Actress Phyllida Law, mother of Emma Thompson, dies at 94

Phyllida Law, the Scottish actress whose career spanned eight decades across stage, television and film, has died at the age of 94. Her manager, