Thompson was born in London on 15 April 1959.[3][4] Her mother is Scottish actressPhyllida Law, while her English father,Eric Thompson, was an actor best known as the writer of the popular children's television seriesThe Magic Roundabout.[5][6] Her godfather was the director and writerRonald Eyre.[7][8] She has a younger sister,Sophie, who is also an actress.[5] The family lived in theWest Hampstead district of London,[6] and Thompson was educated atCamden School for Girls.[9] She spent much time in Scotland during her childhood and often visitedArdentinny, where her grandparents and uncle lived.[10]
In her youth, Thompson was intrigued by language and literature, a trait she attributes to her father, who shared her love of words.[11] After successfully takingA levels in English, French and Latin,[12] and securing a scholarship,[13] she began studying for an English degree atNewnham College, Cambridge,[14] arriving in 1977. Thompson believes that it was inevitable she would become an actor, remarking that she was "surrounded by creative people and I don't think it would ever have gone any other way, really".[8] While there, she had a "seminal moment" that turned her to feminism and inspired her to take up performing. She explained in a 2007 interview how she discovered the bookThe Madwoman in the Attic, "which is aboutVictorian female writers and the disguises they took on in order to express what they wanted to express. That completely changed my life."[15] She became a self-professed "punk rocker",[16] with short red hair and a motorbike, and aspired to be a comedian likeLily Tomlin.[15]
Thompson's father died in 1982, at age 52.[5] She has stated that this "tore [the family] to pieces",[28] and "I can't begin to tell you how much I regret his not being around".[29] She added, "At the same time, it's possible that were he still alive I might never have had the space or courage to do what I've done... I have a definite feeling of inheriting space. And power."[29]
During Thompson's years studying at Cambridge, she starred in a BBC Radio 4 comedy series calledInjury Time, which was recorded and broadcast from 1980 to 1982.[30][31]
Thompson had her first professional role in 1982, touring in a stage version ofNot the Nine O'Clock News.[4] She then turned to television, where much of her early work came with her Footlights co-stars Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry. The regionalITV comedy seriesThere's Nothing to Worry About! (1982) was their first outing, followed by the one-offBBC showThe Crystal Cube (1983).[32]There's Nothing to Worry About! later returned as the networkedsketch showAlfresco (1983–84), which ran for two series with Thompson, Fry, Laurie,Ben Elton, andRobbie Coltrane.[4][32] She later collaborated again with Fry and Laurie on the acclaimedBBC Radio 4 seriesSaturday Night Fry (1988).
Thompson's first husbandKenneth Branagh (pictured in 2011) collaborated with her early in her career.
In 1985, Thompson was cast in theWest End revival of the musicalMe and My Girl, co-starringRobert Lindsay. It provided a breakthrough in her career, as the production earned rave reviews.[4][33] She played the role of Sally Smith for 15 months, which exhausted her: she later remarked "I thought if I did the fucking "Lambeth Walk" one more time I was going to fucking throw up."[21] At the end of 1985, she wrote and starred in her own one-off special forChannel 4,Emma Thompson: Up for Grabs.[34]
Thompson's first cinema appearance came in the romantic comedyThe Tall Guy (1989), the feature-film debut from screenwriterRichard Curtis.[33] It starredJeff Goldblum as a West End actor, and Thompson played the nurse with whom he falls in love. The film was not widely seen,[38] but Thompson's performance was praised inThe New York Times, where Caryn James called her "an exceptionally versatile comic actress".[39] She next turned toShakespeare, appearing asPrincess Katherine in Branagh's screen adaptation ofHenry V (1989). The film was released to great critical acclaim.[40]
Thompson and Branagh are considered by American writer and criticJames Monaco to have led the "British cinematic onslaught" in the 1990s.[41] She continued to experiment with Shakespeare in the new decade, appearing with Branagh in his stage productions ofA Midsummer Night's Dream andKing Lear.[33][37] Reviewing the latter, theChicago Tribune praised her "extraordinary" performance of the "hobbling, stooped hunchbackFool".[42] Thompson returned to cinema in 1991, playing a "frivolous aristocrat"[4] inImpromptu withJudy Davis andHugh Grant.[citation needed] She was nominated forBest Supporting Female at theIndependent Spirit Awards.[43] Her second release of 1991 was another pairing with Branagh, who also directed, in the Los Angeles-basednoirDead Again. She played a woman who has forgotten her identity.[44] Early in 1992, Thompson had a guest role in an episode ofCheers asFrasier Crane's first wife.[45]
