Emma Thompson: the only actress in Oscar history to win for both acting and screenwriting

Born on April 15, 1959, in London, Emma Thompson represents a unique case in the international film landscape. Her career, which began in the early 1980s, has been built through a versatility that few performers can boast, ranging from period drama to comedy, from auteur cinema to mainstream productions.

Her theatrical training at Cambridge University, where she joined the prestigious Footlights group, shaped her approach to acting. The 1980s saw her starring on television with the BBC series "Tutti Frutti" and "Fortunes of War," which earned her the BAFTA for Best Actress. The leap to cinema came through collaboration with Kenneth Branagh, then her husband, in Shakespearean films such as "Henry V" and "Much Ado About Nothing."

1992 marked a definitive turning point with James Ivory's "Howards End," where she played Margaret Schlegel, an Edwardian woman forced to navigate social conventions and a desire for freedom. The performance earned her the first Oscar for Best Actress, cementing her among the great interpreters of British cinema. The following year, she received a rare double nomination at the Academy Awards: Best Actress for "The Remains of the Day" alongside Anthony Hopkins, and Best Supporting Actress for Jim Sheridan's "In the Name of the Father." Neither nomination resulted in a win, but they solidified her reputation as an actress capable of embodying complex and multifaceted characters.

Her second Oscar came in 1996, this time for Best Adapted Screenplay for "Sense and Sensibility," Ang Lee’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel. Thompson not only wrote the screenplay but also portrayed Elinor Dashwood, the older, rational, and reserved sister. This double triumph made her the only person in Academy Awards history to win for both acting and writing, a record she still holds today.

After mid-1990s success, Thompson’s career went through different phases. She alternated dramatic roles with parts in blockbusters like the "Harry Potter" saga, where she played Professor Sybill Trelawney, and "Men in Black 3." She wrote and starred in "Nanny McPhee," demonstrating her ability to create content for family audiences. Films like "Love Actually" in 2003 allowed her to show a more vulnerable and human side, in an iconic scene where she discovers her husband’s betrayal, played by Alan Rickman.

In 2013 came "Saving Mr. Banks," where she portrayed writer P.L. Travers in conflict with Walt Disney over the film adaptation of "Mary Poppins." The performance was critically acclaimed and earned her nominations at the BAFTAs, Golden Globes, and Screen Actors Guild Awards, but inexplicably not at the Oscars, an omission that sparked controversy. Meryl Streep publicly expressed shock at the exclusion of her colleague.

More recent years have seen Thompson engaged in projects that challenge conventions. The 2022 dramedy "Good Luck to You, Leo Grande," in which she plays a widow hiring a sex worker, earned her a BAFTA nomination. That same year, "Matilda the Musical" saw her as the formidable headmistress Trunchbull, a role she approached with irony and theatrical cruelty.

2025 marked her return to action thriller with "Dead of Winter," directed by Brian Kirk and filmed in Finland. Thompson plays Barb, a woman who during a solitary trip in northern Minnesota encounters a couple who have kidnapped a teenager. Released in theaters in September 2025, the film represents a shift for the sixty-six-year-old actress, who takes on an action role traditionally reserved for men. Judy Greer and Marc Menchaca co-star. During the winter shoot in Northern Karelia, Thompson publicly praised the Finnish crew in a letter published by Helsingin Sanomat, so much so that Finnish President Alexander Stubb personally called to thank her.

In October 2025, Apple TV+ began airing the series "Down Cemetery Road," where Thompson plays Zoë Boehm alongside Ruth Wilson. This is her first regular television role since 2019, when she appeared in the dystopian series "Years and Years" for BBC One and HBO, playing the populist politician Vivienne Rook.

In 2018, Queen Elizabeth II appointed her Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to theater. In 2025, she received the Leopard Club Award at the Locarno Festival. Beyond acting and writing, Thompson has published three children’s books dedicated to Peter Rabbit, authorized by Beatrix Potter’s publishers.

Among future projects, no new films beyond "Dead of Winter" have been announced, but the actress recently signed an open letter along with over a thousand film professionals, including Joaquin Phoenix, Jane Fonda, and Javier Bardem, opposing the $111 billion merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery, which would reduce the number of major U.S. film studios to four.

With two Oscars, three BAFTAs, two Golden Globes, and an Emmy Award, Emma Thompson remains one of the most respected figures in contemporary cinema, able to continuously reinvent herself without ever betraying the intelligence and depth that characterize every one of her performances.