On This Day

Birthday of Emma Thompson

April 15th 1959

03:16 15 April 2024

British actress and screenwriter Dame Emma Thompson was born on this day in 1959. Thompson began her career in showbusiness as part of the Cambridge University Footlights where she performed alongside Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. Turning to television she appeared in the British sketch show 'Alfresco' (1983-1984) before earning widespread acclaim for her performance in the West End musical 'Me and My Girl'.

She made her film debut in 'The Tall Guy' (1989), the feature-film debut for screenwriter Richard Curtis, which was not widely seen but Thompson received praise for her performance. Her major film breakthrough came when she was cast opposite Anthony Hopkins in the Merchant Ivory period drama 'Howards End' (1992) for which she won the Academy Award, BAFTA and Golden Globe for Best Actress.

For her next two films she returned to working with then husband Kenneth Branagh in 'Peter's Friends' (1992) and 'Much Ado About Nothing' (1993). She reunited with Merchant Ivory and Anthony Hopkins for 'The Remains of the Day' (1993) for which she received a second Best Actress Oscar nomination. She was also nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar the same year for her role as the lawyer Gareth Peirce in the Guildford Four drama ‘In the Name of the Father’ (1993).

Thompson made her Hollywood debut in ‘Junior’ (1994) starring alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito. The movie was met with poor reviews and was a box office flop but the lead trio received praise for their performances.

She was back on track with ‘Sense and Sensibility’ (1995) and a third Best Actress Oscar nomination. Further success followed with film credits that include ‘Primary Colors’ (1998), ‘Love Actually’ (2003), ‘Nanny McPhee’ (2005), ‘Last Chance Harvey’ (2008), ‘Men in Black 3’ (2012), ‘Saving Mr. Banks’ (2013), ‘A Walk in the Woods’ (2015), ‘The Children Act’ (2017), ‘Late Night’ (2019), ‘Cruella’ (2021), 'Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical' (2022) and her role as Sybil Trelawney in the ‘Harry Potter’ film series. Through a career that spans four decades, Emma Thompson has consistently been one of her generations best and most versatile actresses. Happy Birthday Emma.