Sophie Thompson (born 20 January 1962) is a British actress who has worked in film, television and theatre. A six-time

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

nominee, she won the 1999

Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical The Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical is an annual award presented by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of achievements in commercial London theatre. The awards were established as the Society of West End Theatre Awar ...

for the London revival of ''

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...

''. Her other nominations were for '' Wildest Dreams'' (1994), ''

Company A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared ...

'' (1996), ''

Clybourne Park ''Clybourne Park'' is a 2010 play by Bruce Norris written as a spin-off to Lorraine Hansberry's play '' A Raisin in the Sun'' (1959). It portrays fictional events set during and after the Hansberry play, and is loosely based on historical event ...

'' (2011) ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on " The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also b ...

'' (2016) and 'Present Laughter' (2019). Thompson's film appearances include '' Four Weddings and a Funeral'' (1994), ''

Persuasion Persuasion or persuasion arts is an umbrella term for influence. Persuasion can influence a person's beliefs, attitudes, intentions, motivations, or behaviours. Persuasion is studied in many disciplines. Rhetoric studies modes of persua ...

'' (1995), '' Emma'' (1996), ''

Dancing at Lughnasa ''Dancing at Lughnasa'' is a 1990 play by dramatist Brian Friel set in County Donegal in Ulster in the north of Ireland in August 1936 in the fictional town of Ballybeg. It is a memory play told from the point of view of the adult Michael Eva ...

'' (1998), ''

Gosford Park ''Gosford Park'' is a 2001 satirical black comedy mystery film directed by Robert Altman and written by Julian Fellowes. It was influenced by Jean Renoir's French classic ''La Règle du jeu'' ('' The Rules of the Game''). The film stars ...

'' (2001) and ''

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1'' is a 2010 fantasy film directed by David Yates from a screenplay by Steve Kloves. The film is the first of two cinematic parts based on the 2007 novel ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow ...

'' (2010). Her television roles include playing Stella Crawford in the BBC soap opera ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'' (2006–2007) and

Rosemary Piper '' Coronation Street'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 9 December 1960. The following is a list of characters introduced in 2018, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by series producer Kate Oates or her successo ...

in the ITV soap opera ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Orig ...

'' (2018).

Life and work

Early life, training and early career

Thompson was born 20 January 1962 in London, and is the daughter of actress

Phyllida Law Phyllida Ann Law (born 8 May 1932) is a British actress, known for her numerous roles in film and television. Early life Law was born in Glasgow, the daughter of Meg "Mego" and William Law, a journalist. Prior to the Second World War, her fath ...

, the presenter of the first TV show broadcast on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...

, '' Play School'', and actor Eric Thompson, the writer–narrator of the popular children's television series ''

The Magic Roundabout ''The Magic Roundabout'' is an English-language children's television programme that ran from 1965 to 1977. It used the footage of the French stop motion animation show ''Le Manège enchanté'' but with completely different scripts and characte ...

'' on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

in the 1960s. She is the younger sister of actress and screenwriter

Emma Thompson Dame Emma Thompson (born 15 April 1959) is a British actress. Regarded as one of the best actresses of her generation, she has received numerous accolades throughout her four-decade-long career, including two Academy Awards, two British A ...

. She made her television debut at the age of 15, starring in the BBC adaptation of the

Alison Uttley Alison Uttley (17 December 1884 – 7 May 1976), ''née'' Alice Jane Taylor, was an English writer of over 100 books. She is best known for a children's series about Little Grey Rabbit and Sam Pig. She is also remembered for a pioneering time s ...

classic ''A Traveller in Time'', opposite

Simon Gipps-Kent Simon Gipps-Kent (born Simon Trevor Kent; 25 October 1958 – 16 September 1987) was a prolificAlistair D. McGown & Mark J. Dochert''The Hill and Beyond: Children's Television Drama – An Encyclopedia'' British Film Institute, 2003, p. 97. 20 ...

, before going on to study at the

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School is a drama school in Bristol, England. The institution provides training in acting and production for careers in film, television and theatre. BOVTS is an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama. ...

. In 1979, Thompson made her professional theatre debut at the age of 17 in the play ''The Schoolmistress'' by

Arthur Wing Pinero Sir Arthur Wing Pinero (24 May 185523 November 1934) was an English playwright and, early in his career, actor. Pinero was drawn to the theatre from an early age, and became a professional actor at the age of 19. He gained experience as a supp ...

at the Royal Exchange in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

Film

Big-screen roles include '' Four Weddings and a Funeral'', '' Eat Pray Love'', '' Emma'', ''

'', ''

'', ''Fat Slags'', ''Relative Values'' and '' Morris: A Life with Bells On''. In 2010, Thompson appeared in ''

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the seventh and final novel of the main ''Harry Potter'' series. It was released on 21 July 2007 in the United Kingdom by Bloomsbury Publ ...

