Love stories. Love Stories Personal life of Emma Thompson

Genus. 1962) is also an actress.

Emma's wit developed in the creative and talented atmosphere of fun that reigned in the family. Thompson went to Cambridge, where she studied English literature, and also became a member of the university theater group Footlights Group, the famous student community where the future members of Monty Python first met. She was a successful and popular student.

In 1980, Thompson graduated and began a career in entertainment, appearing on BBC radio and touring with comedy troupes. Soon she made her high-profile debut on television - in the sketch show "Alfresco" ("Alfresco", 1983), for which she wrote scripts with her companions on Footlights Group Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, now famous Dr. House.
In addition, in the mid-1980s, Thompson worked in other comedy television programs, sometimes with members of the Footlights, but more often with actor Robbie Coltrane (Robbie Coltrane).

A new joint project between Thompson and Fry took place in 1985. They staged the play "Me and My Girl" in London's West End. Emma starred Sally Smith. The play was a success, earning praise from critics. Emma Thompson's impressive performance earned her the lead role in the BBC television series Fortunes of War (1987). Thompson and her co-star Kenneth Branagh play British expatriate couple living in Eastern Europe on the eve of World War II. Thompson received a BAFTA award for this work.

On August 20, 1989, she married Kenneth Branagh and continued to work with him, creating a joint motion picture production company.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Thompson participated in a number of successful television and film projects. Most memorable was her role in James Ivory's Howards End (1992), which brought her fame on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as Oscar and BAFTA awards.

Since then, Thompson, without visible effort, continues to act both in art-house films and in Hollywood projects, and she even raises her roles in Hollywood to a new qualitative level. She also continues to work on television, showing extreme legibility when choosing roles.

Thompson writes screenplays for, for example, Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility (1995), in which she herself played the role of Eleanor Dashwood. Thompson also adapted for television the famous play by Margaret Edson (Margaret Edson) "Wit" (Wit, 2001, TV), in which she also played a major role.

Thompson is famous for her skill and refined acting, although some critics call her campy, and of course, for her sparkling wit, the arrows of which she is not afraid to direct in her own direction - she is a fearless sarcastic mocker of herself.

The actress is now married to actor Greg Wise, who played Willoughby in Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility (1995).
They got married on July 29, 2003.
The ceremony took place in Dunoon, Scotland (Dunoon, Scotland).
In 1999, their daughter was born.

In 2003, Thompson and Wise were rumored to have adopted a 16-year-old Rwandan refugee named Tindyebwa Agaba. They are currently fighting against his deportation to Rwanda - presumably, his entire family died there.

Interesting details

Family:
Father - theater director Eric Thompson (Eric Thompson).
Mother, actress Phyllida Law (Phyllida Law) played with her daughter in several films.
Sophie Thompson's younger sister is an actress.
Lives next door to family members: across the street from her mother and up the street from her sister's house.
Her brother-in-law (sister's husband) is British comedian Richard Lumsden.
Since 1997 he has been living with Greg Wise.
December 4, 1999, Saturday, Emma gave birth to a girl, her first child, jokingly calling her "jane.com".
The daughter was named Gaia Romilly Wise.

She graduated from the Camden School for Girls, and in 1982 - Women's Newnham College, Cambridge. Actress Jodhi May also attended a girls' school in Camden.

She was a member of the Footlights/Lamp Lights (Amateur Theater Society of the University of Cambridge). In 1981, together with Stephen Fry, Tony Slattery, Hugh Laurie, Paul Dwyer and Paul Shearer, she won the first ever Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. (Edinburgh Fringe Festival).

Thompson and Hugh Laurie had an affair during their time on Limelights.

Movie roles:

She was supposed to play the role of God in Kevin Smith's film "Dogma" (Dogma, 1999), but due to the pregnancy of the actress, the plan did not materialize.

She turned down a role in Anna and the King (1999), which was later played by Jodie Foster.

Originally planned for the lead role in "Basic Instinct" (Basic Instinct, 1992), but later refused to participate in the film.

One of only 10 actors who were nominated for an Oscar twice in one year - for a supporting role and for a leading role in two different films. Among the other nine is actress Holly Hunter, who was nominated in two categories in the same year as Thompson.

Was planned for the lead role of Emma Peel in The Avengers (1998).

