Emma Thompson on screen and stage

Emma Thompson on screen and stage

Thompson at the 2022 Berlin International Film Festival

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

Emma Thompson on screen and stage

<table><thead><tr><th>Year</th><th>Film</th><th>Role</th><th>Director</th><th>Notes</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1989</td><td>Henry V</td><td>Catherine of Valois</td><td>Kenneth Branagh</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Tall Guy</td><td>Kate Lemmon</td><td>Mel Smith</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>1991</td><td>Dead Again</td><td>Grace / Margaret Strauss</td><td>Kenneth Branagh</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Impromptu</td><td>Claudette, Duchess d'Antan</td><td>James Lapine</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>1992</td><td>Howards End</td><td>Margaret Schlegel</td><td>James Ivory</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Peter's Friends</td><td>Maggie Chester</td><td>Kenneth Branagh</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>1993</td><td>Much Ado About Nothing</td><td>Beatrice</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Remains of the Day</td><td>Miss Kenton</td><td>James Ivory</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>In the Name of the Father</td><td>Gareth Peirce</td><td>Jim Sheridan</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>1994</td><td>Junior</td><td>Diana Reddin</td><td>Ivan Reitman</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>1995</td><td>Carrington</td><td>Dora Carrington</td><td>Christopher Hampton</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Sense and Sensibility</td><td>Elinor Dashwood</td><td>Ang Lee</td><td>Also writer</td></tr><tr><td>1997</td><td>The Winter Guest</td><td>Frances</td><td>Alan Rickman</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>1998</td><td>Primary Colors</td><td>Susan Stanton</td><td>Mike Nichols</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Judas Kiss</td><td>Sadie Hawkins</td><td>Sebastian Gutierrez</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2000</td><td>Maybe Baby</td><td>Druscilla</td><td>Ben Elton</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2002</td><td>Treasure Planet</td><td>Captain Amelia (voice)</td><td>Ron Clements John Musker</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2003</td><td>Imagining Argentina</td><td>Cecilia</td><td>Christopher Hampton</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Love Actually</td><td>Karen</td><td>Richard Curtis</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2004</td><td>Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban</td><td>Professor Sybill Trelawney</td><td>Alfonso Cuarón</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2005</td><td>Nanny McPhee</td><td>Nanny McPhee</td><td>Kirk Jones</td><td>Also writer</td></tr><tr><td>2006</td><td>Stranger than Fiction</td><td>Karen Eiffel</td><td>Marc Forster</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2007</td><td>Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix</td><td>Professor Sybill Trelawney</td><td>David Yates</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>I Am Legend</td><td>Alice Krippin</td><td>Francis Lawrence</td><td>Uncredited</td></tr><tr><td>2008</td><td>Brideshead Revisited</td><td>Lady Marchmain</td><td>Julian Jarrold</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Last Chance Harvey</td><td>Kate Walker</td><td>Joel Hopkins</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2009</td><td>An Education</td><td>Headmistress</td><td>Lone Scherfig</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Boat That Rocked</td><td>Charlotte</td><td>Richard Curtis</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2010</td><td>Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang</td><td>Nanny McPhee</td><td>Susanna White</td><td>Also writer; also known as Nanny McPhee Returns</td></tr><tr><td>2011</td><td>Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2</td><td>Professor Sybill Trelawney</td><td>David Yates</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2012</td><td>Men in Black 3</td><td>Agent O</td><td>Barry Sonnenfeld</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Brave</td><td>Queen Elinor (voice)</td><td>Mark Andrews Brenda Chapman</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2013</td><td>Beautiful Creatures</td><td>Mrs Lincoln / Sarafine</td><td>Richard LaGravenese</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Saving Mr. Banks</td><td>P. L. Travers</td><td>John Lee Hancock</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Love Punch</td><td>Kate Jones</td><td>Joel Hopkins</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2014</td><td>Men, Women & Children</td><td>Narrator (voice)</td><td>Jason Reitman</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Effie Gray</td><td>Lady Eastlake</td><td>Richard Laxton</td><td>Also writer</td></tr><tr><td>2015</td><td>A Walk in the Woods</td><td>Catherine Bryson</td><td>Ken Kwapis</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Legend of Barney Thomson</td><td>Cemolina</td><td>Robert Carlyle</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Burnt</td><td>Dr Rosshilde</td><td>John Wells</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2016</td><td>Alone in Berlin</td><td>Anna Quangel</td><td>Vincent Perez</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Bridget Jones's Baby</td><td>Doctor Rawlings</td><td>Sharon Maguire</td><td>Also writer</td></tr><tr><td>The Doubt Machine: Inside the Koch Brothers' War on Climate Science</td><td>Narrator (voice)</td><td>Bruce Livesey</td><td>Documentary</td></tr><tr><td>2017</td><td>Beauty and the Beast</td><td>Mrs. Potts</td><td>Bill Condon</td><td>also voice</td></tr><tr><td>Sea Sorrow</td><td>Sylvia Pankhurst</td><td>Vanessa Redgrave</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Meyerowitz Stories</td><td>Maureen</td><td>Noah Baumbach</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Children Act</td><td>Fiona Maye</td><td>Richard Eyre</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2018</td><td>Johnny English Strikes Again</td><td>The Prime Minister</td><td>David Kerr</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2019</td><td>Late Night</td><td>Katherine Newbury</td><td>Nisha Ganatra</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Missing Link</td><td>Dora the Yeti Elder (voice)</td><td>Chris Butler</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Men in Black: International</td><td>Agent O</td><td>F. Gary Gray</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>How to Build a Girl</td><td>Amanda Watson</td><td>Coky Giedroyc</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Last Christmas</td><td>Petra Andrich</td><td>Paul Feig</td><td>Also writer and producer</td></tr><tr><td>2020</td><td>Dolittle</td><td>Polynesia (voice)</td><td>Stephen Gaghan</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2021</td><td>Cruella</td><td>Baroness von Hellman</td><td>Craig Gillespie</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2022</td><td>Good Luck to You, Leo Grande</td><td>Nancy Stokes</td><td>Sophie Hyde</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>What's Love Got to Do with It?</td><td>Cath</td><td>Shekhar Kapur</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Matilda the Musical</td><td>Miss Trunchbull</td><td>Matthew Warchus</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2025</td><td>Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy</td><td>Doctor Rawlings</td><td>Michael Morris</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Dead of Winter</td><td>Barb</td><td>Brian Kirk</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2026</td><td>The Sheep Detectives</td><td>TBA</td><td>Kyle Balda</td><td>Post-production</td></tr></tbody></table>

