Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio rank
#226
of 909177 performers
Top 1%
Emma Thompson represents the rare performer whose career became more ambitious with every decade — 37 years in, and Emma is still choosing the harder script.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
Emma Thompson appears in 58 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without Emma. An Audience with Adele is the clearest case: a film rated 8.4 by our editors, where the performance carries weight the script only implies.
The recognisable elements are versatility, transformation, quiet performance. Watch two of these films back to back and the method separates from the material — the same instrument, tuned differently for documentary, mystery, comedy. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with Kyle Balda, Michael Morris, Brian Kirk and others, Emma Thompson helped set a standard other performers now audition against. Awards bodies have been slower than the work, which is usually the sign of a career built on choices rather than campaigns.
An Audience with Adele (2021) as Self · Everybody to Kenmure Street (2026) as Van Guy · Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) as Sybill Trelawney
Career snapshot
Ranked #226 of 909177 performers tracked in the Nutevio library.
Films in Nutevio
58
1989–2026
Career length
37 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
8.4
An Audience with Adele
Average Nutevio score
6.8
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
8.4
An Audience with Adele
Most frequent director
Kenneth Branagh
4 films together
Longest collaboration
4×
With Kenneth Branagh
Most common genre
Drama
33 titles
Average runtime
1h 51m
Across catalogue work
Golden Globe wins
—
Unknown
Nutevio metric
Ten weighted categories, applied identically to everyone we cover.
Nutevio Performer Score
7.1
out of 10
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio metric
Cultural impact and legacy, measured separately from craft — how far the work travelled once it left the cinema.
Nutevio Influence Score
6.8
out of 10
A quieter influence — felt inside the films rather than across the industry.
How far the work travelled past the people who saw it first.
What survives once the release-week conversation has burned off.
Institutional acknowledgement, weighted but never decisive.
Years of chosen, relevant work rather than years merely employed.
Statuettes, read as evidence rather than verdict.
Roles named without needing the film named alongside them.
Directors who wrote parts because this performer existed.
The reading other performers now have to answer.
Actor DNA
A fingerprint derived from the roles themselves — register, range and the kind of film they carry.
The shape of a career
Every performance plotted in time. Hover a point to read the title behind it.
Peak years
Where the scores, the awards and the sheer volume of work agree with each other.
Best decade
2000s
7.2 average MV
The 2000s are where the work and the material meet. The Boat That Rocked, An Education, Last Chance Harvey — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
2000s
7.2
Across 11 catalogue films in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
2000s
7.1
The public agrees most strongly about this stretch — useful context, and occasionally a decade behind our own reading.
Most awarded era
1980s
0 Academy Awards
Statuettes for the films themselves, which is the honest way to read an ensemble career. Henry V.
Most productive era
2010s
23 films
The busiest stretch of the catalogue — volume that reads as appetite rather than availability.
Range, mapped
Genres down the side, decades across the top. Warmer cells mean stronger titles.
| Genre | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | 6.91 film | 7.07 films | 6.97 films | 6.415 films | 7.23 films |
| Action | — | — | — | 6.44 films | 6.41 film |
| Thriller | — | 6.41 film | 7.41 film | 6.71 film | 6.41 film |
| Comedy | — | 6.15 films | 7.14 films | 6.514 films | 6.87 films |
| Crime | — | — | — | — | 8.11 film |
| Romance | — | 6.86 films | 6.85 films | 6.55 films | 6.53 films |
Chronology
Firsts and peaks
The turning points, in the order they happened.
First film in Nutevio
1989Henry V
Where our catalogue meets this career, as Katherine.
Highest rated performance
8.4 on the Nutevio scale, the top of the catalogue for this performer.
Career peak
2026Everybody to Kenmure Street
Weighing billing against the film's own quality, this is the point where everything aligned at once.
Most recent film
The current state of the argument, as Lydia Harbottle.
Our order
Every performance in the catalogue, ordered by Nutevio Score.
Every title
Filter by genre or decade, and compare any two titles side by side.
58 of 58 films
as The Baroness
Directed by Craig Gillespie
as Sybill Trelawney
Directed by David Yates
as Sybill Trelawney
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón
From the library
Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.