She was an executive producer of "Johnny Hit and Run Pauline", written and directed by Fay Efrosini Lellios.
The project involved Sherilyn Fenn, Kate Winslet, Rufus Sewell, Miranda Richardson and Paul McGann. Filming was to begin in New Hampshire in June 1998. The film was not made due to lack of funding.

Thompson is the only one to have received Academy Awards as both an actress and a screenwriter. She won Best Actress in 1992 for Howards End and Best Screenplay in 1995 for Sense and Sensibility.

While the script for Sense and Sensibility (1995) was being written, Emma had problems with her computer. She took it to Stephen Fry, who, after seven hours of work, finally managed to recover the script file.

The British magazine Empire ranked her 91st in their "100 Movie Stars of All Time" list (October 1997).

Her performance as Miss Kenton in The Remains of the Day (1993) was ranked #52 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Best Actors of All Time list (2006).

She was ranked 5th among the best British film actresses in the 2001 list by the Orange Film Survey.

Accepted the role of Professor Trelawney in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) to please her daughter Gaia.

Nominated as a candidate for the advisory board of the Shakespeare Festival in Cincinnati, Ohio.

She played Hugh Grant's love interest in Sense and Sensibility (1995) and his sister in Love Actually (2003).

She became friends with Meryl Streep after filming together in the film Angels in America (Angels in America, 2003).

Miscellaneous:

Speaks French and Spanish.

Her height is 174 cm.

A song by French artist Georges Moustaki from the 2003 album "Moustaki" is named and dedicated to her.

She was born on the same day as Emma Watson, co-star in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

She kept her Oscars in the bathroom, but has now moved them to the office to make more room for her daughter Gaia's creative work.

Emma Thompson: Phrases / Personal Quotes

On his role in the Harry Potter movie: "In the story, I have a nervous breakdown and in one scene I had to stand on the top step of the stairs, waving an empty bottle of sherry. Of course, this is a typical scene from my life, so it didn’t take much effort on the set from me.”

“I can’t stand the newfangled culture – all these disposable fast food celebrities. Terrible vulgarity."

"I am me, and there's nothing I can do about it."

“I have periods of intense activity, but then I stop. It's perfect for me if I can work hard in the morning until I pick Gaia up from school. Being able to leave an empty space in my schedule clears space in my head as well. Gotta learn to speak No».

“Over the years, my appearance has changed quite a lot, but this is mainly due to my feeling - what it means to be a woman. I never considered myself conceited. When I was at Cambridge, I shaved my head and wore baggy clothes. That is, she sought to deprive herself of sex. This is partly the case in the feminism common in those days: aggressiveness and unkemptness.
Now everything has changed, although I do not consider it a sign of exemption from discrimination to be able to show boobs. I do not like it. However, as a woman, I feel much more comfortable now than when I was twenty.

“If I lose my temper and lose my temper, I can’t forgive myself for a long time. I feel like a loser. I can remain calm in times of crisis, in the face of death or other deeply hurting events. I don't get hysterical, which is probably a sign of masochism. But for minor things, I'm not so calm at all. My worst trait is irritability."

"I'm against looking pretty because it takes too much extra effort."

On January 13, 2009, when she returned to England after the American Golden Globes, it was announced that Thompson, along with three other Greenpeace supporters, had bought a plot of land near the village of Sipson. The village's houses are under threat of demolition due to a proposal to build a third runway at Heathrow Airport. Activists hope that the territory they bought - the size of half a football field - will prevent the authorities' plans to expand Heathrow. Bought from a local landowner for an undisclosed sum, the property will be divided into small pieces and sold to people around the world.

In an interview about the issue, Thompson said: “I don't understand how any government that is even slightly concerned about climate change can consider a plan like this. This is ridiculous hypocrisy. Therefore, we bought a plot of land on the site of the planned construction. We will not let that happen, even if we have to move to this area and grow vegetables there.”

Thompson is an atheist and outspoken opponent of religion: “I am an atheist. I can be called an anarchist and a supporter of freedom of thought and action. I view religion with fear and suspicion. It is not enough to simply say that I do not believe in God. I consider the system itself deplorable. I am offended by certain things in the Bible and the Koran, and I reject them.”

