British actress Dame Emma Thompson has appeared in many films, television programmes and stage productions. She has won and been nominated for many awards during her career, including five Academy Award nominations (winning two), nine Golden Globe Award nominations (winning two), seven BAFTA Award nominations (winning three), and six Emmy Award nominations (winning one).

She first came to prominence in 1987 in two BBC TV series, Tutti Frutti and Fortunes of War, winning the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for her work in both series. Her first film role was in the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy, and in the early 1990s, she and her then husband, actor and director Kenneth Branagh co-starred in several films, including Dead Again (1991) and Much Ado About Nothing (1993).

In 1992, Thompson won an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress for the period drama Howards End. In 1993, she garnered dual Academy Award nominations for her roles in The Remains of the Day as the housekeeper of a grand household and In the Name of the Father as a lawyer. Thompson scripted and starred in Sense and Sensibility (1995), which earned her numerous awards. In 2013, she received acclaim and several award nominations for her portrayal of author P. L. Travers in Saving Mr. Banks. Other notable film and television credits include the Harry Potter film series (2004–2011), Wit (2001), Love Actually (2003), Angels in America (2003), Nanny McPhee (2005), Stranger than Fiction (2006), Last Chance Harvey (2008), Men in Black 3 (2012), Brave (2012), A Walk in the Woods (2015), Bridget Jones's Baby (2016), Beauty and the Beast (2017), Late Night (2019), Years and Years written by Russell T. Davies (2019) and Cruella (2021).

Film

Year Film Role Director Notes1989 Henry V Catherine of Valois Kenneth Branagh Kate Lemmon Mel Smith 1991 Dead Again Grace / Margaret Strauss Kenneth Branagh Impromptu Claudette, Duchess d'Antan James Lapine 1992 Howards End Margaret Schlegel James Ivory Peter's Friends Maggie Chester Kenneth Branagh1993 Much Ado About Nothing BeatriceKenneth Branagh The Remains of the Day Miss Kenton James Ivory In the Name of the Father Gareth Peirce Jim Sheridan 1994 Junior Diana Reddin Ivan Reitman 1995 Carrington Dora Carrington Christopher Hampton Sense and Sensibility Elinor Dashwood Ang Lee Also writer 1997 The Winter Guest Frances Alan Rickman 1998 Primary Colors Susan Stanton Mike Nichols Judas Kiss Sadie Hawkins Sebastian Gutierrez 2000 Maybe Baby Druscilla Ben Elton 2002 Treasure Planet Captain Amelia (voice) Ron ClementsJohn Musker 2003 Imagining Argentina Cecilia Christopher Hampton Love Actually Karen Richard Curtis 2004 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Professor Sybill Trelawney Alfonso Cuarón 2005 Nanny McPhee Nanny McPhee Kirk Jones Also writer 2006 Stranger than Fiction Karen Eiffel Marc Forster 2007 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Professor Sybill Trelawney David Yates I Am Legend Alice Krippin Francis Lawrence Uncredited2008 Brideshead Revisited Lady Marchmain Julian Jarrold Last Chance Harvey Kate Walker Joel Hopkins 2009 An Education Headmistress Lone Scherfig The Boat That Rocked Charlotte Richard Curtis 2010 Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang Nanny McPhee Susanna White Also writer; also known as Nanny McPhee Returns 2011 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 Professor Sybill Trelawney David Yates2012 Men in Black 3 Agent O Barry Sonnenfeld Brave Queen Elinor (voice) Mark AndrewsBrenda Chapman 2013 Beautiful Creatures Mrs Lincoln / Sarafine Richard LaGravenese Saving Mr. Banks P. L. Travers John Lee Hancock The Love Punch Kate Jones Joel Hopkins2014 Men, Women & Children Narrator (voice) Jason Reitman Effie Gray Lady Eastlake Richard Laxton Also writer2015 A Walk in the Woods Catherine Bryson Ken Kwapis The Legend of Barney Thomson Cemolina Robert Carlyle Burnt Dr Rosshilde John Wells 2016 Alone in Berlin Anna Quangel Vincent Perez Bridget Jones's Baby Doctor Rawlings Sharon Maguire Also writer The Doubt Machine: Inside the Koch Brothers' War on Climate Science Narrator (voice) Bruce Livesey Documentary2017 Beauty and the Beast Mrs. Potts Bill Condon also voice Sea Sorrow Sylvia Pankhurst Vanessa Redgrave The Meyerowitz Stories Maureen Noah Baumbach The Children Act Fiona Maye Richard Eyre 2018 Johnny English Strikes Again The Prime Minister David Kerr 2019 Late Night Katherine Newbury Nisha Ganatra Missing Link Dora the Yeti Elder (voice) Chris Butler Men in Black: International Agent O F. Gary Gray How to Build a Girl Amanda Watson Coky Giedroyc Last Christmas Petra Andrich Paul Feig Also writer and producer 2020 Dolittle Polynesia (voice) Stephen Gaghan 2021 Cruella Baroness von Hellman Craig Gillespie 2022 Good Luck to You, Leo Grande Nancy Stokes Sophie Hyde What's Love Got to Do with It? Cath Shekhar Kapur Matilda the Musical Miss Trunchbull Matthew Warchus 2025 Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy Doctor Rawlings Michael Morris Dead of Winter Barb Brian Kirk 2026 The Sheep Detectives Lydia Harbottle Kyle Balda Everybody to Kenmure Street Van man Felipe Bustos Sierra Also executive producer

