Emma Thompson

Dame Emma Thompson, DBE, is a British actress, voice actress, comedian, screenwriter, author, and activist, who is best known for her roles as Margaret Schlegel in the 1992 romantic period drama film, Howard's End for which she earned an Academy Award for Best Actress, and was nominated for her roles in the period drama film, The Remains of the Day, Jim Sheridan's biographical legal drama, In the Name of the Father (both films released in 1993), and as Elinor Dashwood in Ang Lee's 1995 period drama film, Sense and Sensibility, for which she garnered another Best Actress nomination and won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay; making her the only person to have won an Academy Award for both writing and acting. Thompson's other notable roles include Richard Curtis's 2003 Christmas-themed romantic comedy film, Love Actually, Sybill Trelawney in the Harry Potter franchise, Nanny McPhee in the 2005 comedy fantasy film, Nanny McPhee and its 2010 sequel, Nanny McPhee Returns (the latter of which was also scripted by her), the 2006 fantasy comedy-drama film, Stranger Than Fiction, and the 2019 comedy-drama film, Late Night.

Thompson is regarded as one of the UK's most acclaimed actresses and is known for her portrayals of enigmatic women, often in period dramas and literary adaptations, and playing matronly characters with a sense of wit.

Her Disney roles include Captain Amelia in the 2002 Disney animated feature film, Treasure Planet, Queen Elinor in the 2012 Disney/Pixar film, Brave, P. L. Travers in the 2013 biographical drama film, Saving Mr. Banks, Mrs. Potts in Bill Condon's 2017 live-action adaptation of musical romantic fantasy film, Beauty and the Beast, and Baroness Von Hellman in Craig Gillespie's 2021 One Hundred and One Dalmatians live-action prequel/spin-off, Cruella.^[1]

Disney Roles[]

Trivia[]

Dame Emma Thompson shares the following things with Emma Watson:
- Both of them were born on April 15.
- Their first names of both of them is Emma, and their respective surnames ends in "-son".
- Both of them starred in the Harry Potter franchise. Also, both of them starred in Beauty and the Beast from 2017 (Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts and Emma Watson as Belle).
  - In reference of the movie, they also share the same birthday with Luke Evans, who portrayed Gaston, and Nathan Mack, who portrayed Chip.
- Both of them are famous British actresses.
Her character that she portrayed in Beauty and the Beast, Mrs. Potts, was voiced by Dame Angela Lansbury in the 1991 animated film of the same name. Interestingly, both of them are highly-acclaimed and widely-respected British actresses, and are close friends in real life.
- Coincidentally, Thompson portrayed P. L. Travers in the biopic about the production of the 1964's Mary Poppins, Saving Mr. Banks; whereas Lansbury played the Balloon Lady in its 2018 sequel, Mary Poppins Returns.
- In addition, both Thompson and Lansbury also collaborated in Nanny McPhee (2005), as well as played the role of Mrs. Lovett in their respective theater productions of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Thompson played the part in the 2014 Lincoln Center play, whereas Lansbury portrayed the part in the 1979 Broadway play).
Thompson reprised the role of Mrs. Potts in a sketch that was based on Beauty and the Beast in an episode of the NBC show Saturday Night Live.
Thompson was once married with Sir Kenneth Branagh from 1989 to 1995, of which they met in 1987 during the filming of the BBC television series, Fortunes of War, and has appeared together in several films such as Look Back in Anger, Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing, Dead Again, and Peter's Friends, and both couple would eventually separate in 1995 due to Branagh's affair with Helena Bonham Carter. In addition, Thompson, Branagh, and Bonham Carter would later went on to appear in the Harry Potter franchise, albeit in different films; as well as participated in the respective Disney live-action adaptations (of which Branagh directed 2015's Cinderella, with Bonham Carter featuring as the Fairy Godmother, while Thompson played as Mrs. Potts in 2017's Beauty and the Beast, respectively).