UPD
April 2014

55-year-old actress Emma Thompson on "aesthetic" plastic surgery:

"This is madness. It is not normal. And the culture we have created that considers this the norm is also abnormal. Why do people ask to be cut open and stuffed inside? What is it that we do with ourselves?
This is a chronically unhealthy situation with very serious consequences, because it will eventually lead us to a “super culture” that tells young girls and boys that this is normal. And that's not normal."

Translation - E. Kuzmina ©

Greg Wise- English actor and producer. Greg was born into an architect's family in Newcastle upon Tyne.

He was educated at the independent St. Peter's School, York. Entered the University of Edinburgh to study architecture. After moving to Glasgow, Wise studied drama at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

He began acting in television and film. The role of John Willoughby in the film "Mind and Feelings" brought him his first fame. Greg is married to actress Emma Thompson.

• Filmography of Greg Wise / Greg Wise

• Actor
• Effie (2014) Effie Gray… John Ruskin
• Londonistan (2014)…Gladstone, rumors
• Walking in the Sunshine (2014) Holiday!… Doug
• Three Days in Havana (2013) Three Days in Havana Harry Smith
• Blackwood (2013)…Dominic
• Unknown Heart (TV Movie 2013)… Duncan Lancaster
• Homefront (TV Mini-Series 2012)… Major Peter Bartham
• Documental (TV Movie 2011)…Chippy
• The Desperate Bride (TV Movie 2011) Honeymoon for One… Sean Hughes
• Zen (mini-series 2011) Zen… Renato Favelloni
• Bleach (2010)…Dan; short film
• Law & Order: London (TV series 2009 - ...) Law & Order: UK ... Gavin Williams
• Morris (2009) Morris: A Life with Bells On… Villandry
• The Disappeared (2008) Jake Ryan
• Place of Execution (TV series 2008) Philip Hawkin
• Cranford (TV Mini-Series 2007) Sir Charles Maulver
• Marple: Toward Zero (TV Movie 2007) Agatha Christie Marple: Towards Zero… Nevile Strange
• Number 13 (TV Movie 2006) Professor Anderson
• Trial & Retribution: Sins of the Father (TV Movie 2006) John Harrogate
• Elizabeth David: A Life in Recipes (TV Movie 2006)… Peter Higgins
• Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (2005) A Cock and Bull Story… Greg
• 2005 Greyfriars Bobby ... Minister Lee
• Every Seven Years (2004)…Boyfriend; short film
• Piazza delle cinque lune (2003) Francesco Doni
• Agent One Johnny English (2003) Agent One
• Captain Hornblower: Duty (TV Movie 2003) Hornblower: Duty… Major Andre Cotard
• 2003 Captain Hornblower: Loyalty (TV Movie) Hornblower: Loyalty… Major Côtard
• Hills Like White Elephants (2002)… The American; short film
• Sirens (TV Movie 2002) Oliver Rice
• 2001 The Discovery of Heaven… Max
• Madame Bovary (TV Movie 2000) Madame Bovary… Rodolphe (episodes 2, 3)
• Africa (1999) Africa… Josh Sinclair
• 1999 Mad Cows Alex
• Judas Kiss (1998) Ben Dyson
• 1998 Alice Through the Looking Glass (TV Movie) Red Knight
• 1997 The Moonstone (TV Movie) Franklin Blake
• House of Frankenstein (TV Movie 1997) Crispian Grimes
• Trial & Retribution (TV series 1997 – 2009) John Harrogate
• Hospital! (TV Movie 1997)… Jim Nightingale
• The Place of the Dead (TV Movie 1997) ... Corporal Hugh Brittan
• 1995 Sense and Sensibility John Willoughby
• 1995 Feast of July… Arch Wilson
• 1995 The Buccaneers (TV Mini-Series) Edith Wharton Guy Thwaite
• Typhon's People (TV Movie 1993) Typhon's People ... Cato Macgill / Adam Prime
• A Masculine Ending (TV Movie 1992) Jamie Baird
• 1992 Covington Cross (TV series) Henry of Gault
• Tales from the Crypt (TV series 1989 – 1996) Justin Amberson
• Taggart (TV series 1983 - 2010) Taggart ... Gregg Martin
• Producer
• 2010 The Song of Lunch (TV Movie) (executive producer)
• Actor: Plays himself
• Richard & Judy (TV series 2001 - 2008) Richard & Judy ... plays himself
• Breakfast (TV series 2000 - ...) Breakfast ... plays himself
• This Morning (TV series 1988 - 2010) This Morning ... plays himself

Emma Thompson is a famous British actress who received worldwide recognition after the release of the movie "Big Man" and the TV series "Fortune of War" and "Tutti Frutti". The actress won two Oscars for the films Howards End and Sense and Sensibility, won the Emmy television award as the star of the television series Ellen. For British film buffs, Emma is considered one of the classic actresses of today.

