Emma Thompson
Date of birth
15th April, 1959
Occupation
Actor
Sex
1st January, 1970
Height
1.71
Emma Thompson (born 15.4.1959)
Emma Thompson is a British actress and has won a number of awards, including an Academy Award and awards from BAFTA and Golden Globe.
Emma Thompson: Childhood
Emma Thompson was born in Paddington, London. Her father, Eric Thompson, was an actor and also wrote the hugely successful children's show The Magic Roundabout. Her mother, Phyllida Law is also an actress.
Thompson attended Camden School for Girls and went on to study English at Cambridge University. Whilst at university, Thompson was a member of Footlights, the university theatrical club. Fellow members at the time included Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Tony Slattery. Shortly after graduating from university, Emma landed a role in the West End production of Me and My Girl, alongside Robert Lindsay. She then went on to star in the BBC drama Fortunes of War.
Emma Thompson: Acting Career
Thompson started out in television, with a BBC comedy sketch show, entitled Thompson. The series was unpopular and criticised by TV journalists.
Emma Thompson got her first major role in a film, in The Tall Guy. In 1992, she went on to star in Howard's End. It was this role that earned her an Oscar for Best Actress. She went on to appear in a string of critically acclaimed productions, including In The Name of the Father and The Remains of the Day, in which she starred alongside Anthony Hopkins.
In 1996, Thompson won her second Oscar; this time for Best Adapted Screenplay, for her adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, the novel by Jane Austen. She was also nominated for Best Actress for her lead role in the film. Hugh Grant co-starred as the male lead.
Returning to television work, Thompson has featured in HBO's drama series Wit in 2001 and Angels in America in 2003.
Thompson's more recent film work has seen her star as Sybill Trelawney in two Harry Potter films, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. In 2005, Emma Thompson took the lead role in Nanny McPhee, which she also wrote. The project took her nine years and was considered a moderate success.
In Stranger than Fiction, Thompson plays an author obsessed with killing her main character, though the character turns out to be a real person.
Emma Thompson: Personal Life
Whilst at university, Thompson dated fellow Footlights member Hugh Laurie.
In 1989, Emma Thompson married the actor Kenneth Branagh. She had previously worked with him on Fortunes of War. The couple went on to work with each other on Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing and Dead Again. In 1995, the pair divorced.
In 2003, Emma Thompson re-married, to the actor Greg Wise. They have a daughter together, named Gaia Romilly, who was born in 1999. The year that they married, the couple also adopted a 16 year old Rwandan refugee by the name of Tindyebwa Agaba. It is thought that Tindyebwa's family members were all killed in the Rwandan genocide. Thompson and Wise are currently fighting a decision to deport him.
Emma Thompson Is So Over The Royal Wedding
By Charlotte Court in Movies / TV / Theatre on 15 May 2018
The actress had to field royal wedding questions as she promoted her new BBC project
The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has seized even the most sceptical romantic in its royal grip - with the slight exception, however, of actress Emma Thompson. The veteran star - a symbol of Britishness herself - was blindsided about the upcoming nuptials by journalists when promoting her latest BBC project.
The 58-year-old has confessed that the moment when her character is sobbing in the bedroom listening to Joni Mitchell in the 2003 film was inspired by her own emotions from her break-up with Kenneth Branagh, after she discovered that he had reportedly had an affair with Helena Bonham Carter.
Continue reading: Emma Thompson's Marital Breakdown Inspired 'Love Actually' Performance
The Meyerowitz Stories (New And Selected) Review
Excellent
Noah Baumbach (Frances Ha) is on his way to becoming the new Woody Allen, which is a compliment. This film features an eclectic ensemble of A-listers coming together to play a hilariously neurotic Jewish New York family. The film is episodic and very entertaining as these people collide against each other. And their banter is wickedly funny, even when they're grappling with some very dark themes. It's also a rare chance to see Adam Sandler shine in a non-silly role.
He's at the centre of the story as Danny, who has just split from his wife and moved back in with his cantankerous father Harold (Dustin Hoffman) and his loveably goofy fourth wife Maureen (Emma Thompson). Everyone in this family has artistic tendencies, including Danny, his sister Jean (Elizabeth Marvel) and Danny's 18-year-old daughter Eliza (Grace Van Patten), who is heading off to university to study film. And then there's younger half-brother Matthew (Ben Stiller), who abandoned art to become a wealthy businessman in Los Angeles. Danny and Jean have always felt ignored in Matthew's presence, and this comes out into the open when they all gather to help take care of Harold when he ends up in hospital.
