31 Extraordinary Facts About Emma Thompson We Bet You Didn’t Know

With her sophisticated and witty performances, for years Emma Thompson has managed to leave the audience amazed. Later, her award-winning scripts have only upped her game, making her one of the gems of the Hollywood. Apart from her acting and screenwriting career, she is constantly in the limelight for supporting and voicing several important sensitive topics like climate change, feminism and poverty.  Still, there’s always something we bet you didn’t know about her before. Here is a collection of such unknown facts about the award-winning actress:

1. Thompson is one of Britain’s most accomplished actresses and screenwriter, noted for her sophisticated and witty performances and later for her award-winning scripts.
2. She was appointed ‘Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2018 Birthday Honors list, with citation reading as one of the most versatile and celebrated actresses.
3. Thompson is recipient of two Academy Award, two British Academy Film Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, British Academy Television Award, Primetime Emmy Award, and three BAFTA Awards, among numerous other awards.
4. Thompson, the daughter of Scottish actress Phyllida Law and English-born theatre personality Eric Thompson, grew up in West Hampstead in north London, along with her younger sister Sophie Thompson, also an actress.
5. After completing her schooling at Camden School for Girls, she attended Newham College, Cambridge, for her English degree and graduated with upper second class honors.
6. As the first female member of Footlights, the Cambridge Universities prestigious sketch comedy troupe and growing up in theatrical household, it was only appropriate for her to embark on a career in entertainment beginning with BBC, touring with comedy show.
7. She co-wrote, co-produced, and co-directed Cambridge University’s first all-female troupe ‘Women’s Hour,’ in 1983. The following year the team won the ‘Perrier Award,’ for their sketch show ‘The Cellar Tapes,’ at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
8. She made her television debut with the regional ITV comedy series ‘There’s Nothing to Worry About,’ and followed it up with couple of one-off show such as ‘The Crystal Cube,’ ‘The Comic Strip Presents,’ and ‘The Young Ones.’
9. Her first major television show was the 1983 comedy skit ‘Alfresco,’ which she wrote and performed along with her fellow actors from Footlights troupe, Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie.
10. In the revival of the play ‘Me and My Girl,’ in 1985, Thompson co-starring Robert Lindsay, earned a rave review for her West End musical debut playing the role Sally Smith for 15 months.
11. Thompson earned her first recognition with 1987 ‘British Academy Television Award,’ for Best Actress in leading roles, in two miniseries, ‘Fortune of War,’ and ‘TuttiFrutti.’
12. She made her feature film debut in the British romantic comedy film of 1989 ‘The Tall Guy,’ and followed it with ‘Impromptu,’ and ‘Dead Again.’ She was nominated for ‘Independent Spirit Awards,’ for Best Supporting Female, for her portrayal of Duchess d’Antan, in Impromptu.
13. In 1989, she married the actor and director Kenneth Branagh, whom she on the sets of Fortunes of War, and appeared in several films together. In September 1995, they announced their separation following Branagh’s extra-marital affairs.
14. Thompson won her first Academy Award for Best Actress in lead role in the Merchant Ivory production of ‘Howard End.’ She received total of thirteen nominations for her role as Margaret Schlegel winning seven of these including an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA, to become an international star overnight.
15. Thompson continued to work effortlessly in both art and mainstream film quite effortlessly. She was widely praised for her grace, sense of comedy and on screen chemistry with Branagh in the ‘Peter’s Friends,’ and ‘Much Ado About Nothing,’ earning an ‘Independent Spirit Award nomination.’
16. She earned yet another trans-Atlantic nomination for the second theatrical movie collaboration with Merchant Ivory production ‘The Remains of the Day,’ starring alongside Anthony Hopkins. The film not only was a commercial success but a greatest experience of her film career.
17. Thompson made her Hollywood debut in the 1994 comedy film ‘Junior,’ as a goofy doctor alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger. Though both received Golden Globe Award nomination, the film was poorly received and flopped at the box office.
18. With her ‘Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award win for the film ‘Sense and Sensibility,’ she became the first person to receive Oscar for acting and writing. She also starred in the film for which she earned her second ‘BAFTA Award for Best Actress,’ and a ‘Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay.
19. In 1997, she starred in the Alan Rickman’s directional debut along with her mother Phyllida Law, in the drama film ‘The Winter Guest.’ The film was welcomed by the critics, with Thompson winning an award at the Venice Film Festival.
20. She received a ‘Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series,’ for her self-parodying performance in an episode of ‘Ellen.’
21. In the television movie ‘Wit,’ her portrayal of a Cancer patient Vivian Bearing, earned her nomination at the Golden Globes, Emmys and Screen Actors Guild Awards. Her work was hailed as one of her finest and most brilliant performances.
22. In the second HBO miniseries ‘Angels in America,’ she portrays three character, that of a nurse, a homeless woman, and the title role of The Angle of America. The film dealing with AIDS epidemic, was well received and she was nominated for Emmy Award.
23. In 2004, she played the role of ‘hippy chick professor, Sybill Trelawney, who teaches fortune-telling, in the third Harry Potter film, the Prisoner of Azkaban. She accepted the role to impress her daughter, Gaia, and recalled her time on the popular franchise a ‘great fun.’
24. After attaining motherhood, she made conscious decision to reduce her work load and started appearing in number of films in minor roles. An uncredited role in ‘I Am Legend,’ as devoutly Catholic Lady in ‘Brideshead Revisited,’ as a headmistress in ‘An Education,’ the head agent in ‘Men in Black 3,’ and the Queen Elizabeth II in an episode of ‘Playhouse Presents.’
25. She is married to actor Greg Wise, since 2003 and they live in West Hampstead, London with her daughter, Gaia. She become pregnant on two previous occasion and suffered miscarriage on both occasions, before she used IVF to conceive Gaia Wise in 1999. The couple have adopted a Rwandan orphan and former child soldier named TindyebwaAgasba.
26. On February 28, 2020, she and her husband Wise, were sworn in as honorary citizens of Venice, Italy and became legal residents of Italy as a result. They couple have expressed their desire to relocate to Italy permanently.
27. Thompson is an active environmentalist and human right activist. As a supporter of Greenpeace, she campaigned against climate change and took a ‘Save the Artic,’ expedition to raise awareness on drilling for oil.
28. She is politically liberal and views religion with fear and suspicion. Since becoming a public figure she has regularly voiced her views on many issues and expressed support for the ‘Women’s Equality Party.’ She speaks French and Spanish fluently.
29. In 2012, in commemoration of 110th anniversary of the publication of ‘The Tale of Peter Rabbit,’ by Beatrix Potter, Thompson wrote ‘The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit,’ as an addition to the Peter Rabbit series.
30. In 2009, the ‘Time,’ named her a ‘European Hero,’ in recognition of her work to highlight the plight of AIDS sufferers in Africa.
31. Emma Thompson Net Worth: $50 Million