A turning point in Thompson's career[33] came when she was cast oppositeAnthony Hopkins andVanessa Redgrave in theMerchant Ivory period dramaHowards End (1992), based onthe novel byE. M. Forster. The film explored the social class system inEdwardian Britain, with Thompson playing an idealistic, intellectual, forward-looking woman who comes into association with a privileged and deeply conservative family. She actively pursued the role by writing to directorJames Ivory, who agreed to an audition and then gave her the part.[8] According to the criticVincent Canby, the film allowed Thompson to "[come] into her own", away from Branagh.[46] Upon release,Roger Ebert wrote that she was "superb in the central role: quiet, ironic, observant, with steel inside".[47]Howards End was widely praised,[48] a "surprise hit",[49] and received nineAcademy Award nominations.[50] Among its three wins was theBest Actress trophy for Thompson, who was also awarded aGolden Globe andBAFTA for her performance.[4] Reflecting on the role,The New York Times wrote that the actress "found herself an international success almost overnight".[4]
For her next two films, Thompson returned to working with Branagh. InPeter's Friends (1992), the pair starred with Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie,Imelda Staunton, andTony Slattery as a group of Cambridge alumni who are reunited ten years after graduating. The comedy was positively reviewed,[51] andDesson Howe ofThe Washington Post wrote that Thompson was its highlight: "Even as a rather one-dimensional character, she exudes grace and an adroit sense of comic tragedy."[52] She followed this with Branagh's screen version ofMuch Ado About Nothing (1993). The couple starred asBeatrice and Benedick, alongside a cast that also includedDenzel Washington,Keanu Reeves, andMichael Keaton. Thompson was widely praised for the on-screen chemistry with Branagh and the natural ease with which she played the role,[53][54] marking another critical success for Thompson.[55] Her performance earned a nomination forBest Female Lead at the Independent Spirit Awards.[43]
Thompson reunited with Merchant–Ivory and Anthony Hopkins to filmThe Remains of the Day (1993), which has been described as a "classic" and the production team's definitive film.[56][57] Based onKazuo Ishiguro'snovel about a housekeeper and butler ininterwar Britain, the story is acclaimed for its study of loneliness and repression, though Thompson was particularly interested in looking at "the deformity that servitude inflicts upon people", since her grandmother had worked as a servant and made many sacrifices.[8] She has named the film as one of the greatest experiences of her career, considering it to be a "masterpiece of withheld emotion".[58]The Remains of the Day was a critical and commercial success,[56] receiving eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and a second Best Actress nomination for Thompson.[59]
In 1994, Thompson made her Hollywood debut playing a goofy doctor alongsideArnold Schwarzenegger andDanny DeVito inJunior. Although the male pregnancy storyline was poorly received by most critics and flopped at the box office,[63]Mick LaSalle of theSan Francisco Chronicle praised the lead trio.[64] She returned toindependent cinema for a lead role inCarrington, which studied the platonic relationship between artistDora Carrington and writerLytton Strachey (played byJonathan Pryce). Roger Ebert remarked that Thompson had "developed a specialty in unrequited love",[65] and theTV Guide Film & Video Companion commented that her "neurasthenic mannerisms, which usually drive us batty, are appropriate here".[66]
Efford House in Holbeton which stood in for Barton Cottage inSense and Sensibility (1995)
Thompson's Academy success continued withSense and Sensibility (1995), generally considered to be the most popular and authentic of the numerous film adaptations ofJane Austen's novels made in the 1990s.[67][68][69] Thompson—a lifelong lover of Austen's work—was hired to write the film based on the period sketches in her seriesThompson.[70] She spent five years developing the screenplay,[71] and took the role of the sisterElinor Dashwood despite, aged 35, being 16 years older than the literary character.[72] Directed byAng Lee and co-starringKate Winslet,Sense and Sensibility received widespread critical acclaim and ranks among the highest-grossing films of Thompson's career.[73][74] Shelly Frome remarked that she displayed a "great affinity for Jane Austen's style and wit",[75] and Graham Fuller ofSight and Sound saw her as the film'sauteur.[76] Thompson received a third nomination for Best Actress and won the award forBest Adapted Screenplay, making her the only person in history to win an Oscar for both acting and screenwriting.[77] She also earned a secondBAFTA Award for Best Actress and aGolden Globe Award for Best Screenplay.[4]
