Phyllida Law

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Phyllida Law

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Biography

An esteemed actress, known both for her portrayals of flinty, dry-witted women and her real-life role as the mother of actresses Emma and Sophie Thompson, Phyllida Law has been acting in her native Britain for over 40 years. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1932 and married to fellow actor Eric Thompson until his death in 1982, Law has spent much of her career working as a character actress both on television and in film. She has done particularly notable work in Douglas McGrath's 1996 adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma, which cast her as the meddlesome Mrs. Bates (and daughter Sophie Thompson as her equally meddlesome daughter Miss Bates); Alan Rickman's acclaimed drama The Winter Guest, in which she and daughter Emma starred as an estranged mother and daughter; and Nigel Cole's Saving Grace (2000), a comedy in which she portrayed the busybody neighbor of a woman (Brenda Blethyn) who has taken to growing pot in her backyard. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
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Phyllida Law

Law at the Nanny McPhee London premiere in 2005
Born Phyllida Ann Law
(1932-05-08) 8 May 1932 (age 79)
Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Occupation Actress
Years active 1961–present
Spouse Eric Thompson [m. 1957-82 (his death)]
Children Emma Thompson
Sophie Thompson

Phyllida Ann Law[1] (born 8 May 1932) is a Scottish actress.

Contents

Personal life

Law was born in Glasgow, the daughter of William and Megsie Law,[1] who divorced after World War II. She was married to actor Eric Thompson from 1957 until his death in 1982. Their daughters, Emma and Sophie Thompson, are both actresses. She has appeared in many documentaries and interviews concerning her late husband's work on The Magic Roundabout.

Career

Law has worked extensively in television, including appearances in Dixon of Dock Green, Rumpole of the Bailey and the 1972 adaptation of the Lord Peter Wimsey tale The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club. She appeared in films such as Peter's Friends (1992), Much Ado About Nothing (1993) and The Winter Guest (1997).

She was in the original London cast of La Cage aux Folles at the London Palladium in 1986, playing the role of Jacqueline.[2]

In 2004 she guest-starred on Rosemary & Thyme episode titled 'Orpheus in the Undergrowth' as May Beauchamp. In 2007 she guest-starred in two Doctor Who spin-off adventures: as Bea Nelson-Stanley in The Sarah Jane Adventures story "Eye of the Gorgon" and as Beldonia in the audio drama Doctor Who: The Bride of Peladon. Also in 2007 she played Aunt Auriel in the drama Kingdom starring Stephen Fry. In 2008 she appeared as a guest star in Foyle's War.

In November 2009, Law published her first book.[3] Notes to my Mother-In-Law concerns the 17 years Thompson's mother-in-law lived with the family from the mid-1960s until her death. In January 2010, she appeared with Tony Slattery on Ready Steady Cook. She starred alongside John Hurt in a short film entitled 'Love at First Sight' which was shortlisted for an Oscar in 2012.[4]

Filmography

References

External links


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Copyrights:

Mentioned in

Thompson (1988 TV Series)
The Winter Guest (1997 Drama Film)
Tooth (2004 Children's/Family Film)
Peter's Friends (1992 Comedy Drama Film)
The Waiting Room (2007 Drama Film)