Thompson was born in Paddington, London to Eric Thompson and Phyllida Law.
Thompson's first major film role was in a romantic comedy, The Tall Guy (1989). Her career took a more serious turn with a series of critically acclaimed performances and films, beginning with 1992's Howards End (for which she received an Oscar for Best Actress), the part of Gareth Peirce, the lawyer who got the Guildford Four out of jail, in 1993's In the Name of the Father, The Remains of the Day opposite Anthony Hopkins, and as real life British painter Dora Carrington in the movie Carrington (1995).

She won her next Oscar in 1996, for Best Adapted Screenplay for her screenplay adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. In 1984 she starred in the movie The Young Ones.

In 2003, she joined the cast of Angels in America, playing multiple roles, including one of the titular angels.
Most recently, Thompson appeared in supporting roles in films of a lighter nature, including her role as Sibyll Trelawney in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) and the comedy Love Actually (2003). The film Nanny McPhee, was first released in October 2005.

Public Name: Emma Thompson
Birth Name: Emma Thompson
Date of Birth: April 15, 1959
Place of Birth: Paddington, London

Filmography

• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
• Stranger than Fiction (2006)
• Nanny McPhee (2005)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
• "Angels in America" (2003)
• Imagining Argentina (2003)
• Love Actually (2003)
• Treasure Planet (2002)
• Wit (2001)
• Maybe Baby (2000)
• Judas Kiss (1998)
• Primary Colors (1998)
• The Winter Guest (1997)
• Hospital! (1997)
• Sense and Sensibility (1995)
• Carrington (1995)
• Junior (1994)
• The Blue Boy (1994)
• My Father the Hero (1994)
• In the Name of the Father (1993)
• The Remains of the Day (1993)
• Much Ado About Nothing (1993)
• Peter's Friends (1992)
• Howards End (1992)
• "Cheers" (1 episode, 1992)
• Dead Again (1991)
• Impromptu (1991)
• The Winslow Boy (1990)
• Henry V (1989)
• The Tall Guy (1989)
• Knuckle (1989)
• Look Back in Anger (1989)
• "Thompson" (1988)
• "Fortunes of War" (1987)
• "Tutti Frutti" (1987)
• "Assaulted Nuts" (1985)
• "The Young Ones" (1 episode, 1984)
• "The Comic Strip Presents..." (1 episode, 1984)
• The Crystal Cube (1983)
• "Alfresco" (1983)
• Cambridge Footlights Revue (1982)  

Awards

• Humanitas Prize PBS/Cable (90 minutes or longer) "Wit" 2001
• Emmy Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series "Ellen" 1997 - 98
• London Film Critics Circle Award Best British Screenplay "Sense and Sensibility" 1996
• Writers Guild of America Award Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published "Sense and Sensibility" 1996
• BAFTA Award Best Actress "Sense and Sensibility" 1995
• Boston Society of Film Critics Award Best Screenplay "Sense and Sensibility" 1995
• Broadcast Film Critics Association Award Best Screenplay "Sense and Sensibility" 1995
• Golden Globe Award Best Screenplay "Sense and Sensibility" 1995
• Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award Best Screenplay "Sense and Sensibility" 1995
• National Board of Review Award Best Actress "Carrington" and "Sense and Sensibility" 1995
• New York Film Critics Circle Award Best Screenplay "Sense and Sensibility" 1995
• Oscar Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published "Sense and Sensibility" 1995
• David di Donatello Prize Best Foreign Actress "The Remains of the Day" 1994
• Boston Society of Film Critics Award Best Actress "Howards End" 1992
• Chicago Film Critics Association Award Best Actress "Howards End" 1992
• Golden Globe Award Best Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama) "Howards End" 1992
• Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award Best Actress "Howards End" 1992
• National Board of Review Award Best Actress "Howards End" 1992
• National Society of Film Critics Award Best Actress "Howards End" 1992
• New York Film Critics Circle Award Best Actress "Howards End" 1992
• Oscar Best Actress "Howards End" 1992
• BAFTA Award Best Television Actress "Fortunes of War" 1987