Continue reading: The Meyerowitz Stories (New And Selected) Review
The Meyerowitz Stories New And Selected Trailer
Harold Meyerowitz (Dustin Hoffman) is a celebrated New York artist, whose quick-temper and filter-less conversation has left him estranged from his entire family. But when an event comes up celebrating his work at the Museum of Modern Art, they return to enjoy the experience with him. Of course, he's a particularly embarrassing person to spend time with, given that he's never short of opinions or afraid to speak his mind and thus ends up coming across as the rudest person in the room at any public event.
Matthew Meyerowitz (Ben Stiller) is his diplomatic son, who has actually had a piece of Harold's art named after him, but there is also his less successful son Danny (Adam Sandler) and his awkward daughter Jean (Elizabeth Marvel), and all of them want to make the most out of their rare time with their father and his alcohol-loving wife Maureen (Emma Thompson).
It's particularly important for Danny to establish some kind of bond again, as his daughter Eliza (Grace Van Patten) is about to move away to college; he's proud, of course, because he was never able to get through college himself, but it's forcing him to release that the time he has left with his father is important.
Continue: The Meyerowitz Stories New And Selected Trailer
Emma Thompson seen at the launch of a new cookbook written by chocolatier and pâtissier Paul A Young titled 'Sensational Chocolate' in aid of the Children's Air Ambulance. Held at One Marylebone, London, United Kingdom - Wednesday 26th October 2016
Emma Thompson at the 'Bridget Jones' Baby' world premiere held at The Odeon Leicester Square, London, United Kingdom - Monday 5th September 2016
Emma Thompson, Mark Rylance And Others Pose For Nude Photos With Dead Fish
By Ed Biggs in Lifestyle / Showbiz on 25 March 2016
They were just two of many celebrities taking part in the Fishlove campaign against over-fishing, and the images will be made into a range of posters.
Emma Thompson and Mark Rylance and other stars are taking part in an awareness campaign to highlight the dangers of overfishing. Nothing unusual about that, you might think, until you see the photos from the campaign, featuring the celebrities posing nude with fish.
The Fishlove campaign is aimed at persuading diners to choose less well-known fish such as spratt and herring in order to protect cod and bream stocks.
Continue reading: Emma Thompson, Mark Rylance And Others Pose For Nude Photos With Dead Fish
Emma Thompson - Emma Thompson and Chris Rock on the film set of the new movie 'Yen Din Ka Kissa' in New York City at Strrets of NY City - New York City, New York, United States - Wednesday 9th March 2016
Burnt Review
Good
Strong characters help hold the attention as this overcooked drama develops, but in the end it feels so concocted that it's difficult to believe. While there's plenty of potential in the premise, the film becomes distracted by irrelevant subplots that try to stir up some tension but never quite manage it. And for a movie about food, the cuisine is simply too abstract to be mouthwatering.
At the centre is Adam (Bradley Cooper), a bad boy chef whose partying ways ended his high-flying career in Paris. After a period of penance in New Orleans, he moves to London to start again, with the goal of finally getting his elusive third Michelin star. Since he has alienated his friends, he turns to Tony (Daniel Bruhl), a guy who always had a soft spot for him and happens to be running a posh restaurant, which Adam quickly takes over. He rustles up some old colleagues (Omar Sy and Riccardo Scamarcio) and hires hot-shot Helene (Sienna Miller) as his sous chef. But his demanding perfectionism is keeping things from running very smoothly.
This set-up is ripe for both black comedy and soul-searching drama, and yet writer Steven Knight throws in irrelevant sideroads including a mandated therapist (the wonderful Emma Thompson), a bitter rival (a jagged Matthew Rhys), a couple of randomly violent loan sharks and a precocious little girl. Even though the actors do what they can to make every scene intriguing, none of these story elements add anything to the overall film. Still, Cooper holds the movie together with sheer charisma, even if his sudden transition from absolute tyrant to cuddly sweetheart isn't terribly convincing. At least he adds some surprising textures to his scenes, and indulges in sparky banter with those around him. And while Miller is solid in her thankless role, even she can't breathe life into such a thinly developed romance.