For her second Hollywood role, Thompson starred withJohn Travolta inMike Nichols'sPrimary Colors (1998), playing a couple based onBill andHillary Clinton.[80] Thompson's character, Susan, is described as that of an "ambitious, long-suffering wife" who has to deal with her husband's infidelity.[81] The film was critically well received but lost money at the box office.[82][83] According toKevin O'Sullivan of theDaily Mirror, Americans were "blown away" by her performance and accent, and top Hollywood producers became increasingly interested in casting her.[84] Thompson rejected many of the offers, expressing concerns about living in Los Angeles behind walls with bodyguards, and stated "LA is lovely as long as you know you can leave". She also admitted to feeling tired and jaded with the industry at this point, which influenced her decision to leave film for a year.[85] Thompson followedPrimary Colors by playing anFBI agent opposite Rickman in the poorly received thrillerJudas Kiss (1998).[86]
Continued screen work and further acclaim (2000–2011)
When she became a mother in 1999, Thompson made a conscious decision to reduce her workload, and in the following years many of her appearances were in supporting roles.[8][87] She was not seen on screen again until 2000, with a small part in the British comedyMaybe Baby, which she appeared in as a favour to its director, her friendBen Elton.[88]
For theHBO television filmWit (2001), however, Thompson took the lead role in what she felt was "one of the best scripts to have come out of America".[89] Adapted fromMargaret Edson'sPulitzer Prize winningplay, it focuses on a self-sufficientHarvard University professor who finds her values challenged when she is diagnosed withovarian cancer. Thompson was instrumental in bringing inMike Nichols to direct the project, and the pair spent months in rehearsal to get the complex character right.[90] She was drawn to the "daredevil" role,[91] for which she had no qualms about shaving her head.[92] Reviewing the performance, Roger Ebert was touched by "the way she struggles with every ounce of her humanity to keep her self-respect", and in 2008 he called it Thompson's finest work.[93] Caryn James ofThe New York Times also described it as "one of her most brilliant performances", adding "we seem to be peering into a soul as embattled as its body."[94] The film earned Thompson nominations at theGolden Globes,Emmys andScreen Actors Guild Awards.
Thompson's only credit of 2002 was a voice role inDisney'sTreasure Planet, an adaptation ofTreasure Island, where she voiced Captain Amelia. The animation earned far less than its large budget and was considered a "box office disaster".[95] This failure was countered the following year by one of Thompson's biggest commercial successes,Richard Curtis's romantic comedyLove Actually.[74] As part of an ensemble cast that includedLiam Neeson,Keira Knightley, andColin Firth, she played a middle-class wife who discovers her husband (played by Alan Rickman) has been unfaithful to her. The scene in which her stalwart character breaks down was described by one critic as "the best crying on screen ever",[8] and in 2013, Thompson mentioned that she gets commended for this role more than any other.[96] She explained, "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."[97] Her performance received a BAFTA nomination forBest Supporting Actress.[98]
Thompson continued with supporting roles in the 2003 dramaImagining Argentina, where she played a dissident-journalist abducted by the country's1970s dictatorial regime.Antonio Banderas played the husband who tries to find her, in a film that most critics disliked.[99] The film was booed and jeered at when it was screened at theVenice Film Festival and received a scathing article inThe Guardian.[100] Thompson had greater success that year when she worked with HBO for a second time in the acclaimed miniseriesAngels in America (2003).[33] The show, also starringAl Pacino andMeryl Streep, deals with theAIDS epidemic inReagan-era America. Thompson played three roles – a nurse, a homeless woman, and the title role of The Angel of America – and was again nominated for an Emmy Award.[79] In 2004, she played the eccentric Divination teacherSybill Trelawney in the thirdHarry Potter film,Prisoner of Azkaban, her character described as a "hippy chick professor who teaches fortune-telling".[101] She later reprised the role inOrder of the Phoenix (2007) andDeathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011),[33] and has described her time working on the popular franchise as "great fun".[8]
"Nanny McPhee, it took nine years to make that movie, from the moment I picked up the book to the moment we walked into the movie theatre ... the [films] were labours of great love and commitment."
