Emma Thompson on screen and stage
British actress Dame Emma Thompson has appeared in many films, television programmes and stage productions. She has won and been nominated for many awards during her career, including five Academy Award nominations, nine Golden Globe Award nominations, seven BAFTA Award nominations, and six Emmy Award nominations.
She first came to prominence in 1987 in two BBC TV series, Tutti Frutti and Fortunes of War, winning the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for her work in both series. Her first film role was in the 1989 romantic comedy The Tall Guy, and in the early 1990s, she and her then husband, actor and director Kenneth Branagh co-starred in several films, including Dead Again and Much Ado About Nothing.
In 1992, Thompson won an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress for the period drama Howards End. In 1993, she garnered dual Academy Award nominations for her roles in The Remains of the Day as the housekeeper of a grand household and In the Name of the Father as a lawyer. Thompson scripted and starred in Sense and Sensibility, which earned her numerous awards. In 2013, she received acclaim and several award nominations for her portrayal of author P. L. Travers in Saving Mr. Banks. Other notable film and television credits include the Harry Potter film series, Wit, Love Actually, Angels in America, Nanny McPhee, Stranger than Fiction, Last Chance Harvey, Men in Black 3, Brave, A Walk in the Woods, Bridget Jones's Baby, Beauty and the Beast, Late Night, Years and Years written by Russell T. Davies and Cruella.
Film
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1982 | Cambridge Footlights Revue | Various roles | TV special |
| 1982 | There's Nothing to Worry About! | Mrs Wally | 3 episodes |
| 1983–1984 | Alfresco | Various roles | 13 episodes |
| 1984 | The Comic Strip Presents | Young Woman | Episode: "Slags" |
| 1984 | The Young Ones | Miss Money-Sterling | Episode: "Bambi" |
| 1985 | Emma Thompson: Up for Grabs | Various | TV film |
| 1987 | Tutti Frutti | Suzi Kettles | Miniseries; 6 episodes |
| 1987 | Fortunes of War | Harriet Pringle | Miniseries; 7 episodes |
| 1988 | Thompson | Various roles | 6 episodes |
| 1989 | Look Back in Anger | Alison Porter | TV film |
| 1990 | Knuckle | Jenny Wilbur | TV film |
| 1990 | The Winslow Boy | Catherine Winslow | TV film |
| 1992 | Cheers | Nanette Guzman | Episode: "One Hugs, the Other Doesn't" |
| 1994 | The Blue Boy | Marie Bonnar | TV film |
| 1997 | Ellen | Herself | Episode: "Emma" |
| 1997 | Hospital! | Elephant Woman | TV film |
| 2001 | Wit | Vivian Bearing | TV film; also writer |
| 2003 | Angels in America | Nurse Emily/Homeless Woman/The Angel America | Miniseries, 5 episodes |
| 2009 | QI | Herself | Series F, Episode: "Film" |
| 2010 | The Song of Lunch | She | TV film |
| 2012 | Walking the Dogs | Elizabeth II | TV film |
| 2017 | Upstart Crow | Elizabeth I | Episode: "A Christmas Crow" |
| 2018 | King Lear | Goneril | TV film |
| 2019 | Saturday Night Live | Herself | Episode: "Emma Thompson/Jonas Brothers" |
| 2019 | Years and Years | Vivienne Rook MP | Miniseries, 6 episodes |
| 2022 | Why Didn't They Ask Evans? | Lady Marcham | Episode #1.1 |
| 2025 | Down Cemetery Road | Zoë | TV series |
Stage
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Ref. |
| 1982 | Not the Nine O'Clock News | UK tour | ||
| 1982 | Beyond the Footlights | Performer; Playwright | Lyric Theatre, London | |
| 1984 | Short Vehicle | Performer; Playwright | Edinburgh Festival | |
| 1984–1985 | Me and My Girl | Sally Smith | Leicester Haymarket Theatre Adelphi Theatre, London | |
| 1989 | Look Back in Anger | Alison | Lyric Theatre, London | |
| 1990 | King Lear | Fool | Dominion Theatre, London Renaissance Theatre Company U.S. National Tour | |
| 1990 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Helena | International tour | |
| 2014–2015 | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | Mrs. Lovett | Avery Fisher Hall, New York City London Coliseum English National Opera | |
| 2022 | Whodunnit Unrehearsed 2 | The Inspector | Park Theatre (London) |