Emma Thomson
15 April 1959,
Paddington, London, England, UK
We Know Where You Live (2001) (TV) .... Herself
... aka Amnesty International's We Know Where You Live Live! (2001) (TV) (UK:
complete title)
Wit (2001) (TV) .... Vivian Bearing
Maybe Baby (2000) .... Druscilla
Judas Kiss (1998) .... FBI Agent Sadie Hawkins
Primary Colors (1998) .... Susan Stanton
... aka Mit aller Macht (1998) (Germany)
... aka Perfect Couple (1999) (Japan: English title)
... aka Primary Colors (1998) (France)
Winter Guest, The (1997) .... Frances
Hospital! (1997/II) (TV) .... Elephant woman
Sense and Sensibility (1995) .... Elinor Dashwood
Carrington (1995) .... Dora Carrington
Blue Boy, The (1994) (TV) .... Marie
My Father the Hero (1994) (uncredited) .... Isabel
... aka My father, ce héros (1994) (France)
Junior (1994) .... Dr. Diana Reddin
In the Name of the Father (1993) .... Gareth Peirce
Remains of the Day, The (1993) .... Miss Sally Kenton, Housekeeper of Darlington
House
Much Ado About Nothing (1993) .... Beatrice
Peter's Friends (1992) .... Maggie
Howards End (1992) .... Margaret Schlegel
Dead Again (1991) .... Amanda Sharp
Impromptu (1991) .... Duchess D'Antan
Look Back in Anger (1989) (TV) .... Alison Porter
Night of Comic Relief 2, A (1989) (TV)
Henry V (1989) .... Katherine
Tall Guy, The (1989) .... Kate Lemmon
"Thompson" (1988) TV Series .... Various roles
Winslow Boy, The (1988) (TV) .... Catherine Winslow
"Fortunes of War" (1987) (mini) TV Series .... Harriet Pringle
"Tutti Frutti" (1987) TV Series .... Suzy Kettles
"Assaulted Nuts" (1985) TV Series
"Alfresco" (1983) TV Series .... Various roles
Spouse
Kenneth Branagh (20 August 1989 - 1994) (divorced)
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Trivia
Her daughter's name is Gaia Romilly Wise.
On Saturday 4th December 1999 Emma gave birth to her first child with boyfriend Greg Wise and jokingly called her "jane.com".
(1997) Living with Greg Wise.
(October 1997) Ranked #91 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list.
Educated at Cambridge University, studied English Literature.
Cambridge Footlights Revue (198?) with Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry.
She co-wrote, co-produced, and co-directed Cambridge University's first all-female revue "Woman's Hour" in 1983.
Elder sister of Sophie Thompson.
Was named to the Board of Advisors for FAHRENHEIT Theatre Company, Cincinnati's Classical Theatre In Cincinnati, OH.
Her mother is Phyllida Law, who has appeared in several movies with her.
Father is stage director Eric Thompson (I).
Was originally slated to play the role of "God" in Kevin Smith (II)'s Dogma (1999). She was unable to perform due to her pregnancy.
Left-handed.
Turned down the Jodie Foster role in Anna and the King (1999).
She was initially cast as the lead in Basic Instinct (1992), but refused later on. About Sharon Stone's appearance she said: “As far as I can see, from Sharon Stone's love scene in "Basic Instinct", they molded her body out of tough Plasticine. She was shagging Michael Douglas like a donkey, and not an inch moved. If that had been me, there would have been things flying around hitting me in the eye.”
Speaks French fluently.
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Personal quotes
"She's brilliant and, like all great actresses, completely mad." (Stephen fry on Emma Thompson)
Biography from Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia:
Extraordinarily gifted and appealing actress who catapulted to stardom with
her brilliant, Oscar-winning performance as Margaret Schlegel in the Merchant-Ivory
adaptation of Howards End (1992). Thompson began acting at Cambridge University
with the comedy troupe Footlights, and after experience on television with fellow
troupe members Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, she starred in her first stage musical,
"Me and My Girl," opposite Robert Lindsay. She won a British Academy
Award for her work on the BBC series "Tutti Frutti" and "Fortunes
of War" and became friends with her "Fortunes" costar, Kenneth
Branagh, who cast her as Katherine of France in his Oscar-winning adaptation
of Shakespeare's Henry V (1989). Branagh and Thompson were married after the
film's release and since then, she has starred in many of his films: in the
dual role of a present-day Californian and a forties European woman in Dead
Again (1991), in a deliciously funny performance as a nerdy, neurotic cat lover
in Peter's Friends (1992), and most memorably, as Beatrice opposite Branagh's
Benedick in the rousing Much Ado About Nothing (1993). They starred, as well,
in a BBC production of Look Back in Anger (1993). Thompson has also appeared
in The Tall Guy (1990) and Impromptu (1991), and was featured in a memorable
episode of television's "Cheers." She reteamed with her Howards End
costar Anthony Hopkins in the Merchant-Ivory film The Remains of the Day (1993),
and played a lawyer defending an accused IRA terrorist in In the Name of the
Father (1993), earning Oscar nominations for both performances. She made an
unbilled cameo as Gerard Depardieu's girlfriend in My Father the Hero and teamed
with her least likely costar, Arnold Schwarzenegger, in Junior (both 1994) before
taking the title role in Carrington (1995).