The year 2005 saw the release of a project Thompson had been working on for nine years.[8] Loosely based on theNurse Matilda stories that she read as a child, Thompson wrote the screenplay for the children's filmNanny McPhee – which centres on a mysterious, unsightly nanny who must discipline a group of children. She also took the lead role, alongsideColin Firth andAngela Lansbury, in what was a highly personal project.[8][102] The film was a success, taking number one at the UK box office and earning $122million worldwide.[103][104] Commenting on Thompson's screenplay, film critic Claudia Puig wrote that its "well-worn storybook features are woven effectively into an appealing tale of youthful empowerment".[105]
The following year, Thompson appeared in the surreal American comedy–dramaStranger than Fiction, playing a novelist whose latest character (played byWill Ferrell) is a real person who hears her narration in his head. Reviews for the film were generally favourable.[106] Following a brief, uncredited role in the post-apocalyptic blockbusterI Am Legend (2007),[107] Thompson played the devoutly Catholic Lady Marchmain in a2008 film adaptation ofBrideshead Revisited. Critics were unenthusiastic about the film,[108] but several picked Thompson out as its highlight.[109][110]Mark Kermode said "Emma Thompson is to some extent becoming the newJudi Dench, as the person who kind of comes in for 15 minutes and is brilliant ... [but then] when she goes away, the rest of the movie has a real problem living up to the wattage of her presence".[111]
Thompson received further acclaim for her work in the London-based romanceLast Chance Harvey (2008), where she andDustin Hoffman played a lonely, middle-aged pair who cautiously begin a relationship. Critics praised the chemistry between the two leads, and both received Golden Globe nominations for their performances.[112][113] Thompson's two 2009 films were both set in 1960s United Kingdom, and in both she made cameo appearances: as a headmistress in the critically praised dramaAn Education[114] and as a "tippling mother" in Richard Curtis'sThe Boat That Rocked.[115]
Five years after the original, Thompson reprised the role of Nanny McPhee with 2010'sNanny McPhee and the Big Bang. Her screenplay transported the story to Britain duringWorld War II. Building on the first film's success, it was another UK box office number one and the sequel was widely seen as an improvement.[116][117] The same year, Thompson reunited with Alan Rickman for the BBC television filmThe Song of Lunch, which focused on two unnamed characters meeting at a restaurant 15 years after ending their relationship.[118] Thompson's performance earned her a fourth Emmy Award nomination.[79]
Career expansion and blockbuster films (2012–present)
In 2012, Thompson made a rare appearance in a big-budget Hollywood film[8] when she played the head Agent inMen in Black 3 – a continuation of thesci-fi comedy franchise starringWill Smith,Tommy Lee Jones, andJosh Brolin. With a worldwide gross of $624million,MIB3 ranks as Thompson's highest-grossing release outside of theHarry Potter films.[74] This mainstream success continued with thePixar filmBrave, in which Thompson voiced Elinor – the Scottish queen despairing at her daughter's defiance against tradition.[33] It was her second consecutive blockbuster release, and critics were generally kind to the film.[74][119] Also in 2012, Thompson playedQueen Elizabeth II in an episode ofPlayhouse Presents, which dramatised an incident in 1982 when an intruder broke into the Queen's bedroom.[120] Her first film of 2013 was the fantasy romanceBeautiful Creatures, in which she played an evil mother. The film aimed to capitalise on the success ofThe Twilight Saga, but was poorly reviewed and abox office disappointment.[121][122] Film criticPeter Travers was critical of Thompson's performance and "outrageously awful Southern accent", and feared "the damage this crock may do to [her] reputation".[123]
Saving Mr. Banks, which depicted the making ofMary Poppins, starred Thompson in a leading role asP. L. Travers, the curmudgeonly author of the source novel, alongsideTom Hanks asWalt Disney. Her performance, in contrast to her widely panned appearance inBeautiful Creatures, was received enthusiastically, with one journalist writing "Emma Thompson is back, firing on all cylinders."[124] She found it to be the best script she had read in years and was delighted to be offered the role. She considered it the most challenging of her career because she had "never really played anyone quite so contradictory or difficult before",[125] but found the inconsistent and complicated character "a blissful joy to embody".[8] The film was well-received, grossed $112million worldwide, and Thompson's performance garnered critical acclaim.[124][126] The review inThe Independent expressed thanks that her "playing of Travers is so deft that we instantly warm to her, and forgive her her snobbery",[127] whileTotal Film's critic felt that Thompson brought depth to the "predictable" film with "her best performance in years".[128] Thompson was nominated for Best Actress at the BAFTAs, SAGs and Golden Globes, and was awarded the Lead Actress trophy from theNational Board of Review.Meryl Streep, her co-star inAngels in America, admitted to being "shocked" at Thompson's failure to receive an Oscar nomination forSaving Mr. Banks.[129]
