Acted with Cambridge University's Footlights revue at the Edinburgh Fringe (date approximate)

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 on the TV show "Alfresco"

Performed in her first solo show, "Short Vehicle"

Co-starred opposite Robert Lindsay in the West End hit musical, "Me and My Girl" for a 16-month run

Played Harriet Pringle opposite Kenneth Branagh in the nine-part miniseries "Fortunes of War"

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

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

Film debut in "The Tall Guy"

Played opposite Kenneth Branagh in stage revival of "Look Back in Anger", directed by Dame Judi Dench; production was filmed for TV directed by David Jones

Joined Renaissance Theatre Company and was directed by Branagh as the Fool in "King Lear" and as Helena in "A Midsummer's Night's Dream"

Acted the role of Katherine in "Henry V", directed and starring Branagh

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

Breakthrough screen role, Margaret Schlegel in the Merchant-Ivory production of "Howards End", co-starring Anthony Hopkins; received Best Actress Academy Award

Earned two Oscar nominations: Best Actress for her performance as a housekeeper in Merchant-Ivory's "The Remains of the Day", again opposite Hopkins; and Best Supporting Actress for her turn as a barrister in "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 time her mother, actress Phyllida Law was cast as her onscreen mother

Made screenwriting debut with adaptation of Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility"; also starred; received a Best Actress Academy Award nomination and won Best Screenplay Oscar

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

Made guest appearance on the ABC sitcom "Ellen" playing a British actress named "Emma Thompson" who reveals she's a lesbian from Ohio

Cast as the wife of a presidential candidate in "Primary Colors"

Took time off from acting to write the script for "Victor-An Unfinished Song", a biopic of Chilean folk singer Victor Jara and for motherhood

Made cameo appearance in "Maybe Baby"

Returned to acting playing a professor who develops ovarian cancer in the HBO adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Wit", directed by Mike Nichols; premiered at the Berlin Film Festival; also credited with penning the screenplay with Nichols; received Emmy nominations for writing and starring

Starred in Richard Curtis' directorial debut "Love Actually"

Reunited with Nichols to play the Angel in the HBO miniseries adaptation of "Angels in America"; received a SAG and an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries or Movie (2004)

Cast as Sibyl Trelawney, the ethereal and quirky professor of divination in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"; based on the third book in the best-selling children's series by J.K. Rowling

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

Co-starred as the narrator dictating Will Ferrell's life in the Marc Forster comedy, "Stranger Than Fiction"