Dame Kristin Ann Scott Thomas (born 24 May 1960) is a British actress who also holds French citizenship. A five-time BAFTA Award and Olivier Award nominee, she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for '' Four Weddings and a Funeral'' (1994) and the Olivier Award for Best Actress in 2008 for the Royal Court revival of ''

The Seagull ''The Seagull'' ( rus, Ча́йка, r=Cháyka, links=no) is a play by Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov, written in 1895 and first produced in 1896. ''The Seagull'' is generally considered to be the first of his four major plays. It dramatises ...

''. She was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Actress The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year ...

in '' The English Patient'' (1996). Scott Thomas made her film debut in '' Under the Cherry Moon'' (1986), and won the Evening Standard Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer for '' A Handful of Dust'' (1988). Her work includes ''

Bitter Moon ''Bitter Moon'' is a 1992 erotic romantic thriller film directed by Roman Polanski and starring Peter Coyote, Emmanuelle Seigner, Hugh Grant and Kristin Scott Thomas. The film's French title is ' (a pun on the French phrase "lune de miel", mean ...

'' (1992), '' Mission: Impossible'' (1996), '' The Horse Whisperer'' (1998), '' Gosford Park'' (2001), '' The Valet'' (2006), and '' Tell No One'' (2007). She won the European Film Award for Best Actress for Philippe Claudel's '' I've Loved You So Long'' (2008). Her other films include '' Leaving'' (2009), '' Love Crime'' (2010), '' Sarah's Key'' (2010), '' Nowhere Boy'' (2010), '' The Woman in the Fifth'' (2011), '' Only God Forgives'' (2013), '' Darkest Hour'' (2017), and '' Tomb Raider'' (2018). She was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(OBE) in the 2003 Birthday Honours and

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(DBE) in the 2015 New Year Honours for services to drama. She was named a ''Chevalier'' of the Légion d'honneur by the French government in 2005.

Early life

Scott Thomas was born in

Redruth Redruth ( , kw, Resrudh) is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England. The population of Redruth was 14,018 at the 2011 census. In the same year the population of the Camborne-Redruth urban area, which also includes Carn Brea, Illogan ...

, Cornwall. Her mother, Deborah (née Hurlbatt), was brought up in Hong Kong and Africa, and studied drama before marrying Kristin's father,

Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding ran ...

Simon Scott Thomas, a pilot in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wi ...

who died in a flying accident when Kristin was aged five. She is the elder sister of Serena Scott Thomas, the niece of Admiral Sir Richard Thomas (a former Black Rod), the granddaughter of William Scott Thomas (who commanded during World War II) and the great-great-niece of the polar explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott. The childhood home of Scott Thomas was in Trent, near Sherborne, Dorset, England. Her mother remarried to another

pilot, Lieutenant Commander Simon Idiens (of Simon's Sircus aerobatic team flying

Sea Vixen The de Havilland DH.110 Sea Vixen is a British twin-engine, twin boom-tailed, two-seat, carrier-based fleet air-defence fighter flown by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm during the 1950s through to the early 1970s. The Sea Vixen was designed by ...

s), who also died in a flying accident, whilst flying a Phantom FG1 from RNAS Yeovilton off the North coast of Cornwall in January 1972. Scott Thomas was educated at

Cheltenham Ladies' College Cheltenham Ladies' College is an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Consistently ranked as one of the top all-girls' schools nationally, the school was established in 1853 to p ...

and St Antony's Leweston in Sherborne, Dorset, both independent schools. On leaving school in 1978, she moved to

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the London Borough o ...

, London, and worked in a department store. She began training to become a drama teacher at the Central School of Speech and Drama, enrolling on a BEd in Speech and Drama. During her time at the school, she requested to switch degree courses to acting but was refused. After a year at Central, speaking French fluently, she decided to move to Paris to work as an au pair and studied acting at the ''École Nationale supérieure des arts et techniques du théâtre'' ( ENSATT). When she was 25, she was cast as Mary Sharon in the film '' Under the Cherry Moon'' (1986).