The romantic comedyThe Love Punch (2013) gave Thompson her second consecutive leading role, where she played half of a divorced couple who reunite to steal the man's ex-boss's diamond.[130] In March 2014, she made her first stage appearance in 24 years – and her New York debut – in aLincoln Center production ofSweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. She appeared in the musical for five nights, and her "playful" performance of Mrs Lovett was highly praised; the critic Kayla Epstein wrote that she "not only held her own against more experienced vocalists, but wound up running off with the show".[131] She received her sixthPrimetime Emmy Award nomination, specifically forOutstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for the televised performance.[132] In 2014, Thompson provided the narration forJason Reitman's comedy-drama film,Men, Women & Children.[133]
The period dramaEffie Gray, a project that she had been working on for many years, based on the true-life story ofJohn Ruskin's disastrous marriage, was written by Thompson but became the subject of a copyright suit before being cleared for cinemas. The American playwright Gregory Murphy said that Thompson's screenplay was an infringement on his play and screenplayThe Countess, which he claimed he had submitted to Thompson through a mutual friend in 2003 to consider the role ofElizabeth Eastlake in a proposed film of his play, and to Thompson's husbandGreg Wise through a casting director to consider the role of John Ruskin in the play's 2005 West End production.[134] In 2008, Thompson announced that she and Wise "had written a script together about John Ruskin, the Victorian art critic, which we want to make into a film."[135] After meeting with Thompson and her producers, Potboiler Productions, Murphy was offered a screenwriting fee and co-screenwriting credit with Thompson in settlement of his claim.[135] This settlement offer was later abandoned by Thompson, Greg Wise and their partnerDonald Rosenfeld, when their company Sovereign Films took over production of the film and instigated the suit, creating the independent entity Effie Film, LLC to litigate it.[136][137]
In March 2013, District Court JudgeThomas P. Griesa, after allowing Thompson to submit a second revised screenplay into evidence from which Murphy claimed "some of the most troubling material" had been removed,[138] ruled that while there were similarities, the screenplays were "quite dissimilar in their two approaches to fictionalising the same historical events".[139][140] In response to Murphy's attorney's concerns that the completed filmEffie Gray would not adhere to Thompson's second revised screenplay, Judge Griesa concluded his ruling by saying that Thompson's film would not infringe Murphy's play or screenplay "only to the extent that it does not substantially deviate from the 29 November 2011 screenplay," the date of Thompson's second revised screenplay.[140] In May 2013,Effie Gray's Cannes Film Festival premiere was cancelled. In October 2013, the film was withdrawn from the Mill Valley Film Festival in California due to "unforeseen circumstances" according to producer Rosenfeld.[141][142] In December 2013, Thompson said of the still unreleasedEffie Gray that its "time has probably passed," comparing it to another project of hers that "didn't happen either".[143]Effie Gray was released in October 2014, to a modest reception.[144] Thompson plays Elizabeth Eastlake and Greg Wise plays John Ruskin. They both declined to promote the film.[145][146]Camilla Long, reviewingEffie Gray inThe Sunday Times, wrote "nothing fits together" and "no one seems to know why they made this film. Where is Thompson's passion and commitment, or any hint of what she intended to achieve."[147]Manohla Dargis in her review inThe New York Times calledEffie Gray "The cinematic equivalent of a Brazilian wax, the movie omits much of the story's most interesting material to create something that's been smoothly denatured."[148]
Thompson's first film of 2015 wasA Walk in the Woods, a comedy adapted from the book byBill Bryson of which she co-starred withRobert Redford andNick Nolte. She next starred inThe Legend of Barney Thomson. Her role was a 77-year-old foul-mouthed, chain-smoking, Glaswegian former prostitute, the mother of the title character. Neither film was a critical success, although the latter received some positive reviews andEmpire magazine wrote that Thomson was "unforgettable".[149][150][151] Later that year, she had a supporting role in the restaurant-based filmBurnt. In 2016, she starred in the World War II-dramaAlone in Berlin, based on the story ofOtto and Elise Hampel. She also co-wrote the screenplay forBridget Jones's Baby and appeared in the film as a doctor.