She was born in London, near the famous metropolitan Paddington station. Her parents lived there at the time of the birth of her eldest daughter: the Scottish actress Phyllida Lo and her husband Eric Thompson, also a film actor, as well as a screenwriter and narrator of the popular children's show "Magic Adventure" in those years. Three years after Emma, ​​her younger sister Sophie Thompson was born, who also followed in the footsteps of her parents and is now famous all over the world as an actress in the films Gosford Park, Harry Potter and Four Weddings and a Funeral.

Emma's childhood passed in the London area of ​​West Hampstead, in the north of the capital. She went to Camden School for Girls, and went on holidays to the Scottish village of Ardentinny, where her maternal grandparents lived. As a teenager, Thompson was passionate about English literature and dreamed of becoming a writer. The girl even entered after school at Newnham College at the University of Cambridge, where she began to study philology. But, as the actress will say later, after being raised in the family of Phyllida and Eric, she did not have a single chance for any profession other than acting.

In Cambridge, Emma got into the Footlights troupe, through which more than one generation of popular comedians passed. The girl began to develop a talent for making people laugh and went on stage in comic roles. At the same time, she becomes a convinced feminist, cuts her hair short and begins to dye it red, and the expressive lady's favorite hobby is riding a motorcycle around the city and always at high speed. By the way, Thompson became the first female representative in the Footlights troupe, which also speaks of both her talent and determination.

Emma created a spectacular trio with famous comedians in the troupe and, together with them, became the leading actress of this theater. At that time, Thompson satisfied the level of semi-amateur performances. But when Emma's father died suddenly in 1982, the young woman threw herself into work as a psychological defense and in a few years turned into one of the most promising and promising actresses on the London stage. She played in Shakespeare productions, and appeared on television in humorous sketches.

Thompson co-created and hosted the highly acclaimed comedy program Outdoors, and also began to try her hand as an actress on BBC historical series.

Movies

The first feature film in which Emma Thompson was invited was the television comedy Nothing to Worry About! Then there were a number of similar humorous projects. And the first fame for the actress was given by the series - the comedy "Tutti Frutti" and the military drama "Fortune of War". Also in the UK, the light melodrama "Big Man" was a success, in which Emma portrayed the eccentric nurse Kate Lemmon.

Thompson received worldwide recognition after collaborating with the historical film Howards End and the social drama about love At the End of the Day. At the same time, the biographical film "In the name of the father" made a splash. All three works gave the actress nominations for the most prestigious film awards, and Howards End brought Thompson Oscar and Golden Globe awards. They began to invite Emma and foreign film studios. In Hollywood, she starred with and in the comedy "Junior" and in the thriller "Dreaming of Argentina." And over the political tragicomedy "Primary Colors", in which Emma appeared as the first lady of the United States, becoming a screen wife, four countries worked at once.

By the way, the actress managed to realize her childhood dream of becoming a writer: Emma created the script for the novel Sense and Sensibility and received an Oscar as a screenwriter. Soon, the talented woman again sat down at the pen and began work on the script for the family fantasy comedy My Terrible Nanny. True, this time it took her nine years to turn the idea into a finished project. The film was a great success, and Thompson took part in it as an actress, sharing the main roles with and.

Another work of Emma Thompson is participation in the creation of the script for the film adaptation of Jane Austen's popular novel Pride and Prejudice, which was undertaken by director Joe Wright. The main role in the film went to a Hollywood star.

Another success in the creative biography of Emma Thompson was the work on the script for the drama "Effy", in which the actress also appeared in the title role of the writer Lady Eastlake. The cast also includes Greg Wise. The picture was released in 2014.

In the 21st century, the actress, like many leaders of the British stage, starred in the popular saga about the boy wizard "Harry Potter". Emma first appeared in the third part of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban as the eccentric divination teacher Professor Sibyl Trelawney. The actress herself remained dissatisfied with the results of the work, despite the fact that the series of films was immensely popular, and the role of Thompson, unlike most others, was almost a comedy. The actress said that it was boring to shoot, as the directors and producers did not allow her to add a twist to the image of Professor Trelawney, which would turn this character into a diamond.