Television

Emma Thompson on screen and stage

<table><thead><tr><th>Year</th><th>Title</th><th>Role</th><th>Notes</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1982</td><td>Cambridge Footlights Revue</td><td>Various roles</td><td>TV special</td></tr><tr><td>There's Nothing to Worry About!</td><td>Mrs Wally</td><td>3 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>1983–1984</td><td>Alfresco</td><td>Various roles</td><td>13 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>1984</td><td>The Comic Strip Presents</td><td>Young Woman</td><td>Episode: "Slags"</td></tr><tr><td>The Young Ones</td><td>Miss Money-Sterling</td><td>Episode: "Bambi"</td></tr><tr><td>1985</td><td>Emma Thompson: Up for Grabs</td><td>Various</td><td>TV film</td></tr><tr><td>1987</td><td>Tutti Frutti</td><td>Suzi Kettles</td><td>Miniseries; 6 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>Fortunes of War</td><td>Harriet Pringle</td><td>Miniseries; 7 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>1988</td><td>Thompson</td><td>Various roles</td><td>6 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>1989</td><td>Look Back in Anger</td><td>Alison Porter</td><td>TV film</td></tr><tr><td>1990</td><td>Knuckle</td><td>Jenny Wilbur</td></tr><tr><td>The Winslow Boy</td><td>Catherine Winslow</td></tr><tr><td>1992</td><td>Cheers</td><td>Nanette Guzman ("Nanny Gee")</td><td>Episode: "One Hugs, the Other Doesn't"</td></tr><tr><td>1994</td><td>The Blue Boy</td><td>Marie Bonnar</td><td>TV film</td></tr><tr><td>1997</td><td>Ellen</td><td>Herself</td><td>Episode: "Emma"</td></tr><tr><td>Hospital!</td><td>Elephant Woman</td><td>TV film</td></tr><tr><td>2001</td><td>Wit</td><td>Vivian Bearing</td><td>TV film; also writer</td></tr><tr><td>2003</td><td>Angels in America</td><td>Nurse Emily/Homeless Woman/The Angel America</td><td>Miniseries, 5 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>2009</td><td>QI</td><td>Herself</td><td>Series F, Episode: "Film"</td></tr><tr><td>2010</td><td>The Song of Lunch</td><td>She</td><td>TV film</td></tr><tr><td>2012</td><td>Walking the Dogs</td><td>Elizabeth II</td></tr><tr><td>2017</td><td>Upstart Crow</td><td>Elizabeth I</td><td>Episode: "A Christmas Crow"</td></tr><tr><td>2018</td><td>King Lear</td><td>Goneril</td><td>TV film</td></tr><tr><td>2019</td><td>Saturday Night Live</td><td>Herself (host)</td><td>Episode: "Emma Thompson/Jonas Brothers"</td></tr><tr><td>Years and Years</td><td>Vivienne Rook MP</td><td>Miniseries, 6 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>2022</td><td>Why Didn't They Ask Evans?</td><td>Lady Marcham</td><td>Episode #1.1</td></tr><tr><td>2025</td><td>Down Cemetery Road</td><td>Zoë</td><td>TV series</td></tr></tbody></table>

Stage

Emma Thompson on screen and stage

<table><thead><tr><th>Year</th><th>Title</th><th>Role</th><th>Venue</th><th>Ref.</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1982</td><td>Not the Nine O'Clock News</td><td></td><td>UK tour</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Beyond the Footlights</td><td>Performer; Playwright</td><td>Lyric Theatre, London</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>1984</td><td>Short Vehicle</td><td>Edinburgh Festival</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>1984–1985</td><td>Me and My Girl</td><td>Sally Smith</td><td>Leicester Haymarket Theatre Adelphi Theatre, London</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>1989</td><td>Look Back in Anger</td><td>Alison</td><td>Lyric Theatre, London</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>1990</td><td>King Lear</td><td>Fool</td><td>Dominion Theatre, London Renaissance Theatre Company U.S. National Tour</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>A Midsummer Night's Dream</td><td>Helena</td><td>International tour</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2014–2015</td><td>Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street</td><td>Mrs. Lovett</td><td>Avery Fisher Hall, New York City London Coliseum English National Opera</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2022</td><td>Whodunnit Unrehearsed 2</td><td>The Inspector</td><td>Park Theatre (London)</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>