Emma Thompson's Mom, Also a Prolific Actor, Dies at 94

Phyllida Law, a familiar face across British stage and screen whose career often intersected with that of daughter Emma Thompson, has died at 94. Her manager said she "died supremely peacefully at home, surrounded by all her family," reports the Guardian. Born in Glasgow in 1932, Law initially studied stage design at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School before pivoting to acting, launching a stage career that led to roles with the National Theatre and in productions alongside Alec Guinness and in the original London run of La Cage aux Folles. Television followed in the late 1950s and '60s, with appearances on shows including Dr Finlay's Casebook and Dixon of Dock Green.

Film brought her wider recognition from the late '80s, notably in Peter's Friends, Much Ado About Nothing, and Emma, often acting with daughters Emma and Sophie Thompson. She and Emma played mother and daughter in Alan Rickman's acclaimed The Winter Guest. Later TV work included Foyle's War, Doc Martin, Agatha Christie's Poirot, and a recurring role in Stephen Fry's Kingdom. Law was widowed in 1982 after the sudden death of husband Eric Thompson, reports Variety, and is survived by Emma and Sophie Thompson, and three grandchildren.