''.

Television

Thompson starred alongside popular British comedians

Alan Davies Alan Roger Davies (; born 6 March 1966) is an English stand-up comedian, writer, actor and TV presenter. He is best known for his portrayal of the title role in the BBC mystery drama series ''Jonathan Creek'' (1997–2016) and as the only per ...

, in ''

Jonathan Creek ''Jonathan Creek'' is a long-running British mystery crime drama series produced by the BBC and written by David Renwick. It stars Alan Davies as the titular character, who works as a creative consultant to a stage magician while also solvi ...

'', and Lee Evans in ''

So What Now? ''So What Now?'' is a British television sitcom which aired on BBC One. It was created by Lee Evans, who also starred in the series. Evans co-wrote the show alongside Stuart Silver and Peter Tilbury. The series was broadcast from 26 March 2001 to ...

'' She has also appeared in ''

'',''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British crime drama television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the '' Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series (created by Caroline Graham), and broadcast on two channels of ...

'', '' The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes '','' A Harlot's Progress'', and the TV movie ''Magnolia''. She played Miss Bartlett in Andrew Davies' 2007 adaptation of E.M. Forster's ''

A Room with a View ''A Room with a View'' is a 1908 novel by English writer E. M. Forster, about a young woman in the restrained culture of Edwardian era England. Set in Italy and England, the story is both a romance and a humorous critique of English society a ...

'' and also appeared in the last episode of series 4 of '' Doc Martin''. Thompson played the role of child abuser Stella Crawford in the

soap opera ''

''. She came into the show as

Phil Mitchell Phil Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Steve McFadden. He was introduced to the soap opera on 20 February 1990 and was followed by his brother Grant Mitchell (EastEnders), Grant (Ross Kemp), s ...

's lawyer and they gradually developed a romantic link. Stella later became jealous of Phil's relationship with his son

Ben Ben is frequently used as a shortened version of the given names Benjamin, Benedict, Bennett or Benson, and is also a given name in its own right. Ben (in he, בֶּן, ''son of'') forms part of Hebrew surnames, e.g. Abraham ben Abraham ( h ...

and began to emotionally and physically abuse him, becoming one of soap's most-hated villains. Thompson left ''EastEnders'' on 20 July 2007, after the exposure of Stella's evil ways on her wedding day led to the character's suicide. She won the "inside soap Best bitch award" for her portrayal of Stella. In 2009, Thompson appeared in the BBC One comedy series '' Big Top''. During 2012, Thompson appeared in '' Love Life'' and ''

Lightfields ''Marchlands'' is a British television series developed from the American television drama pilot '' The Oaks'', written and created by David Schulner, broadcast on ITV1 in 2011. A follow-up series, '' Lightfields'', was broadcast in 2013. Each fi ...

'', both of which were aired on ITV. In the same year she also appeared in a

Keaton Henson Keaton Henson (born 24 March 1988) is an English musician, composer, visual artist, and poet. Henson has released six studio albums. a wordless graphic novel called ''Gloaming'', published by Pocko, and a book of poetry called ''Idiot Verse''. ...

's music video for a song called ''You Don't Know How Lucky You Are''. Her most recent television credits include '' Detectorists'', ''Professor Branestawm'', ''

A Gert Lush Christmas ''A Gert Lush Christmas'' is a British one-off comedy-drama film first broadcast on BBC Two on 26 December 2015. It was co-written by Russell Howard and Steve Williams, and features Howard in his acting debut. The programme also stars Kerry H ...

'', ''

Jericho Jericho ( ; ar, أريحا ; he, יְרִיחוֹ ) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank. It is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It is the administrative seat of the Jericho ...

'' and ''

'' (2018). Thompson competed in ''

Celebrity MasterChef ''MasterChef'' is a competitive cooking reality show produced by Endemol Shine UK and Banijay and broadcast in 60 countries around the world. In the UK, it is produced by the BBC. The show initially ran from 1990 to 2001 and was revived in 20 ...

'' in 2014, beating

Jodie Kidd Jodie Elizabeth Kidd (born 25 September 1978) is an English fashion model, racing driver, and television personality. Early life Kidd was born in 1978 and is the daughter of the businessman and former showjumper Johnny Kidd. She is the grandda ...

and

Charley Boorman Charley Boorman (born 23 August 1966) is a British TV presenter, travel writer and actor. A motorbike enthusiast, Boorman has made three long-distance motorcycle rides with his friend Ewan McGregor, documented in ''Long Way Round'' (2004), ''Lo ...

in the final.

Theatre

She played Ophelia in the Renaissance Theatre Company production of ''Hamlet'' in 1988 in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

, later touring England with the production. Directed by Sir

Derek Jacobi Sir Derek George Jacobi (; born 22 October 1938) is an English actor. He has appeared in various stage productions of William Shakespeare such as '' Hamlet'', '' Much Ado About Nothing'', '' Macbeth'', '' Twelfth Night'', '' The Tempest'', ' ...