Continue reading: Burnt Review
A Walk In The Woods Review
Very Good
Echoing his witty writing style, Bill Bryson's memoir of his trek up the Appalachian Trail is adapted as a gently amusing comedy that combines big landscapes with sharp observational humour. Even though it centres on two old men, the film's message is almost identical to Reese Witherspoon's Wild, except that this movie never preaches at all. Instead, it meanders along with a wry smile and an ear for a snappy punchline.
Bill (Robert Redford) has moved back to America with his English wife Catherine (Emma Thompson) after living in Britain for 20 years. And now he feels the need to reconnect with his homeland. So he decides to hike the 2,100-mile mountain path from Georgia to Maine. Catherine insists that he takes someone with him, but the only volunteer is Katz (Nick Nolte), a wheezing ex-alcoholic with whom Bill deliberately lost touch. Even so, they set off on their walk, having a series of small adventures as they meet other hikers (including the hilariously too-perky Kristen Schaal), flirt with a hotel owner (Mary Steenburgen) and get into a bit of trouble when Katz has a romp with a married woman (Susan McPhail). They also encounter a couple of grizzly bears and find themselves trapped overnight on a narrow mountain ledge.
The question obviously isn't whether or not they complete the epic trek. No, this is a film about how self-discovery continues into old age, and so does the ability to discover new things in the world. Director Ken Kwapis makes the most of the picturesque landscapes, while including superb details that make the journey come to life. Although there are several sequences that were obviously shot in a studio with a fake backdrop and green-screen vistas. And some of the events along the way are badly contrived, dipping into silly slapstick. On the other hand, the running conversation between these two long-time friends is priceless.
Continue reading: A Walk In The Woods Review
Emma Thompson Joins Greenpeace Protests Over Shell Arctic Drilling
By Ed Biggs in Movies / TV / Theatre on 02 September 2015
The star, and committed advocate on environmental issues, took to the streets with dozens of Greenpeace protestors on Wednesday.
Emma Thompson has added her voice to the Greenpeace protests occurring outside Shell’s headquarters on London’s Southbank over the last several weeks, helping the demonstrators and telling the attendant media that people needed to “get the f*** involved” in order to prevent damage to the environment.
On Wednesday (September 2nd), the 56 year old actress joined with Greenpeace’s ongoing protests, which have lasted a number of weeks, against Shell’s Arctic drilling programme. It has attracted the attention of top classical musicians who have composed ‘requiems to the Arctic’, and the support of other celebrities such as Charlotte Church.
Continue reading: Emma Thompson Joins Greenpeace Protests Over Shell Arctic Drilling
Burnt - Teaser Trailer
Restauranteering is not a profession that should be taken lightly. Indeed, it's less of a job and more of a way of life for Adam Jones, who has wanted to become the greatest chef the world has ever seen since as long as he can remember. He was just 16-years-old when he left school to go to Paris and achieve his dream; becoming a Michelin star chef infamous across the Parisian culinary scene. But his rise to success came much too soon, and it wasn't long before his dream began to crumble around him, beaten by a life of drugs, violence, and volatile behaviour. With many of his opponents thinking him dead, he returns to London a new man to reignite his passion, earn a third Michelin star, and open the best restaurant in the world. All he needs is a talented team behind him, who is willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Continue: Burnt - Teaser Trailer
Emma Thompson Claims Hollywood Sexism Is Worse Than Ever
By Ed Biggs in Movies / TV / Theatre on 22 July 2015
Thompson, one of Britain's best-loved entertainers, was speaking to the Radio Times ahead of her new movie 'The Legend of Barney Thomson'.
Beloved English actress Emma Thompson has waded into the debate about gender equality in Hollywood, claiming that, far from making progress since the issue was first seriously raised in the last decade, the industry has gone backwards.
Speaking to the UK entertainment magazine Radio Times, the 56 year old star bemoaned that sexism in the movies was “still completely s***”. She’s one of many recent high-profile names to point out the equality gap in Hollywood, following the likes of Meryl Streep, Sandra Bullock and Patricia Arquette.
“I don’t think there’s any appreciable improvement, and I think that, for women, the question of how they are supposed to look is worse than it was even when I was young. So no, I am not impressed, at all. I think it’s still completely s***, actually,” Thompson said.
Continue reading: Emma Thompson Claims Hollywood Sexism Is Worse Than Ever
Emma Thompson - British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) 2014 held at the Royal Opera House - Press Room - London, United Kingdom - Monday 17th February 2014
Emma Thompson - EE British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) 2014 held at the Royal Opera House - Arrivals - London, United Kingdom - Sunday 16th February 2014