Career

Kristin Scott Thomas' acting career garnered early attention when she was cast as Mary Sharon in '' Under the Cherry Moon'', released in 1986, the first but widely panned film directed by and starring the already well-known musical artist,

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...

. Her breakthrough role was playing Brenda Last in an adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's '' A Handful of Dust'' (1988), winning her the ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'' British Film Award for the most promising newcomer. This was followed by roles opposite Hugh Grant in ''

'' and '' Four Weddings and a Funeral'' where she won a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress. In 1994, she starred in the Romanian–French film '' An Unforgettable Summer'', in which she played Marie-Thérèse Von Debretsy. Rather than learn Romanian for the part, she read her lines phonetically. She had all the lines translated into French, which she speaks fluently, so she knew what she was saying. In an interview for ''Gloucester Citizen'' on 22 March 2015, she cited ''An Unforgettable Summer'' as one of the films that she is most proud of alongside ''The English Patient'' and ''Only God Forgives''. 1996 saw the release of the film with her most famous role as Katharine Clifton, '' The English Patient'', which gained her Golden Globe and Oscar nominations as well as critical acclaim. This was followed by a brief period working in Hollywood on films such as '' The Horse Whisperer'' with Robert Redford and ''

Random Hearts ''Random Hearts'' is a 1999 American romantic drama film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Harrison Ford and Kristin Scott Thomas. Based on the 1984 novel of the same name by Warren Adler, the film is about a police officer and a Congres ...

'' with Harrison Ford. However, growing disillusioned with Hollywood, she took a year off to give birth to her third child. She returned to the stage in 2003 when she played the title role in a French theatre production of

Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western traditi ...

's ''

Bérénice ''Berenice'' (french: Bérénice) is a five-act tragedy by the French 17th-century playwright Jean Racine. ''Berenice'' was not played often between the 17th and the 20th centuries. It was premiered on 21 November 1670 by the Comédiens du Roi ...

'', and appeared on-screen as Lady Sylvia McCordle in Robert Altman's '' Gosford Park''. This started a critically acclaimed second career on stage, in which she has received four nominations for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress, including one win, for her performance of Arkadina in a London West End production of Anton Chekhov's ''

''. She reprised the role in New York in September 2008. In summer 2014, Scott Thomas returned to London's West End to star as Emma in Harold Pinter's '' Betrayal'' at the Comedy Theatre. The revival was directed by

Ian Rickson Ian David Rickson (born 1963) is a British theatre director. He was the artistic director at the Royal Court Theatre in London from 1998 to 2006.

. Her husband was played by

Ben Miles Benjamin Charles Miles (born 29 September 1966) is an English actor, best known for his starring role as Patrick Maitland in the television comedy ''Coupling'', from 2000 to 2004, as Montague Dartie in ''The Forsyte Saga'', from 2002 to 2003, a ...

and the love triangle was completed by

Douglas Henshall Douglas “Dougie” James Henshall (born 19 November 1965) is a Scottish television, film and stage actor. He is best known for his roles as Professor Nick Cutter in the science fiction series '' Primeval'' (2007–2011) and Detective Inspect ...

. In January 2013, she starred in another Pinter play, '' Old Times'', again directed by Ian Rickson. In 2014, she appeared at The Old Vic in the title role of

Sophocles Sophocles (; grc, Σοφοκλῆς, , Sophoklễs; 497/6 – winter 406/5 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. is one of three ancient Greek tragedians, at least one of whose plays has survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or c ...