However, another fantasy project soon appears in the filmography of the actress - the melodrama Beautiful Creatures, in which Emma appeared in two images at once - the mother of the main character Lena (Alice Englert) and the hero Lincoln ().

At the same time, in Britain, Emma enjoys filming the film adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's classic drama Brideshead Revisited and the melodrama Harvey's Last Chance, in which she collaborates with. Also on the account of the actress are star duets with in the comedy How to Steal a Diamond and with in the biographical tragicomedy Save Mr. Banks. In the last of them, Thompson was so successful in the role of the famous English writer, the author of fairy tales about Mary Poppins, that all her colleagues were sure that Emma would get the next Oscar for best actress. All the more shocking was the news that the artist did not even make it to the shortlist of applicants.

Among the latest works of the actress, one can single out the crime comedy Killer Haircut, the military drama Alone in Berlin. In 2016, the third part of the Bridget Jones melodramatic diaries was completed, with Emma Thompson also working on the script. The comedy about 43-year-old Bridget, who has not yet created a family, again attracted the attention of the audience. This time, the heroine manages to jump into the last carriage of the outgoing train and become pregnant. But the situation is complicated by the presence of two contenders for the role of the father of the child. In addition, the main characters were played by and. Emma Thompson herself appeared in the film as a gynecologist.

Personal life

In the late 1970s, the aspiring actress began dating Footlights co-star Hugh Laurie. The relationship lasted about four years, but even after the breakup, the actors remained true and close friends. Warm relations connect them to this day.

Soon Emma met and started an affair with an actor and director, with whom she collaborated on the set of six films. Interestingly, the couple tried not to advertise the connection and tried to prevent the audience from perceiving them as a "star couple". In 1995, the marriage came to a standstill, and Kenneth and Emma divorced.

Later, Thompson admitted that she was in a terrible depression after breaking up with her husband. The actress again plunges into work, this time on the film "Sense and Sensibility". And on the set of this melodrama, a woman meets a young actor Greg Wise, who is seven years younger than her. According to Emma, ​​a new love and an interesting job helped restore vitality.

From a relationship with Greg Wise, the actress gave birth to a daughter, Gaia. At that time, the woman was already 39 years old. And four years after the birth of the girl, Thompson officially married the father of her child. The ceremony was held in the Scottish town of Dunoon, where Emma has her own house. In their wedding year, the couple also adopted 16-year-old Tindieboua Agaba, a refugee from the African country of Rwanda. At home, the entire family of the young man died from the genocide, and the teenager fled to England.

Although Emma was brought up in religious morality from childhood, she stopped attending church at a tender age. The fact is that a young girl in a conversation with a pastor asked if her homosexual uncle would go to heaven. Having received a negative answer, young Thompson decided that since there was no place in heaven for her uncle, who was the kindest, most responsive and helpful person she knew, then she had nothing to do there either. A woman lives according to Christian moral principles, but does not consider herself a member of this denomination.

Emma Thompson is one of those actors who win name and fame with their work, and not with blogs on social networks. But photos with the actress still appear on Instagram on the accounts of fans and fan groups.

Emma Thompson now

In 2017, Thompson starred in the most anticipated film - the film version of the Disney musical fairy tale, in which she played the bewitched housekeeper Mrs. Potts. In addition to Thompson, other stars of the first magnitude were involved in the film. The success of the project was confirmed by fees - $ 1.2 billion, which made the film the highest grossing musical in the history of cinema. The film brought the creators many awards, and Emma Thompson won the MTV Movie & TV Awards and Teen Choice Awards.

In the same year, Emma received the lead role in the American tragicomedy The Myrowitz Family Stories, which was nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes. The actress also played the main character in the drama "Children's Law". In 2018, with the participation of Emma Thompson, the British adventure comedy Agent Johnny English 3.0 is expected to be released, where the main character will play.

It has now become known that the actress will take on the development of the script for the theatrical adaptation of the film "Nanny Horrible". The artist said that the first act of the play is already ready, and within six months the script will be completed to the end. The genre of the play is musical.

