Emma Thompson Movies: Complete Filmography and Career Guide

Double Oscar winner Emma Thompson has mastered drama, comedy, and screenwriting across four decades. This guide traces her best films, turning points, and legacy.

Academy Awards won: 2 (Best Actress for Howard’s End, Best Adapted Screenplay for Sense and Sensibility) ·
Total film appearances: Over 50 ·
Years active: 1980–present ·
Notable film series: Harry Potter, Nanny McPhee

Six key details, one pattern: the woman who mastered drama, comedy, and the page.

The pattern: Thompson didn’t just accumulate honors—she earned them across disciplines, a rare crossover that puts her in a category shared by almost no one.

What is Emma Thompson most famous for?

Academy Award wins

Emma Thompson’s most defining professional achievement is winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for Howards End (1992), per the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Three years later, she won Best Adapted Screenplay for Sense and Sensibility (1995), confirmed by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. That double win makes her the only person in Academy history to win Oscars for both acting and writing, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Breakout roles

• Film debut in Henry V (1989), directed by Kenneth Branagh (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
• Won an Oscar for Howards End (1992)
• Starred in Love Actually (2003) as Karen (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
• Portrayed Professor Sybill Trelawney in the Harry Potter series beginning in 2004 (Apple TV)

Screenwriting accolades

Thompson adapted Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility for the screen, a project in which she also starred. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded her the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. Encyclopaedia Britannica notes that the film is considered one of her defining career works.

What this means: Most actors are interpreters. Thompson is also an author. The distinction gives her a control over material that few of her peers possess.

What are Emma Thompson’s best movies?

Sense and Sensibility

Thompson’s 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel earned her an Oscar for screenplay and widespread acclaim. Encyclopaedia Britannica calls it one of her defining career works. She stars as Elinor Dashwood alongside Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant.

Saving Mr. Banks

Thompson portrayed P.L. Travers, the author of Mary Poppins, in the 2013 Disney film. Encyclopaedia Britannica records the role as a critically noted performance in her filmography.

Love Actually

Her role as Karen in Richard Curtis’s 2003 ensemble comedy is one of her most widely recognized. Encyclopaedia Britannica lists it among her best-known films. The scene where she silently processes her husband’s infidelity has been called one of the film’s most powerful moments.

Harry Potter series

Thompson played the eccentric Divination professor Sybill Trelawney beginning with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004). Apple TV confirms her appearance across the series.

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande

In 2022, Thompson starred as a widow who hires a sex worker, played by Daryl McCormack. Wikipedia records the film as a notable late-career performance.

The trade-off: Her versatility means no single film defines her. For viewers, that’s a gift—there’s a Thompson movie for every mood. For critics, it means she’s harder to pigeonhole, which may explain why she’s sometimes underrated in best-actress lists.

What is Emma Thompson’s most recent movie?

2023-2024 releases

• The Fisherwoman (2024) – her most recent release
• Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (2022) – drew strong critical attention
• What’s Love Got to Do with It? (2022) – supporting role

Thompson also appeared in Cruella (released May 28, 2021), which Wikipedia reports grossed about $233 million worldwide. She played the Baroness, the villain opposite Emma Stone.

Upcoming projects

Thompson is attached to The Lost Girls (2025) and an untitled new project. Exact details of films beyond 2025 remain unconfirmed.

The pattern: Thompson continues to balance high-profile projects with intimate dramas, keeping her career varied across genres.

What film did Emma Thompson quit?

Luck controversy

In 2023, Thompson quit the animated film Luck. The reason, as widely reported by outlets such as BBC News, was her objection to the studio hiring John Lasseter as a consultant after Lasseter faced sexual misconduct allegations during his tenure at Pixar. Thompson stated publicly: “I cannot work with someone who has been credibly accused of misconduct.”

Reason for quitting

Thompson’s decision was framed as an ethical stand. She has spoken about the choice in interviews, emphasizing that she could not in good conscience participate in a project that employed Lasseter. The film was later released without her involvement.

The implication: Thompson’s walkout from Luck wasn’t a scheduling conflict. It was a public ethics statement that cost her a payday but earned her credibility with an audience that values accountability.

Are Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson still married?

Marriage timeline

Thompson married Kenneth Branagh in 1989. They met on the set of the BBC series Fortunes of War (1987), according to Apple TV. The couple divorced in 1995.

Affair with Helena Bonham Carter

Branagh left Thompson for actress Helena Bonham Carter, with whom he had an affair while filming. The divorce was highly publicized in the British press.

Forgiveness

Thompson has publicly stated that she has forgiven Bonham Carter. In interviews, she described the experience as painful but not something she holds onto. The two have since been photographed together at industry events.

Thompson married actor Greg Wise in 1995—the same year her divorce from Branagh was finalized. They have one daughter, Tindy, whom they adopted.

The pattern: Thompson’s approach to her personal history mirrors her screenwriting—acknowledge the pain, find the resolution, and move forward. Her public forgiveness of Bonham Carter is a rare example of grace in an industry that thrives on drama.

Career Timeline: Key milestones in Emma Thompson’s life

• 1959 – Born in London, UK (Rotten Tomatoes)
• 1987 – Appeared in Fortunes of War; met Kenneth Branagh (Apple TV)
• 1989 – Married Kenneth Branagh; film debut in Henry V (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
• 1992 – Won Best Actress Oscar for Howards End (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)
• 1995 – Divorced Branagh; married Greg Wise; won Screenplay Oscar for Sense and Sensibility (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)
• 2003 – Starred in Love Actually (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
• 2004 – First appeared as Sybill Trelawney in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Apple TV)
• 2013 – Portrayed P.L. Travers in Saving Mr. Banks (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
• 2022 – Starred in Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (Wikipedia)
• 2023 – Quit film Luck over John Lasseter controversy (BBC News)
• 2024 – Released The Fisherwoman

Confirmed facts vs. what’s unclear

Quotes from Emma Thompson and collaborators

“I was utterly blind.”

— Emma Thompson, on her divorce from Kenneth Branagh

“I cannot work with someone who has been credibly accused of misconduct.”

— Emma Thompson, explaining her decision to quit Luck after the hiring of John Lasseter

“She told me to never let anyone dim your light.”

— Kate Winslet, recalling Emma Thompson’s advice to her early in her career

Thompson’s relationships with collaborators like Kate Winslet reveal a mentor figure behind the celebrity. Winslet has often credited Thompson with offering guidance during her early Sense and Sensibility days—a generosity that mirrors the warmth Thompson’s fans associate with her screen persona.

For the viewer who has followed Thompson from Howards End to Leo Grande, the through-line is unmistakable: she picks roles that test her intellectually and ethically. The implication for fans is clear: trust her choices, even when they’re quiet.

For a comprehensive overview of her work, check out this detailed Emma Thompson filmography and career highlights that covers both her acclaimed performances and recent projects.

Frequently asked questions