's '' Electra''. Scott Thomas has also acted in French films. In 2006, she played the role of Hélène, in French, in ''Ne le dis à personne'' ('' Tell No One''), by French director Guillaume Canet. In 2008, Scott Thomas received many accolades for her performance in ''Il y a longtemps que je t'aime'' ('' I've Loved You So Long''), including BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress. In 2009 she played the role of a wife who leaves her husband for another man in '' Leaving''. In '' Sarah's Key'' (2010) – the story of the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup – Scott Thomas starred as an American journalist in Paris who discovers that the flat her husband is renovating for them was once the home of an evicted Jewish family. Other roles include Elizabeth Boleyn, Countess of Wiltshire and Ormond, mother of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

's second wife Anne, in '' The Other Boleyn Girl'' (2008), the role of a fashion magazine creator and editor in the film '' Confessions of a Shopaholic'' (2009), and as a love interest of George Duroy (played by Robert Pattinson) in the 2012 film '' Bel Ami'', based on the 1885 Maupassant novel. She was also seen in '' The Woman in the Fifth'' (2011), a film adaption of Douglas Kennedy's novel of the same name,

Lasse Hallström Lars Sven "Lasse" Hallström (; born 2 June 1946) is a Swedish film director. He first became known for directing almost all the music videos by the pop group ABBA, and subsequently became a feature film director. He was nominated for an Academ ...

's '' Salmon Fishing in the Yemen'' (2011), Ralph Fiennes's ''

The Invisible Woman The Invisible Woman (Susan "Sue" Storm-Richards) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four and was the first female superhero created by Marvel durin ...

'' (2013), Philippe Claudel's ''

Before the Winter Chill Before the Winter Chill (french: Avant l'hiver) is a 2013 French drama film directed by Philippe Claudel. Plot Philippe Claudel and Kristin Scott Thomas reunite in this subtle story of a man thrust into a mid-life crisis by a chance meeting. ...

'' (2013), and in Nicolas Winding Refn's '' Only God Forgives'', which premiered at the 2013

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

. In 2014, she voiced the narration of Kay Summersby, General Eisenhower's driver, in the documentary series ''D-Day Sacrifice''. She appeared in

Israel Horovitz Israel Horovitz (March 31, 1939 – November 9, 2020) was an American playwright, director, actor and co-founder of the Gloucester Stage Company in 1979. He served as artistic director until 2006 and later served on the board, ex officio and ...

's '' My Old Lady'' (2014) and '' Suite Française'', the 2015 film adaptation of Irène Némirovsky's World War II novel directed by

Saul Dibb Saul Dibb (born 18 August 1968) is an English director and screenwriter. His father is the documentary maker Mike Dibb. Born in London, England, Saul Dibb is a graduate of the University of East Anglia. He is best known for co-writing and dire ...

. In 2017 she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the 71st British Academy Film Awards for portraying Clementine Churchill in Joe Wright's '' Darkest Hour''. In May 2017, it was reported that Scott Thomas had signed on to star as BMW heiress

Susanne Klatten Susanne Hanna Ursula Klatten (''née'' Quandt, born 28 April 1962) is a German billionaire heiress, the daughter of Herbert and Johanna Quandt. As of January 2022, her net worth was estimated at US$23.4 billion, and the richest woman in German ...

in the thriller ''Paramour'', directed by Alexandra-Therese Keining. In 2020, Scott Thomas played

Mrs. Danvers Mrs. Danvers is the main antagonist of Daphne du Maurier's 1938 novel ''Rebecca''. Danvers is the head housekeeper at Manderley, the stately manor belonging to the wealthy Maximillian "Maxim" de Winter, where he once lived with his first wife, ...

in director Ben Wheatley's

adaptation In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...

of Daphne du Maurier's Gothic romance ''Rebecca'', with Armie Hammer and Lily James. Also that year, she appeared in the BBC television remake of Alan Bennett's monologue series, ''

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talki ...

'', playing the role of Celia in the episode "Hand of God". In June 2022, Thomas began filming her directorial debut '' My Mother's Wedding'', starring Scarlett Johansson,

Sienna Miller Sienna Rosie Diana Miller (born December 28, 1981) is an American-British actress. Born in New York City and raised in London, she began her career as a photography model, appearing in the pages of Italian ''Vogue'' and for the 2003 Pirelli ca ...