Filmography

• 1987 - "Tutti Frutti"
• 1989 - "Henry V"
• 1992 - Friends of Peter
• 1993 - "In the name of the father"
• 1994 - "Junior"
• 1995 - "Sense and Sensibility"
• 2003 - Love Actually
• 2004 - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• 2005 - My Terrible Nanny
• 2008 - "Education of the senses"
• 2012 - "Men in Black 3"
• 2013 - Beautiful Creatures
• 2013 - Save Mr. Banks
• 2014 - "Effy"
• 2016 - "Bridget Jones-3"
• 2017 - "Beauty and the Beast"
• 2017 - "Stories of the Mayrowitz family"
• 2018 - "Agent Johnny English 3.0"

And it does not matter that we still have not been given official papers on his adoption. I hope that we managed to become real parents for him. It has become much easier and more understandable for me to work with people who need help, because what I talk about and what I convince has become my home reality. And for my daughter Gaia, Tindi is an older brother, she loves him. He appeared in her life when she was barely three years old. They have a very touching, warm relationship. He is wonderful. Serious and funny at the same time. We laugh a lot, talk a lot, often just go for a long walk - to talk. He graduated from the university here in London and has not lived with us for a long time. But it still remains part of our family. After all, a family is not only those people with whom you are connected by blood ties.

My family is my mother, my sister and her family, my friends, Tindi, Viv, Gaia's ex-nanny, we are still friends with her.

- That is, you are now coping on your own, without a nanny?

Yes, the nanny was until Gaia was 5 years old. We handle ourselves. Greg is a very good father, there is nothing that he would do worse than me, and much better. He knows how to do everything - cook, clean, entertain children, solve math problems, drive fast but safely on the most difficult roads, finally, be friends with my actress mom. He can assemble and hang the shelves, remove them again and carefully close up the holes left from them. (Laughs.) It so happened that in our family the main breadwinner is me. But this does not give me the right to behave as if everything is allowed to me.

- After all, you met Greg Wise at 36, and married him only eight years later, was it hard for you to believe that your relationship was for a long time?

My God, of course!

You look back all the time, you are always afraid of something, it seems to you that from one more failure your heart will break into smithereens. After all, heartache is the strongest, most terrible, I experienced it many times and I can only compare it, it seems to me, with torture in the Gestapo - when people's nails were pulled out there. But now I understand that family life is a ship. However, it is not enough to build it and take it out of the docks. This is a long voyage, for which you need to be ready, you need to be able to manage this ship. Age does not mean the accumulation of experience. Experience is what you gain.

The plate will not become clean and will not stand on the shelf by itself, nor with love. I worked out a whole set of rules to keep my relationship with Greg alive. Always be ready, alert, be able to express gratitude and work hard. These are all simple things, not my discovery, but I never let myself go with the flow. This is where most of the problems arise. If, for example, we have not seen each other for a whole week, we will definitely go to a restaurant for dinner. And be sure to make appointments with each other.

- Your mother is an actress, and your father is a theater director, actor and screenwriter. Apparently your path was destined?

Yes. Both mom and dad worked in the theater. But the rest of the family had nothing to do with him. My grandmother, for example, has been a maid since she was thirteen.

She said that she wanted to marry a young man working for a butcher, but he had no money, and her marriage did not happen. She gave birth to a child from her master, who "visited" her in the absence of his wife. Then it turned out that he did this with all the young maids. And they all bore children from him. And he and his wife could not give birth to anyone and wanted to take the children for themselves. In general, the grandmother returned home, and no one ever reproached her for anything. And gave birth to a boy. My grandmother is one of the reasons why, for example, I enjoyed working in the film “At the end of the day” (it is about a butler who has served in a rich house all his life. - Approx. ed.). She is my inspiration. My grandmother taught me how to run a household. How important it is to serve pudding on time.

And the house needs cleaning regularly, for her this rule worked like clockwork.

- And you will not dissuade Gaia if she decides to become an actress?

It's too early to think about it. She once told me, in such, you know, apologetic tone: “Mom, if you want me to be an actress, I will do it for you. But do you mind if I don't do it for the money?" While she wants to be an artist and a waitress. It seems to me that this is a good choice - sublime and mundane. Very mature.

- Are you preparing yourself for the fact that one day she will have a first date?

Certainly. I keep rehearsing the phrase: “You really like this person.

