EMMA THOMPSON: Born into a theatrical family in 1959, Emma Thompson is considered one of Britain's top actors of all time. While studying English literature at Cambridge University, she became one of the few women to join the Footlights Acting Club, whose distinguished alumni include John Cleese and Eric Idle. Thompson also began writing, directing, and producing for Cambridge's first all-female revue, "Woman's Hour." After graduating from Cambridge, Thompson joined with two other Footlights alumni to write and perform in a television series, "Al Fresco." In 1985, she landed her first major role in the musical, "Me and My Girl." The next year, she won a lead role in the drama, "Fortunes of War," during which time she fell in love with (and later married) her co-star, Kenneth Branagh. The couple later acted in four other feature films together, but divorced in 1995. The actress is currently living with her "Sense and Sensibility" co-star, Greg Wise, with their daughter, Gaia Romilly Wise. Thompson's older sister, Sophie Thompson, and mother, Phyllida Law, are both actresses, while her father, Eric Thompson, is a stage director. Emma Thompson's period filmography includes: Sense and Sensibility (1995) Carrington (1995) The Remains of the Day (1993) Much Ado About Nothing (1993) Howards End (1992) Impromptu (1991) Henry V (1989) The Winslow Boy (1988) source: http://www.erasofelegance.com/actors.html