Born in London in 1959, Emma Thompson got her start in acting in TV in the early 1980’s. In 1992, she starred opposite Anthony Hopkins in Howards End, a role which propelled her to worldwide acclaim.
Over the decades, she has earned a reputation as one of Britain’s greatest actors, while being a vocal advocate for women’s rights. With over 70 film credits to her name, Thompson has continually dazzled on the big screen. We round up some of Thompson’s best movies over the years.
Love Actually
The scene when Thompson’s character Karen listens to the Joni Mitchell album alone in her bedroom is one of the most heartbreaking scenes in rom-com history. Despite her relatively sad storyline, Thompson is full of charm and wit in Love Actually, making her one of our favourite characters in the iconic Christmas film.
Thompson said she drew on her own experience of heartbreak for her performance – she was married to Kenneth Branagh, who cheated on her with Helena Bonham Carter in the 1990’s. “I’ve had so much bloody practice at crying in a bedroom, then having to go out and be cheerful, gathering up the pieces of my heart and putting them in a drawer,” she told The Sunday Times.
Sense and Sensibility
Not only did Thompson star in this Jane Austen adaptation, but also wrote the screenplay, which earned her an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The film, directed by Ang Lee, is one of the best adaptations of a Jane Austen novel and Thompson shines alongside Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant.
In The Name Of The Father
Thompson starred alongside acting heavyweight Daniel Day-Lewis in this 1993 thriller about a young man accuses of a crime he didn’t commit, where she plays an English lawyer fighting for his freedom.
Late Night
With acerbic wit, Thompson is fantastic as Katherine Newbury, a late night talk show host in Late Night, starring alongside Mindy Kaling, who also wrote the screenplay, Thompson’s skill for portraying a complex character is evident, as she jumps between moments of comedic charisma and quiet dejection.
Howards End
Considered one of her breakout roles, Thompson is caught in a complex love story with Helena Bonham Carter and Anthony Hopkins in Howards End, based on the novel by E.M. Forster.
The Remains of the Day
A year after Howards End, Thompson reunited with Hopkins in The Remains of the Day, a compelling romantic drama based on the book by Kazuo Ishiguro. The film follows Hopkin’s loyal butler as he starts to down his master, with Thompson playing the housekeeper and his romantic interest.
Harry Potter
Despite her relatively small role, Thompson is utterly memorably when she made her first appearance in the Harry Potter franchise as the slightly-unhinged Professor Trelawney in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
Thompson says latest role in Good Luck to You, Leo Grande as a widowed schoolteacher who hires a sex worker, has been one of her most revealing and challenging yet, requiring her to go fully nude and delve into the little-discussed world of female desire. ”
“It’s very challenging to be nude at 62, especially in a world where nothing has changed in the dreadful demands made upon women,” she tells MiNDFOOD in the August 2022 issue.