Do you know how he sees you? Does he see the real you? It seems to me that it is very important to invest in her the understanding that she is an interesting person in her own right, that she is priceless. This feeling of self-worth gives a lot in life.

Emma Thompson is an absolutely amazing woman; it seems that she does absolutely everything: organically get used to Shakespeare's plays and romantic comedies, raise children and write wonderful books for them, speak Spanish and French fluently, develop scripts for serials.

According to many publications, she is included in the category of the greatest actresses of all time: in her bathroom (!) She collected all kinds of prestigious film awards (Oscar, BAFTA, Emmy) and is not going to stop only at these victories.

Emma, ​​childhood and family: a cloudless sky over all of Britain

The life of Emma Thompson is by no means the story of Cinderella, who had to get out of extreme poverty. Emma was born into a respectable family closely associated with the world of cinema, show business and art in general.

The daughter of Scottish actress Phyllida Lo and popular English presenter and producer Eric Thompson saw the world in April 1959. Her younger sister Sophia Thompson also became a fairly successful actress. Interestingly, Phyllida's mother repeatedly appeared in pictures with Emma. They all live on the same street and keep close contact. In an interview in 2010, the actress talked about the huge role her family played in her life.

Thompson argues that “the family, as the center of everything, is far from a matter of blood relationship, but of an unbreakable bond that forever unites people whose roots are intertwined. And the larger the family, the more this bond is strengthened.” Emma grew up in a friendly and comfortable environment, during her school years she was very popular with her peers, and her early youth was not overshadowed by conflicts with her family.

Birth of a rebel comedian

Emma Thompson entered the University of Cambridge in the department of English literature. It was then that a turning point occurred in the creation of the girl, which simultaneously led her to feminism, punk-rock youth and theater. The actress describes it this way: “I used to read a lot of Victorian era novels. When I opened the book Crazy in the Attic, which was about the women writers of that time, I realized how difficult it was for them, how they had to disguise themselves in order to be able to be heard, and it completely changed me and my life.

Emma shared her feminist beliefs, dyed her short hair red, and started riding her motorcycle around town. And for the first time she had a dream to become a female comedian, like her idol Lily Tomlin. Emma began playing in the university troupe Footlights Group, which at one time served as the cradle for many members of the outstanding British comedy group Monty Python.

Thompson played in the same productions with Hugh Laurie, with whom she had a romantic relationship. Laurie recalls this period as "a time of carefree happiness, when Emma was like the Sun, the wind, some irresistible element, whose talent is immeasurable." In 1980, she took part in the creation of the first women's production of "Women's Time", together with the Footlights troupe won many theater festivals.

So the heart was tempered

In 1982, the not-so-old father of the actress died, and this tragic event changed a lot in a young girl. Emma recalls: “I cannot express how I grieve for him, how sorry I am that he is not around. On the other hand, I understand that if everything had gone wrong, he was alive, I would never have had the courage to do what I did. I inherited incredible strength from him.”

Emma becomes a successful theater actress, playing in comedy sketches and Shakespearean plays, taking her first steps on television. She hosted the successful comedy program Outdoors and also tried her hand as an actress on BBC historical series. At

her participation in two mini-series was hasty. In the project "The vicissitudes of war" she played with her future husband: Kenneth Branagh, the head of the Renaissance theater company, often appeared with her on stage and on screen. The black comedy "Tutti Frutti" also did not go unnoticed. As a result, these two roles brought Emma the first serious awards - she became the best actress according to the British Film Academy.

Emma Thompson: appearance in a big movie, filmography

The role of Emma in the romantic comedy The Tall Guy was not brilliant, but it was she who made many publications talk about the young star. So The New York Times called her "an outstanding versatile comedian." Emma Thompson continued to play in Shakespeare's productions of her husband - "King Henry V", "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "King Lear".

Save Mr Banks - Emma Thompson

In 1991, she played "a wild, stupid aristocrat" in Impromptu, which Thompson worked on with Hugh Grant and Judy Davis. In the same year, she starred in her husband's film noir, getting used to the image of a woman who has forgotten her identity. Emma increasingly appeared on the screens "on the other side of the ocean", playing in American projects. The turning point of her career: working with Anthony Hopkins and Helena Bonham Carter on the drama Howards End.

