
as Dr. Diana Reddin
My Father the Hero
1994 · Movie
as Isabel (uncredited)
The Blue Boy
1994 · Movie
as Marie Bonnar
Ellen
1994 · TV Show
as Emma Thompson
The Remains of the Day
1993 · Movie
as Miss Kenton
In the Name of the Father
1993 · Movie
as Gareth Peirce
Much Ado About Nothing
1993 · Movie
as Beatrice
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
1993 · TV Show
as Self - Guest
GMTV
1993 · TV Show
as Self
Peter's Friends
1992 · Movie
as Maggie Chester
Howards End
1992 · Movie
as Margaret Schlegel
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992 · TV Show
Dead Again
1991 · Movie
as Margaret Strauss / Grace
Impromptu
1991 · Movie
as Duchess D'Antan
No image
Rabbit Ears - The White Cat
1991 · Movie
as Narrator (voice)
Tin Fish
1990 · Movie
Henry V
1989 · Movie
as Katherine
The Tall Guy
1989 · Movie
as Kate
Look Back in Anger
1989 · Movie
as Alison Porter
No image
The Winslow Boy
1989 · Movie
as Catherine Winslow
Colleagues From Hell
1989 · Movie
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
1988 · TV Show
as Self - Guest
No image
Thompson
1988 · TV Show
as Self - Host
Tutti Frutti
1987 · TV Show
as Suzi Kettles
Fortunes of War
1987 · TV Show
as Harriet Pringle
Screen Two
1985 · TV Show
as Marie
Slags
1984 · Movie
as Young Woman
Royal Variety Performance 1984
1984 · Movie
Alfresco
1983 · TV Show
as Various
The Crystal Cube
1983 · TV Show
as Jackie Meld / Various Roles
The Cellar Tapes
1982 · Movie
as various
The Young Ones
1982 · TV Show
as Miss Money-Sterling
There's Nothing to Worry About!
1982 · TV Show
as Various
The Comic Strip Presents...
1982 · TV Show
as Young Woman
Cheers
1982 · TV Show
as Nanny Gee
Wetten, dass..?
1981 · TV Show
as Self
Friday Night, Saturday Morning
1979 · TV Show
No image
The Val Doonican Music Show
1977 · TV Show
Saturday Night Live
1975 · TV Show
as Self - Host
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962 · TV Show
as Self
The Oscars
1953 · TV Show
as Self
No image
How to Stop a Nuclear War
· Movie
as Narrator (voice)
No image
James Ivory: In Search of Love and Beauty
· Movie
as Self
No image
Hear Me Roar
· Movie
as Elizabeth Butler-Sloss
Crew Credits
Everybody to Kenmure Street
2026 · Movie
Executive Producer
Dead of Winter
2025 · Movie
Executive Producer
Down Cemetery Road
2025 · TV Show
Executive Producer
Mediha
2024 · Movie
Executive Producer
Ponyboi
2019 · Movie
Co-Producer
Last Christmas
2019 · Movie
Screenplay, Producer
Sold
2016 · Movie
Executive Producer
Bridget Jones's Baby
2016 · Movie
Screenplay
Effie Gray
2014 · Movie
Screenplay
Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang
2010 · Movie
Screenplay, Executive Producer
Nanny McPhee
2005 · Movie
Screenplay
Wit
2001 · Movie
Writer, Teleplay
Eight
1998 · Movie
Thanks
Sense and Sensibility
1995 · Movie
Screenplay
Alfresco
1983 · TV Show
Writer
The Cellar Tapes
1982 · Movie
Writer
There's Nothing to Worry About!
1982 · TV Show
Writer, Creator