Thompson is regarded to be among the best actresses of her generation[182][183] and one of Britain's most recognisable actresses, held in high regard within Hollywood.[184][185] Early in her career she was closely associated with her first husband, Kenneth Branagh. The public warmed to her after the separation, and she became one of the key actresses of the 1990s.[185][186] Her status has continued to grow; in 2008, journalistSarah Sands stated that Thompson has improved with age and experience,[183] andMark Kermode said of her performances, "There is something about her which is — you just trust her. You just think 'I'm in proper hands here.' ... She's up there with the great, I mean really great, British female performers".[111]
"I am an instinctive actress. I don't have technique because I never learnt any. I do the cerebral bit before I start. Then I just let it be. I allow whatever rises to rise naturally. You are tricking your subconscious. I work from the inside out."
Thompson is particularly known for playing reticent women,[187] and Sands describes her as "the best actress of our times on suffering borne with poignant dignity".[183] According to Kate Kellaway ofThe Guardian, she specialises in playing "a good woman in a frock".[9] She also plays many haughty characters, with a "bracing, nanny-like demeanour",[21] but she is noted for her ability to win the empathy of audiences.[120][187] Thompson belongs to a group of highly decorated British actresses includingJudi Dench,Kate Winslet andHelena Bonham Carter who are known for appearing in "heritage films" and typically showing "restraint, rendering emotions through intellect rather than feelings, and a sense of irony, which demonstrates the heroine's superior understanding".[188][189] Projecting a typically "British image",[185] Thompson's often dogmatic and tight-jawed manner has also been compared to that ofMaggie Smith.[190]
With a background in comedy, Thompson's performances are typically delivered with an ironic touch. Ang Lee, director ofSense and Sensibility, stated that Thompson's comedic approach may be her greatest asset as an actress, remarking, "Emma is an extremely funny lady. Like Austen, she's laughing at her own culture while she's a part of it."[190] Thompson has stated that the "most moving things are often also funny, in life and in art" which is present in her film work.[8] She often brings her real personality to her roles, and Kellaway believes that her lack of conventional beauty contributes to her likeability as an actress.[183][9]
In 2012, Thompson wroteThe Further Tale of Peter Rabbit as an addition to thePeter Rabbit series byBeatrix Potter to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the publication ofThe Tale of Peter Rabbit.[191][192] She was approached by the publishers to write it, the first authorised Peter story since 1930 and the only one not written by Potter.[191] The book falls in the middle of the earlier series, rather than at the end, and takes Peter Rabbit outside of Mr. McGregor's garden and into Scotland. It was aNew York Times Best Seller.[193] In 2013, Thompson wrote a second book in the series titledThe Christmas Tale of Peter Rabbit.[193] A third book,The Spectacular Tale of Peter Rabbit, was released in 2014.[194] In 2018, Thompson said she would like to write about "what it's like being human now".[195]
ABoodles client, Thompson at the 2015 launch party for the luxury British jewellers' flagship store inBond Street, London
In 2014, Thompson was among a group of influential British women, which includedAnnie Lennox andRita Ora, to feature in the latest iteration of British retailerMarks & Spencer's 'Leading Ladies' marketing campaign.[196][197]
Thompson has stated that she feels Scottish, "not only because I am half Scottish but also because I've spent half my life [in Scotland]".[10][199] She frequently returns to Scotland and visitsDunoon inArgyll and Bute. She owns a home nearby, on the shore ofLoch Eck.[200]
Thompson's first husband was actor and directorKenneth Branagh, whom she met in 1987 while filming the television seriesFortunes of War.[201] They married in 1989 and appeared in several films together, with Branagh often casting her in his productions.[202] Dubbed a "golden couple" by the British press, their relationship received substantial media coverage.[201][6] The pair attempted to keep the relationship private, refusing to be interviewed or photographed together.[203] Thompson and Branagh announced their separation in September 1995. They cited their work schedules as the reason, but it later emerged that he was having an affair with actressHelena Bonham Carter.[97]
