Emma Thompson's mother Phyllida Law passes away

Aug 18, 2026

Los Angeles [US], August 18 : Phyllida Law, the Scottish actress and mother of actresses Emma and Sophie Thompson, has died at the age of 94.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, her death was announced by her manager, Jacky Leggo, who said in a statement that she "died supremely peacefully at home, surrounded by her family."
Law appeared with Emma in films including Peter's Friends (1992), Much Ado About Nothing (1993) -- both directed by then-son-in-law Kenneth Branagh -- and Junior (1994), and they portrayed mother and daughter in The Winter Guest (1997), directed by Alan Rickman.
She acted alongside younger daughter Sophie in Jane Austen's Emma (1996), starring Gwyneth Paltrow, and they would work together on TV series including Poirot, Midsomer Murders, Timeshift and Doc Martin.
She was awarded an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 2014 for her services to drama and charitable causes, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Law is survived by her two daughters and her three grandchildren.