Acted with Cambridge the University's theatrical club, the Footlights

Co-wrote, co-produced, co-directed and performed with Cambridge's first all-female revue, "Woman's Hour"

Worked with Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry in the sketch comedy series "Alfresco"

Wrote and performed the one woman show "Short Vehicle" at the Edinburgh Fringe

Co-starred opposite Robert Lindsay in the West End hit musical, "Me and My Girl"

Played Harriet Pringle opposite Kenneth Branagh in the BBC miniseries, "Fortunes of War"

Starred with Robbie Coltrane in the six-hour BBC miniseries, "Tutti Frutti"

Hosted and wrote own BBC-TV comedy-variety series, "Thompson"

Film debut in "The Tall Guy"

Cast opposite Kenneth Branagh in stage revival of "Look Back in Anger"; directed by Judi Dench

Acted the role of Katherine in "Henry V"; again directed by Branagh, who also co-starred

Had a memorable guest role on the NBC sitcom "Cheers" as Nanny Gee, a woman from Dr. Frasier Crane's past

Breakthrough screen role, co-starring with Anthony Hopkins in the Merchant-Ivory production, "Howards End"

Earned an Oscar nomination for her performance as a housekeeper in Merchant-Ivory's "The Remains of the Day"; again co-starred with Hopkins

Received an Oscar nomination for her role as the lawyer for the Guildford Four in Jim Sheridan's "In the Name of the Father"

Played a rare comic lead in "Junior" opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger

Starred in the British TV drama "The Blue Boy"; first collaboration with mother, Phyllida Law, who played her on-screen mother

Made screenwriting debut with an adaptation of Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility"; directed by Ang Lee; also co-starred; received a Best Actress Academy Award nomination

Played on-screen mother and daughter, opposite her real-life mother in "The Winter Guest"; directed by Alan Rickman

Appeared on the ABC sitcom "Ellen" as a British actress named 'Emma Thompson' who reveals she's a lesbian from Ohio

Cast as the wife of a presidential candidate (played by John Travolta) in the Mike Nichols directed "Primary Colors"

Returned to acting in Mike Nichols' TV adaption of the the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, "Wit" (HBO), playing a professor who develops ovarian cancer; also co-wrote the screenplay with Nichols; earned Emmy nominations for writing and acting

Starred in Richard Curtis' directorial debut "Love Actually"

Re-teamed with Nichols to play the Angel in the HBO miniseries adaption of "Angels in America"; earned SAG and Emmy nominations

Cast as Sibyl Trelawney, the ethereal and quirky professor of divination in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"

Played a governess who uses magic to rein in the behavior of seven ne'er-do-well children in "Nanny McPhee"; also wrote screenplay

Voiced the narrator dictating Will Ferrell's life in the Marc Forster comedy, "Stranger Than Fiction"

Reprised role of Professor Sybill Trelawney in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"

Co-starred with Dustin Hoffman in the romantic comedy "Last Chance Harvey"

Nominated for the 2008 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy ("Last Chance Harvey")