Loading credits…
The defining work
#1
Van Guy
Everybody to Kenmure Street (2026)
Performance score8.7
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Van Guy gives Emma Thompson a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
Self
An Audience with Adele (2021)
Performance score8.6
An Audience with Adele asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Self is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
The Baroness
Cruella (2021)
Performance score8.3
Cruella asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. The Baroness is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
Sybill Trelawney
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
Performance score8.0
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Sybill Trelawney is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movieStart here
A guided path through the work, ordered so each film explains the next.
Best entry point
as Van Guy
Start here. Everybody to Kenmure Street is the clearest statement of what Emma Thompson does — accessible, 98 minutes, and rated 8.3 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet Emma at the most legible performance, then move forward in time so each film reads as a response to the one before it rather than a repetition of it.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
A deliberate change of key after Everybody to Kenmure Street — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
Keeps the fantasy register of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban but asks for a colder reading of it.
An Audience with Adele (2021)
A deliberate change of key after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
Cruella (2021)
A deliberate change of key after An Audience with Adele — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
Kenneth Branagh
Director
4 films together
Notably Much Ado About Nothing
James Ivory
Director
2 films together
Notably The Remains of the Day
Richard Curtis
Director
2 films together
Notably The Boat That Rocked
David Yates
Director
2 films together
Notably Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Jim Sheridan
Director
1 film together
Notably In the Name of the Father
Steve Miner
Director
1 film together
Notably My Father the Hero
Ivan Reitman
Director
1 film together
Notably Junior
Ang Lee
Director
1 film together
Notably Sense and Sensibility
Mike Nichols
Director
1 film together
Notably Primary Colors
John Musker
Director
1 film together
Notably Treasure Planet
Alfonso Cuarón
Director
1 film together
Notably Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Kirk Jones
Director
1 film together
Notably Nanny McPhee
Marc Forster
Director
1 film together
Notably Stranger Than Fiction
Francis Lawrence
Director
1 film together
Notably I Am Legend
Julian Jarrold
Director
1 film together
Notably Brideshead Revisited
Lone Scherfig
Director
1 film together
Notably An Education
Susanna White
Director
1 film together
Notably Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang
Brenda Chapman
Director
1 film together
Notably Brave
Barry Sonnenfeld
Director
1 film together
Notably Men in Black 3
Richard LaGravenese
Director
1 film together
Notably Beautiful Creatures
John Lee Hancock
Director
1 film together
Notably Saving Mr. Banks
Richard Laxton
Director
1 film together
Notably Effie Gray
Jason Reitman
Director
1 film together
Notably Men, Women & Children
Robert Carlyle
Director
1 film together
Notably The Legend of Barney Thomson
Ken Kwapis
Director
1 film together
Notably A Walk in the Woods
John Wells
Director
1 film together
Notably Burnt
Vincent Perez
Director
1 film together
Notably Alone in Berlin
Bill Condon
Director
1 film together
Notably Beauty and the Beast
Noah Baumbach
Director
1 film together
Notably The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)
David Kerr
Director
1 film together
Notably Johnny English Strikes Again
Paul Feig
Director
1 film together
Notably Last Christmas
F. Gary Gray
Director
1 film together
Notably Men in Black: International
Chris Butler
Director
1 film together
Notably Missing Link
Nisha Ganatra
Director
1 film together
Notably Late Night
Coky Giedroyc
Director
1 film together
Notably How to Build a Girl
Stephen Gaghan
Director
1 film together
Notably Dolittle
Craig Gillespie
Director
1 film together
Notably Cruella
Shekhar Kapur
Director
1 film together
Notably What's Love Got to Do with It?
