Hugh Laurie congratulates Emma Thompson on Walk of Fame star

Emma Thompson Honored with 2,416th Star on The Hollywood Walk Of Fame for her Motion Picture Career
Emcee Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, President/CEO Leron Gubler
Guest speakers: Hugh Laurie and Maggie Gyllenhaal
At 6714 Hollywood Boulevard in front of The Pig 'n Whistle British Pub
Friday, August 6, 2010

Emma Thompson who is one of the world's most respected talents for her versatility in acting as well as screenwriting was honored with the 2,416th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 6, in front of the British Pub, Pig' n Whistle. Guest speakers were Hugh Laurie and Maggie Gyllenhaal as well as Councilman Tom LaBonge. Cast members from the film, "Nanny McPhee Returns," Eros Vlahos, Rosie Taylor Witson and Lil Woods were also on hand for the festivities. Ms. Thompson was thrilled that the star was in front of a British pub and that it was smack in the middle of the entrance where you step on her star before you order your drink and step on the star when you finish your drink! She dedicated the star to her late theater director father, Eric Thompson who brought Emma to Hollywood when she was 14 to see the stars on the Walk of Fame and reminisced how she thought the stars were a lovely thing to do for celebrities. On August 20, her current global hit, Universal Pictures' Nanny McPhee Returns, comes to the U.S. and Canada.
In 1992, Thompson caused a sensation with her portrayal of Margaret Schlegel in the Merchant-Ivory adaptation of E.M. Forster's Howards End. Sweeping the Best Actress category wherever it was considered, the performance netted her a BAFTA, a Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award, a New York Film Critics Circle Award, a Golden Globe and an Academy Award®. She earned two Oscar® nominations the following year for her work in The Remains of the Day and In the Name of the Father. In 1995, Thompson's adaptation of Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility," directed by Ang Lee, won the Academy Award® for Best Adapted Screenplay as well as the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay and Best Screenplay awards from the Writers Guild of America and the Writers Guild of Great Britain, amongst numerous others. For her performance in the film, she was honored with BAFTA for Best Actress and was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Academy Award®.
In 2008, Thompson starred with Dustin Hoffman in director Joel Hopkins' charming romance, Last Chance Harvey, and was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture—Comedy or Musical. In 2006, Thompson co-starred, to critical acclaim, with Dustin Hoffman, Will Ferrell and Maggie Gyllenhaal in Stranger Than Fiction, directed by Marc Forster, and produced by Nanny McPhee Returns producer, Lindsay Doran. Gyllenhaal also stars in Nanny McPhee Returns.
Thompson was born in London to Eric Thompson, a theater director and writer, and Phyllida Law, an actress. She read English at Cambridge and was invited to join the university's long-standing Footlights comedy troupe, which elected her vice president. Hugh Laurie was president. She worked as a stand-up comic when the opportunity arose, and earned £60 in cash on her 25th birthday in a stand-up double bill with Ben Elton at the Croydon Warehouse. She says it's the best money she's ever earned.
Thompson is involved with several charities including: The Teaching Awards, of which she is President and she is the Chair of the Helen Bamber Foundation which fights against human trafficking and forced labor, a vastly overlooked scourge that affects more than 12 million people around the world.

About The Hollywood Walk of Fame: It began with the installation of a few demonstration stars in August 1958, the first of which was dedicated to actor Preston Foster. Officially dedicated in November 1960, the Walk now features more than 2,400 stars in the categories of television, radio, live theatre, motion pictures and recording. The Walk of Fame ceremonies draw international media attention and throngs of people to catch a glimpse of a favorite celebrity or Hollywood industry leader. It is one of the top tourist draws in Los Angeles and most recognizable images of Hollywood, along with The Hollywood Sign. Follow the Walk of Fame 50th Anniversary plans, news of upcoming star ceremonies and video clips from the ceremonies at www.WalkOfFame.com
Recorded by Marlene Panoyan, Director of Communications, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce on August 6, 2010 using a Flip Video camcorder. This clip is not available for reproduction in any other form or media. Additional permission is needed for any use. Contact Hollywood Chamber of Commerce at [email protected] or call 323-469-8311. For more information, visit www.HollywoodChamber.net. To purchase a copy of this or other Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Ceremonies, please contact [email protected].