Born:
April 15, 1959
in
London
Best Known For:
Being one of Britain's premier actresses.
Early-life:
Born April 15, 1959, in Paddington, London. Her father was Eric Thompson, a stage director and the man behind the British version of The Magic Roundabout. Her mother is actress Phyllida Law and her sister, Sophie, is also a thespian. She originally wanted to be a writer, but the acting bug bit while at Cambridge University (her contemporaries included Stephen Fry, Tony Slattery and Hugh Laurie). Her performances were so impressive an agent signed her two years before she finished her studies.
Career:
After a spell as a stand-up comic, Thompson teamed up with Fry and Laurie for TV sketch show Alfresco, starred in West End smash Me and My Girl, and acclaimed dramas Tutti Frutti and Fortunes of War. Her first film was 1989's The Tall Guy. Already a familiar face in the UK, she became an international star thanks to her Oscar-winning role in 1992's Howards End. She later won another Academy Award, this time for writing the screenplay for Sense and Sensibility. She also wrote as well as starred in Nanny McPhee and its sequel. Thompson's other movies include Dead Again, In the Name of the Father, The Remains of the Day, Junior, Primary Colors, Love Actually, Stranger Than Fiction, I Am Legend, Brideshead Revisited, The Boat That Rocked, three Harry Potter movies and Saving Mr Banks.
Quote:
"I mind having to look pretty, because it is so much more of an effort."
Trivia:
She speaks French and Spanish fluently.