, it starred her future brother-in-law

Kenneth Branagh Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh (; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Branagh trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and has served as its president since 2015. He has won an Academy Award, four BAFTAs (plus ...

as Hamlet,

Richard Easton John Richard Easton (March 22, 1933 – December 2, 2019) was a Canadian actor, best known for his portrayal of Brian Hammond in the 1970s BBC serial '' The Brothers''. Life and career Easton was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the son of M ...

as Claudius and Dearbhla Molloy as Gertrude. A film documentary, ''Discovering Hamlet'', detailing the process of producing and rehearsing the play was released in 1990. A DVD version was released in 2010. In 1996, Thompson appeared as Amy in

Sam Mendes Sir Samuel Alexander Mendes (born 1 August 1965) is a British film and stage director, producer, and screenwriter. In 2000, Mendes was appointed a CBE for his services to drama, and he was knighted in the 2020 New Years Honours List. That s ...

' acclaimed

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post held since 2019 by Mi ...

revival of ''

'', receiving an

nomination for her performance. Her performance of the Baker's Wife in the Donmar's revival of ''

'' garnered her the 1999 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She played Kathy/Bev in

Dominic Cooke Dominic Cooke (born 1966) is an English director and writer. Early life Born in Wimbledon, south London, Cooke was brought up seeing a lot of theatre as a teenager from free theatre tickets provided by the Inner London Education Authority. ...

's 2011 production of ''

'' at The Royal Court, which transferred to The Wyndhams. Thompson received an Olivier nomination for Best Actress. Thompson's recent theatre credits include the role of Mrs Hardcastle in ''She Stoops To Conquer'' at the National Theatre, directed by Jamie Lloyd, and also the part of Doctor Mathilde von Zahnd in Josie Rourke's production of '' The Physicists'' at the Donmar.

Writing

In 2015, Thompson's recipe book, ''My Family Kitchen'', was published, and her first children's book, ''Zoo Boy'', was published in 2016.

Personal life

In 1995, Thompson married actor Richard Lumsden; the couple separated in 2015. They have two sons: Ernie James Lumsden born in 1997, and Walter Ernest Thompson, born in 2000. Thompson has been an active charity ambassador over the years, for Dan's Fund For Burns; she also ran the 2010 Marathon for CINI, a charity supporting vulnerable families in India, and 24th Tottenham, a London-based group for children and young adults with special needs.

Filmography

Film

Television

*''A Traveller in Time'' (1978) ... Penelope; 5 episodes *'' Hammer House of Horror'' (1980) ... First Girl in "Guardian of the Abyss"; *'' Casualty'' (1987) ... Judy Wilson in "Cross Fingers"; 1 episode *''

Boon Boon may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Boon (game), a trick-taking card game * ''Boon'' (novel), a 1915 satirical work by H. G. Wells * ''Boon'' (TV series), a British television series starring Michael Elphick * The Ultimate Boo ...

'' (1991) ... Vicky 'Mouthpiece' in "Help Me Make It Through the Night"; 1 episode *'' The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes'' (1992) ... Agatha in "The Master Blackmailer" *''Comedy Playhouse'' (1993) ... Val in "The Complete Guide to Relationships" *''Performance'' (1994) ... Gillian Player in "Message for Posterity" *''

Nelson's Column Nelson's Column is a monument in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, Central London, built to commemorate Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson's decisive victory at the Battle of Trafalgar over the combined French and Spanish navies, during whic ...

'' (1994–1995) ... Clare Priddy *'' Mr. Bean'' (1995) ... Girlfriend "Torvill and Bean"; 1 episode *''The Railway Children'' (2000) ... Mrs Perks *''

'' (2001) ... Heather *''

'' (2003) ... Dorothy Moon in "Angel Hair"; 1 episode *''The Young Visiters'' (2003) ... Bessie Topp *''

'' (2006) ... April Gooding in "Dead Letters"; 1 episode *''Magnolia'' (2006) ... Marjorie Forsyth *'' A Harlot's Progress'' (2006) ... Jane Hogarth *'' Doctors'' (2006) ... Rachel Barton in "Rabbitgate"; 1 episode *''

'' (2006–2007) ... Stella Crawford *''

'' (2007) ... Charlotte Bartlett *'' Big Top'' (2009) ... Aunty Helen *''May Contain Nuts'' (2009) ... Sarah McDonald *'' Doc Martin'' (2009) ... Tasha *''

Agatha Christie's Poirot ''Poirot'' (also known as ''Agatha Christie's Poirot'') is a British mystery drama television programme that aired on ITV from 8 January 1989 to 13 November 2013. David Suchet starred as the eponymous detective, Agatha Christie's fictional Her ...

