Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson arrived at Newnham College, Cambridge in 1977 to study English. Her father Eric Thompson had been a beloved children's television writer known for The Magic Roundabout. Her mother Phyllida Law was an actress from Scotland. This family background placed her among creative people from birth. She spent much of her childhood visiting Ardentinny where her grandparents lived. The experience of growing up near the Scottish coast shaped her sense of self and identity.
At university she joined the Footlights comedy troupe under president Martin Bergman. Fellow members included Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. They shared a room and a passion for sketch comedy. Thompson served as Vice President in 1980 and co-directed Woman's Hour. It was the first all-female revue produced by the group. Their next show The Cellar Tapes won the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1981. Critics called her Emma Talented because they knew she would go far. She graduated with upper second-class honours after studying clowning under Philippe Gaulier.
Thompson met Kenneth Branagh while filming Fortunes of War in 1987. They married in 1989 and became known as Britain's golden couple. Their collaboration began with Henry V released in 1989. He directed and starred alongside her as Princess Katherine. Dead Again followed in 1991 as a noir thriller set in Los Angeles. Much Ado About Nothing arrived in 1993 with Denzel Washington and Keanu Reeves joining their cast. These films defined early British cinema in the 1990s.
Her stage work also flourished during this period. She appeared in Look Back in Anger directed by Judi Dench in 1989. A West End revival of Me and My Girl ran for fifteen months starting in 1985. She played Sally Smith until exhaustion forced her to quit. She later said if she did the Lambeth Walk one more time she was going to throw up. The production earned rave reviews despite her physical struggle. Her television roles in Tutti Frutti and Fortunes of War won her BAFTA TV Awards for Best Actress in 1987.
Howards End opened in 1992 and marked Thompson's transition to international stardom. She played an idealistic intellectual opposite Anthony Hopkins and Vanessa Redgrave. Director James Ivory gave her the role after she wrote to him directly. Roger Ebert called her superb in the central role with steel inside. The film received nine Academy Award nominations and three wins including Best Actress for Thompson. It became a surprise hit that made her famous overnight.
Thompson returned to screenwriting with Sense and Sensibility released in 1995. She spent five years developing the screenplay based on Jane Austen's novel. She took the lead role as Elinor Dashwood at age thirty-five though the character was nineteen in the book. Ang Lee directed the film alongside Kate Winslet. Critics praised her affinity for Austen's style and wit. Graham Fuller of Sight and Sound saw her as the film's auteur. Thompson won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay making her the only person to win Oscars for both acting and writing. She also earned a third nomination for Best Actress for the same project.
Becoming a mother in 1999 changed Thompson's approach to work. She consciously reduced her workload and shifted toward supporting roles throughout the 2000s. Her first appearance after that decision came in Maybe Baby in 2000 as a favour to director Ben Elton. Wit followed in 2001 where she played a Harvard professor diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She shaved her head for the role and called it one of the best scripts from America. Roger Ebert later described it as her finest work.
Thompson balanced family life with selective projects like Treasure Planet in 2002 and Love Actually in 2003. The latter became one of her biggest commercial successes despite its ensemble cast. She played a middle-class wife who discovers her husband has been unfaithful. One critic called the scene where she breaks down the best crying on screen ever. She explained how much practice she had at crying in a bedroom then gathering up pieces of her heart. Her daughter Gaia was conceived via IVF when Thompson was thirty-nine. They informally adopted Tindyebwa Agaba in 2003 after meeting him at a Refugee Council event.
Thompson entered major franchises starting with Harry Potter Prisoner of Azkaban in 2004. She played Sybill Trelawney an eccentric Divination teacher described as a hippy chick professor. She reprised the role in Order of the Phoenix and Deathly Hallows Part Two in 2011. Nanny McPhee arrived in 2005 as a project she had worked on for nine years. It grossed $122 million worldwide and took number one at the UK box office. Critics praised how well-worn storybook features were woven into youthful empowerment.
Her voice work expanded to Disney adaptations like Brave released in 2012. She voiced Elinor the Scottish queen despairing over her daughter's defiance. Beauty and the Beast followed in 2017 where she played Mrs Potts opposite Emma Watson. The film grossed $1.2 billion making it the highest-grossing live-action musical film. Men in Black 3 reached $624 million globally while Cruella earned $233 million against a $100 million budget. Matilda the Musical arrived in 2022 with Thompson playing Miss Trunchbull as a deranged villain.
Thompson has been active in human rights since becoming a public figure. She chairs the Helen Bamber Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture. A therapy room exists in her office specifically for traumatised refugees. In 2017 she marched in support of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe held captive in Iran. Time magazine named her a European Hero in 2009 for highlighting AIDS sufferers in Africa. She supports the Elton John AIDS Foundation and the Refugee Council.
Environmental campaigns form another pillar of her advocacy. Greenpeace members including Thompson bought land near Sipson village in January 2009 to deter Heathrow Airport's third runway. An August 2014 Save the Arctic expedition raised awareness about oil drilling dangers. She narrated The Doubt Machine released on the 31st of October 2016 about Koch Industries' efforts to discredit climate science. London Extinction Rebellion rally in 2019 drew criticism after she flew to attend it. On the 24th of February 2024 she appeared in a video supporting Ukraine against Russia alongside twenty-nine other world stars.
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Common questions
When was Emma Thompson born and where did she study?
Emma Thompson was born in 1959 and arrived at Newnham College Cambridge in 1977 to study English. She graduated with upper second-class honours after studying clowning under Philippe Gaulier.
Who were the members of the Footlights comedy troupe that Emma Thompson joined?
Fellow members included Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie while Martin Bergman served as president. Thompson served as Vice President in 1980 and co-directed Woman's Hour which was the first all-female revue produced by the group.
What films did Emma Thompson make with Kenneth Branagh during their marriage?
Their collaboration began with Henry V released in 1989 followed by Dead Again in 1991 and Much Ado About Nothing in 1993. They became known as Britain's golden couple after marrying in 1989.
How many Academy Awards has Emma Thompson won for acting and writing?
Thompson won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Howards End in 1992 and the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Sense and Sensibility in 1995. She is the only person to win Oscars for both acting and writing.
When did Emma Thompson adopt Tindyebwa Agaba and how old was she when her daughter Gaia was conceived?
They informally adopted Tindyebwa Agaba in 2003 after meeting him at a Refugee Council event. Her daughter Gaia was conceived via IVF when Thompson was thirty-nine.
What environmental actions did Emma Thompson take regarding Heathrow Airport and Ukraine?
Greenpeace members including Thompson bought land near Sipson village in January 2009 to deter Heathrow Airport's third runway. On the 24th of February 2024 she appeared in a video supporting Ukraine against Russia alongside twenty-nine other world stars.