Emily Beecham Emily Beecham (born 12 May 1984) is an American-British actress and singer. She is best known for her role in the Coen Brothers film ''Hail, Caesar!'', the AMC series '' Into the Badlands'', and the title role in the 2017 film ''Daphne''. She st ...

and

Freida Pinto Freida Selena Pinto (born 18 October 1984) is an Indian actress who has appeared mainly in American and British films. Born and raised in Mumbai, Maharashtra, she resolved at a young age to become an actress. As a student at St. Xavier's Col ...

starring.

Personal life

Scott Thomas is a Francophile. She married and divorced François Olivennes, a French gynaecologist, with whom she has three children: Hannah (1988), Joseph (1991) and George (2000). Scott Thomas has lived in France since she was 19, brought up her three children in Paris, and sometimes considers herself more French than British. On the Graham Norton Show on BBC1 on 2 December 2022, Scott Thomas said she now lives in London. In 2009, Scott Thomas signed a petition in support of film director

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański , group=lower-alpha, name=note_a ( né Liebling; 18 August 1933) is a French-Polish film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, tw ...

, calling for his release after Polanski was arrested in Switzerland in relation to his 1977 sexual abuse case.

Filmography

;As director

Television

Theatre

* ''La Lune déclinante sur 4 ou 5 personnes qui dansent'' (1983, Festival de Semur en Auxois) * ''Terre étrangère'' (1984,

Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers The Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers, also Théâtre des Amandiers, is a theatre in Nanterre and a known theatre outside of Paris. The present building opened in 1976. The company is a ''Centre dramatique national'' (National dramatic center), a natio ...

) * ''Naïves Hirondelles'' (1984, Festival d'Avignon) * ''Yes, peut-être'' (1985, in a field in Burgundy) * ''

'' (2001, Festival de Perpignan and Festival d'Avignon + national tour) * '' Three Sisters'' (2003, Playhouse Theatre, London) ... Masha * ''As You Desire Me'' (2005–06, Playhouse Theatre, London) ... Elma * ''

'' (2007, Royal Court Theatre, London) ... Arkadina * ''

'' (2008,

Walter Kerr Theatre The Walter Kerr Theatre, previously the Ritz Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 219 West 48th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was constructed for the Shub ...

, New York) ... Arkadina * Harold Pinter's '' Betrayal'' (2011, Comedy Theatre, London) ... EmmaComedy Theatre websit
"Ambassador Theatre Group's AmbassadorTickets.com"
Retrieved 24 June 2011. * Harold Pinter's '' Old Times'' (2013, Harold Pinter Theatre London) ... Kate/Anna *

' '' Electra'' (2014, The Old Vic, London) ... Electra *

Peter Morgan Peter Julian Robin Morgan, (10 April 1963) is a British screenwriter and playwright. He is the playwright behind '' The Audience'' and '' Frost/Nixon'' and the screenwriter of ''The Queen'' (2006), '' Frost/Nixon'' (2008), '' The Damned Unit ...

's '' The Audience'' (2015, Apollo Theatre, London) ...

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

Olivier Awards

Honours

;National * Order of the British Empire (Civil) Ribbon

(CBE, 31/12/2014 −OBE, 14/06/2003−). ;Foreigns * Legion Honneur Chevalier ribbon

Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

(French Republic, 27/05/2005).

References

External links

* *
Ryan Gilbey, "The three stages of Kristin"
interview, ''The Guardian'', 27 July 2007

Interview, ''The Guardian'', 3 February 2008

''The Telegraph'', 17 June 2011
Betrayal – Review, "Comedy Theatre London"
''The Guardian'', 17 June 2011

''The Independent', 17 June 2011
My Grandparents' War: Kristin Scott Thomas
''PBS'', May 17, 2022 {{DEFAULTSORT:Scott Thomas, Kristin 1960 births Living people People from Redruth People educated at Cheltenham Ladies' College People from West Dorset District 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses Actresses awarded British damehoods Best Supporting Actress BAFTA Award winners English expatriates in France English film actresses English stage actresses English television actresses European Film Award for Best Actress winners Best Actress Lumières Award winners Laurence Olivier Award winners Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Leweston School Actresses from Cornwall Actresses from Dorset Audiobook narrators