This film, using the example of three families, sharply showed the class society of England at the beginning of the 20th century. The role of Emma is an educated, far-sighted, somewhat idealizing woman. Reviews of Thompson's acting performance were more than positive: they wrote that she "found herself in this role", created an amazing character: "quiet, ironic, observant with a steel rod inside." For this picture, the actress received an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA award, and "an avalanche of global success hit her."

After that, Emma appeared in the film "Peter's Friends", the cast of which were Cambridge graduates: Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Imelda Staunton, Tony Slattery.

In 1993, she reappeared on screen with Anthony Hopkins in The Remains of the Day, which was nominated for 8 Oscars. The drama about the period between two world wars reveals the problems of loneliness, love, devotion. This story is about a perfect butler who has dissolved his life in the service of his master. It was the problem of "servility, submission to someone else's will" that particularly interested Emma, ​​she still calls her role in "The Rest of the Day" "the most amazing experience in her career."

The actress became the eighth actress in film history to receive two Oscar nominations within the same year. The second Thompson Prize could bring an outstanding picture "In the name of the father." In 1994, Emma continued to work in Hollywood, appearing in the film "Junior", which also starred Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger in an unexpected comedic role.

Thompson begins to lose interest in commercial projects and returns to independent film. The drama Carrington, about the platonic feelings of a mature writer and a young artist, gave Emma the opportunity to win the National Board of Film Critics Award for "the best portrayal of a woman unrequitedly in love."

Emma Thompson in Sense and Sensibility

Sense and Sensibility made Emma Thompson the first person to be nominated for an Oscar for both Best Actor and Best Screenplay. For five years, she worked on adapting Jane Austen's novel for cinema. In addition, 36-year-old Emma brilliantly played the heroine, who, according to the script, was 19 years old, receiving an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA award for this film. This was followed by dozens of roles: Thompson appeared in the films "The Winter Guest", "Primary Colors", "Kiss of Judas", "Love Actually", shocking film critics with "a subtle, aristocratic game and a large portion of excellent self-irony." Emma Thompson and Prisoner of Azkaban

According to the actress, she played Professor Trelawney in one of the parts of the "Potteriad" solely for the sake of her daughter. Working on the picture seemed to her not interesting enough due to the fact that part of the live interaction between the actors was replaced by computer animation. At the same time, Emma admits: "The best actors play in the Harry Potter films, and if I had not been invited, I would have been offended."

My Terrible Nanny - Emma Thompson

Emma Thompson has been preparing the script for the family comedy Nanny Horrible for over 9 years. She gives a very unusual description of this film, which was released in 2005: “It's a classic western. A stranger from another city appears in a closed world and resolves its internal conflicts. Only here it’s not a cowboy or a sheriff, but a nanny.”

Trailer for the film with Emma Thompson Nanny Horrible 2

Emma Thompson at present

The actress continued to actively act in films, appearing in the films "Rock Wave", "Beautiful Creatures" and "Saving Mr. Banks" - in this tape she played in an amazing duet with Tom Hanks. What's next? Lots of scripts and lots of brilliant pictures. Emma says about herself: “I have periods of active work, and then there is a recession. But every empty cell in my diary is like a hole in my head. I can't stop working."

Emma Thompson is happy that she is not only an actress, but also a screenwriter and writer. She published a children's book, The New Tales of Peter Rabbit, a continuation of the tales of Beatrix Potter. According to Emma, ​​"Children's stories draw wise things from ancient myths, and those in turn from more archaic cultures, which is why creating children's literature is such a difficult and exciting thing to do."

Personal life, views and beliefs of Emma Thompson

The first husband of the actress was actor and director Kenneth Branagh. They started a family in 1989 and separated in 1995 without revealing the details of their personal lives. They never wanted to be perceived precisely as a "star couple", although they often starred in common projects. On the set of Sense and Sensibility, the actress began a relationship with young actor Greg Wise.

According to her, the film and the new love saved her from a severe depression, which Emma inevitably plunged into after a painful separation from her husband: “Work and Greg just put me together in parts, and everything worked out.”

At the age of 39, she gave birth to a daughter, Gaia, from a loved one, and 4 years later, in 2003, they got married in Scotland. Moreover, they unofficially adopted a 16-year-old refugee from Rwanda. Now Emma is no longer the radical feminist she used to be. The actress follows the ethical standards of Christian morality, but considers herself an atheist, is a member of the Labor Party, actively participates in the work of Greenpeace, various charitable and human rights organizations.