Television

Year Title Role Notes1982 Cambridge Footlights Revue Various roles TV special There's Nothing to Worry About! Mrs Wally 3 episodes 1983–1984 Alfresco Various roles 13 episodes1984 The Comic Strip Presents Young Woman Episode: "Slags" The Young Ones Miss Money-Sterling Episode: "Bambi" 1985 Emma Thompson: Up for Grabs Various TV film1987 Tutti Frutti Suzi Kettles Miniseries; 6 episodes Fortunes of War Harriet Pringle Miniseries; 7 episodes 1988 Thompson Various roles 6 episodes 1989 Look Back in Anger Alison Porter TV film1990 Knuckle Jenny Wilbur The Winslow Boy Catherine Winslow 1992 Cheers Nanette Guzman ("Nanny G") Episode: "One Hugs, the Other Doesn't" 1994 The Blue Boy Marie Bonnar TV film1997 Ellen Herself Episode: "Emma" Hospital! Elephant Woman TV film 2001 Wit Vivian Bearing TV film; also writer 2003 Angels in America Nurse Emily, Homeless Woman, The Angel America Miniseries, 5 episodes 2009 QI Herself Series F, Episode: "Film" 2010 The Song of Lunch She TV film 2012 Walking the Dogs Elizabeth II 2017 Upstart Crow Elizabeth I Episode: "A Christmas Crow" 2018 King Lear Goneril TV film2019 Saturday Night Live Herself (host) Episode: "Emma Thompson/Jonas Brothers" Years and Years Vivienne Rook MP Miniseries, 6 episodes 2022 Why Didn't They Ask Evans? Lady Marcham Episode #1.1 2025 Down Cemetery Road Zoë TV series 2026 The Simpsons Constance Clavinger (voice) Episode: "The Children's Book Job"

Stage

As actor Year Title Role Venue Ref.1982 Not the Nine O'Clock News UK tour Beyond the FootlightsPerformer; Playwright Lyric Theatre, London 1984 Short VehiclePerformer; Playwright Edinburgh Festival 1984–1985 Me and My Girl Sally Smith Leicester Haymarket TheatreAdelphi Theatre, London 1989 Look Back in Anger Alison Lyric Theatre, London1990 King Lear Fool Dominion Theatre, LondonRenaissance Theatre CompanyU.S. National TourEmma Thompson Biography (1959–)", filmreference.com"An Impressive King Lear Outshines A Flawed, Hilarious 'dream'" by Richard Christiansen, Chicago Tribune, 25 May 1990 A Midsummer Night's Dream Helena International tour 2014–2015 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Mrs. Lovett Avery Fisher Hall, New York CityLondon ColiseumEnglish National Opera2022Whodunnit Unrehearsed 2The InspectorPark Theatre (London)

As writer

Nanny McPhee (musical) - 2027 (with Gary Clark)

See also List of awards and nominations received by Emma Thompson List of British actors List of Academy Award winners and nominees from Great Britain List of Academy Award records List of actors with Academy Award nominations List of actors with more than one Academy Award nomination in the acting categories List of Primetime Emmy Award winners List of Golden Globe winners

References