Thompson was living alone as her relationship with Branagh deteriorated and she became depressed.[28] While filmingSense and Sensibility in 1995, she began a relationship with her co-starGreg Wise. On how she was able to overcome her depression, she stated, "Work saved me and Greg saved me. He picked up the pieces and put them together again."[28] The couple have a daughter, Gaia, who was conceived viaIVF when Thompson was 39.[6]
Thompson and Wise married in Dunoon, Scotland, in 2003.[204] The family's permanent residence is in West Hampstead, London, on the same road as her childhood home.[6] Also in 2003, Thompson and Wise informally adopted aRwandan orphan and formerchild soldier named Tindyebwa Agaba. They met at aRefugee Council event when he was sixteen, and Thompson invited him to spend Christmas at their home.[6] "Slowly," Thompson has commented, "he became a sort of permanent fixture, came on holiday to Scotland with us, became part of the family."[205] Agaba became a British citizen in 2009.[206] On 28 February 2020, Thompson and Wise were declared residents ofVenice. The couple own homes in West Hampstead, London; Scotland; and Venice.[207][208]
Thompson reported that on the day her divorce became final in 1998,Donald Trump called her unexpectedly while she was in her trailer on the set ofPrimary Colors, to ask her on a date. She later joked that had she accepted, she “could have changed the course of American history!”.[209]
I'm anatheist [...] I regard religion with fear and suspicion. It's not enough to say that I don't believe in God. I actually regard the system as distressing: I am offended by some of the things said in theBible and theQur'an and I refute them.
Thompson has been a campaigner since her youth.[14] Since becoming a public figure, she has regularly voiced her views and been involved in many issues, prompting criticism that she is overly outspoken.[14] She has justified her assertiveness by saying, "[W]hat I feel is that we all need to speak up and a woman who has got a louder voice needs to shout very loudly indeed."[14]
In 2010, Thompson criticised people who use "sloppy language". Speaking with theRadio Times, she said: "I went to give a talk at my old school and the girls were all doing their 'likes' and 'innits?' and 'it ain'ts', which drives me insane. I told them 'Just don't do it. Because it makes you sound stupid and you're not stupid.' There is the necessity to have two languages—one that you use with your mates and the other that you need in any official capacity."[223][224]
On 24 February 2024, Thompson supportedUkraine by appearing in a video with 29 other world stars to support Ukraine againstRussia.[225]
^One source says that she was its first female member,[18] but another source identifiesGermaine Greer as the first female full member much earlier, in the 1960s.[19]
^abHill, Logan (25 October 2007)."Influences: Emma Thompson".Los Angeles Times.Archived from the original on 25 October 2013. Retrieved14 September 2013.
^"Two in One Acting".awardsdatabase.oscars.org. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived fromthe original on 10 March 2009. Retrieved14 February 2013.
^Kroll, Jack (17 December 1995)."Jane Austen does lunch".The Daily Beast.Archived from the original on 16 August 2011. Retrieved30 January 2014.
^Thompson, Emma (1995). "The Diaries". In Doran, Lindsay; Thompson, Emma (eds.).Sense and Sensibility: The Screenplay and Diaries. Bloomsbury. p. 208.ISBN1-55704-782-0.
^Miller, Frank."Sense and Sensibility".Turner Classic Movies.Archived from the original on 1 July 2013. Retrieved30 January 2014.
^"Primary Colors".Rotten Tomatoes.Archived from the original on 4 February 2014. Retrieved31 January 2014.
^"Primary Colors".Box Office Mojo.Archived from the original on 31 January 2014. Retrieved31 January 2014.
^O'Sullivan, Kevin (30 October 1998). "Film: First Lady Steps Down for A Year; Emma Thompson Is in Demand Following Her 'Hillary Clinton' Role in Primary Colors, but She's Taking a Year off Instead".Daily Mirror.
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