'' (2010) ... Mrs Reynolds in "Hallowe’en Party" *''

Whistle and I'll Come to You "Whistle and I'll Come to You" is a 1968 BBC television drama adaptation of the 1904 ghost story 'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad' by M. R. James. It tells of an eccentric and distracted professor who happens upon a strange whistle w ...

'' (2010) ... Carol, the hotel proprietor *'' Love Life'' (2012) ... Penny *''

'' (2013) ... Lorna *'' Death in Paradise'' (2014) ... Angela ; 1 episode *'' Inside No. 9'' (2014) ... Jan in "

Last Gasp Last Gasp or The Last Gasp may refer to * Last Gasp (publisher) * ''Last Gasp'' (''Inside No. 9''), a TV episode * '' The Last Gasp'', a 2007 album by Impaled * ''The Last Gasp'' (novel) * "Last Gasp" (song) {{dab ...

" *'' Detectorists'' (2014–2015, 2017) ... Sheila *''

'' (2014) ... Herself/series winner *''The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm'' (2014) ... Aggie *''Harry Hill in Professor Branestawm Returns'' (2015) ... Aggie *''

'' (2015) ... Sue Colman *'' Bounty Hunters'' (2017) ... Fiona *''

Ratburger ''Ratburger'' is a children's book written by David Walliams, and illustrated by Tony Ross. It is the fifth book by Walliams, and won the Children's Book of the Year Award at the Specsavers National Book Awards in 2012. Plot The story follow ...

'' (2017) ... Miss Maxwell *''

'' (2018) ...

, Recurring role *''

Ghosts (2019 TV series) ''Ghosts '' is a British sitcom first broadcast on BBC One in April 2019. The series follows a collection of ghosts from different historical periods haunting a country house while sharing the house with its new living occupants. The series ...

'' (2019) ... Bunny Beg-Chetwynd *'' Sandylands'' (2020) ... Jeannie Swallows *'' Feel Good'' (2020) ... Maggie *''

Sex Education Sex education, also known as sexual education, sexuality education or sex ed, is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including emotional relations and responsibilities, human sexual anatomy, sexual activity, sexual reproduc ...

'' (2021) ... Carol Iglehart

Theatre

*''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'' ... Ophelia; Renaissance Theatre Company; 1988 *''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 h ...

'' ... Rosalind; Royal Shakespeare Company; 1989–1990 *''

All's Well That Ends Well ''All's Well That Ends Well'' is a play by William Shakespeare, published in the '' First Folio'' in 1623, where it is listed among the comedies. There is a debate regarding the dating of the composition of the play, with possible dates rangi ...

'' ... Helena; Royal Shakespeare Company; 1992–1993 *'' Wildest Dreams'' ... Royal Shakespeare Company; 1993–1994 (Olivier nomination) *''

'' ... Amy; Donmar/Albery; 1996 (Olivier nomination) *''

'' ... The Baker's Wife; Donmar; 1998–1999 (

) *''

Measure For Measure ''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604, according to available records. It was published in the '' First Folio'' of 1623. The play's plot features its ...

'' ... Isabella; Globe Theatre, London; 2004 *''

Female of the Species "Female of the Species" is a song by English rock band Space, released as their fourth single and second single proper from their debut album, ''Spiders'' (1996), on 27 May 1996. The song reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart and earned a sil ...

'' ... London; 2008 (Theatre goers choice award) *''

'' ... Bev/Kathy; Royal Court Theatre, London; 2010 (Olivier Nomination, Evening Standard nomination) *''

She Stoops to Conquer ''She Stoops to Conquer'' is a comedy by Oliver Goldsmith, first performed in London in 1773. The play is a favourite for study by English literature and theatre classes in the English-speaking world. It is one of the few plays from the 18th ...

'' ... Mrs Hardcastle; National Theatre, London; 2012 *''

'' ... Miss Adelaide; Chichester Festival Theatre, Tour and Savoy Theatre, London; 2015–2016 (Olivier nomination) *''

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious ...

'' ... Lady Bracknell; Vaudeville Theatre, London; 2018 *''

Present Laughter ''Present Laughter'' is a comic play written by Noël Coward in 1939 but not produced until 1942 because the Second World War began while it was in rehearsal, and the British theatres closed. The title is drawn from a song in Shakespeare's ''T ...

'' ... Monica Reed; The Old Vic, London; 2019 (Olivier nomination)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Sophie 1962 births 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses Actresses from London Alumni of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School Anglo-Scots English child actresses English film actresses English musical theatre actresses English people of Scottish descent English Shakespearean actresses English soap opera actresses English stage actresses English television actresses Living people Laurence Olivier Award winners Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners Reality cooking competition winners Royal Shakespeare Company members