Brian Kirk
Director
1 film together
Notably Dead of Winter
Michael Morris
Director
1 film together
Notably Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
Kyle Balda
Director
1 film together
Notably The Sheep Detectives
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
Kenneth Branagh
Director
4 films together · 6.7 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 4 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Much Ado About NothingDavid Yates
Director
2 films together · 8.1 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2Richard Curtis
Director
2 films together · 7.2 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
The Boat That RockedJames Ivory
Director
2 films together · 7.2 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
The Remains of the DayAlfonso Cuarón
Director
1 film together · 8.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of AzkabanCraig Gillespie
Director
1 film together · 8.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
CruellaKyle Balda
Director
1 film together · 7.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Sheep DetectivesJim Sheridan
Director
1 film together · 7.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
In the Name of the FatherJohn Musker
Director
1 film together · 7.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Treasure PlanetFrancis Lawrence
Director
1 film together · 7.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
I Am LegendAng Lee
Director
1 film together · 7.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Sense and SensibilityJohn Lee Hancock
Director
1 film together · 7.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Saving Mr. BanksMarc Forster
Director
1 film together · 7.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Stranger Than FictionPaul Feig
Director
1 film together · 7.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Last ChristmasBill Condon
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Beauty and the BeastBrenda Chapman
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
BraveChris Butler
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Missing LinkLone Scherfig
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
An EducationVincent Perez
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Alone in BerlinKirk Jones
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Nanny McPheeStephen Gaghan
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
DolittleBarry Sonnenfeld
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Men in Black 3Noah Baumbach
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)John Wells
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
BurntJason Reitman
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Men, Women & ChildrenMichael Morris
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Bridget Jones: Mad About the BoyBrian Kirk
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Dead of WinterNisha Ganatra
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Late NightDavid Kerr
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Johnny English Strikes AgainSusanna White
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Nanny McPhee and the Big BangJulian Jarrold
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Brideshead RevisitedMike Nichols
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Primary ColorsShekhar Kapur
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
What's Love Got to Do with It?Ken Kwapis
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
A Walk in the WoodsRobert Carlyle
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Legend of Barney ThomsonRichard Laxton
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Effie GrayRichard LaGravenese
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Beautiful CreaturesF. Gary Gray
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Men in Black: InternationalCoky Giedroyc
Director
1 film together · 5.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
How to Build a GirlSteve Miner
Director
1 film together · 5.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
My Father the HeroIvan Reitman
Director
1 film together · 5.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
JuniorSix degrees
Follow the thread outward — director, film, co-star, and the film after that.
Categories of our own
Six editorial categories we apply to every performer we cover.
Most rewatchable
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
as Sybill Trelawney
The one that survives a fourth viewing. Nothing in the performance depends on surprise, which is why it keeps paying out.
Most emotional performance
Sense and Sensibility
as Elinor Dashwood
Grief played at conversational volume. The film never asks the audience to cry; the performance simply makes it difficult not to.
Most influential performance
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
as Sybill Trelawney
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
as Sybill Trelawney
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
Everybody to Kenmure Street
as Van Guy
If the career had to be argued in a single scene, our editors would pick one from this film and rest the case.
In their films' words
“You can build a whole film around a performer who knows when not to speak. Emma Thompson has known it for a long time.”
Head to head
Put two careers on the same scale and see where the argument actually sits.
Ours alone
Recognitions handed out by this desk, on criteria no awards body uses.
Career Achievement
Awarded
37 years of relevant work — not merely a long career, but a long career of choices.
Modern Classic Performer
Awarded
Defining performances delivered inside the last twenty-five years, in films already being taught rather than merely remembered.
Drama Legend
Awarded
33 catalogue titles in drama, each one a reference point for the films that followed.
Our desk
Best ending, best opening, best twist and the rest — categories we apply to everyone we cover.
Best ending
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
as Sybill Trelawney
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
The Sheep Detectives
as Lydia Harbottle
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
as Nancy Stokes
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
The Sheep Detectives
as Lydia Harbottle
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
as Sybill Trelawney
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
Missing Link
as Dora the Yeti Elder (voice)
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
Stranger Than Fiction
as Karen Eiffel
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
as Sybill Trelawney
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.
If you like this performer
David Krumholtz
Works with the same directors — shared collaborators
Matt Damon
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Michael Caine
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Tom Hanks
Built a career in the same territory: animation and family
Bonnie Hunt
Built a career in the same territory: animation and family
Cillian Murphy
Built a career in the same territory: drama and history
Have your say
Community
Which Emma Thompson performance holds up best?
Our readers argue about this one. Make your case, or read the ranked debate already in progress.
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Reference
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