Whether you know her as a regular in Richard Curtis films, her classics roles, or more off-the-wall characters, chances are good that you have seen a film starring Emma Thompson. Thompson has had a long and illustrious career in comedy and drama that started as a member of the Cambridge Footlights alongside such notable actors as Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, and Ben Elton, amongst others. Whether starring alongside her fellow Cambridge alumni or amongst fresh faces, Emma Thompson gives every character her all. If you have a favorite Emma Thompson role or film, you can share that with us in the comments.
Never Ask a Woman Her Age
One of Emma Thompson’s most well-known roles is that of Elinor Dashwood in Sense & Sensibility. At 36 years old, though, Thompson was 17 years older than the character is in the novel (19). Elinor was aged up to twenty-five for the movie.
Tough Room
Thompson tried her hand at stand-up comedy for a little while, but didn’t feel that it fit her aesthetically, so she moved on to other acting projects.
First in Footlights
Members of the Footlights Club have to be invited to join after auditioning for the group. Emma Thompson was the first woman to be invited to join the club, and her involvement was instrumental to her later career.
Two-Time Award Winner
Thompson has been nominated for four Academy Awards and won two of them. Her first win was for Best Actress in 1992’s Howard’s End (which also features Harry Potter co-star Helena Bonham-Carter). She was nominated for the award two more times for The Remains of the Day and Sense & Sensibility as well as Best Supporting Actress for In the Name of the Father. Her other Oscar win is for Best Adapted Screenplay for Sense & Sensibility, which she wrote from Jane Austen’s novel.
Beloved by Children
Emma Thompson is just as well-known for her family movie roles as her adult characters. Her best known are quite possibly Nanny McPhee in the series of the same name and Professor Sybil Trelawney in the Harry Potter franchise. In the case of Harry Potter, her children with husband Greg Wise pushed her to take on the role. Additionally, she’s also played Queen Elinor in Disney and Pixar’s Brave as well as Miss Trunchbull in the film adaptation of Matilda the Musical.
I Always Feel Like, Somebody’s Watching Me
While a guest on Graham Norton, Thompson said that she often walks out to the hot tub in her country home completely nude. One time, she got a knock on her door from the police, who said that someone had spotted a nude man trespassing on her property.
Birthday Twins
Emma Thompson shares a birthday (August 15) with Harry Potter co-star and fellow Emma, Emma Watson.
Going to Bat
When the studio wanted actress Hayley Atwell to lose weight for her role in Brideshead Revisited, Thompson was livid at the demand and threatened to walk off the film. While Atwell wasn’t yet the household name she is today, Thompson’s star power meant the studio backed off pretty quickly to keep her in the movie.
Left Swipe
Emma Thompson’s contentious divorce from Kenneth Branagh was finalized in 1998. At the same time that she was filming Primary Colors, she got a phone call from none other than Donald Trump asking her out on a date. Trump was recently divorced from his second wife, Marla Maples. Thompson politely declined, and the circumstance proved ironic as she was playing a fictional version of Hillary Clinton, Trump’s future 2016 presidential opponent.
The Family Business
Thompson comes from a very talented family where each member has had a pretty significant career in entertainment. Her father, Eric Thompson, was a well-known television presenter and also served as the original English narrator of The Magic Roundabout. Her mother, Phyllida Law, also has a long and equally-illustrious acting career as her eldest daughter. Her sister, Sophie Thompson, has received numerous award nominations for her film and television roles as well. Coincidentally, both sisters are featured in the Harry Potter films, though never in the same movie. While Emma plays Prof. Trelawney, Sophie contributed to the character Mafalda Hopkirk in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One.
