Phyllida Law has died at the age of 94, her personal manager Jacky Leggo has confirme.
Ms Leggo stated that the veteran performer “died supremely peacefully at home, surrounded by all of her family”.
Ms Law was the mother of Oscar-winning actress Emma Thompson and fellow performer Sophie Thompson, with whom she frequently shared the screen throughout her distinguished career.
Born in 1932, she became one of Britain’s most versatile and enduring character actresses, equally at home in comedy, musicals and drama.
Phyllida Law has died
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Her extensive body of work encompassed landmark theatre productions, beloved television series and acclaimed feature films, earning her an OBE for services to drama and charitable causes in 2014.
Ms Law initially enrolled at the prestigious Bristol Old Vic Theatre school with ambitions of becoming a stage designer, before discovering a passion for performing.
It was during her time in Bristol that she met fellow actor Eric Thompson, and the pair wed in 1957.
Her television career took off in the late 1950s and 1960s, with appearances in programmes including Dr Finlay’s Casebook and Dixon of Dock Green.
It was her stage work opposite Alec Guinness that cemented her reputation as a serious theatrical talent. The pair starred in John Mortimer’s A Voyage Round My Father at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in 1971, and subsequently in Alan Bennett’s Habeas Corpus at the Oxford Playhouse two years later.
Phyllida Law is the mother of Emma Thompson
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LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
She joined the National Theatre in 1979 and was cast in the inaugural London staging of the English-language musical adaptation of La Cage aux Folles.
From the late 1980s, Ms Law became a familiar presence on the big screen, frequently working alongside her daughters.
She featured in Peter’s Friends and Much Ado About Nothing, which were both directed by her daughter’s then-husband Kenneth Branagh.
Ms Law also played Mrs Bates in the 1996 Gwyneth Paltrow-led adaptation of Emma, with Sophie as her on-screen daughter.
Phyllida Law pictured in 2025
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Her collaboration with Alan Rickman on his directorial debut The Winter Guest, in which she and Emma portrayed mother and daughter, drew considerable praise. Her CV also boasts credits in The Time Machine, Miss Potter and Albert Nobbs.
On television, she took a recurring part in Stephen Fry’s comedy-drama Kingdom, and appeared in series such as Waking the Dead, Foyle’s War and Doc Martin.
Her granddaughter Gaia Wise, the 26-year-old actress and daughter of Emma Thompson, paid tribute on Instagram, writing: “Rest well, my Queen”, alongside a red heart emoji.
Ms Law is survived by her daughters Emma and Sophie.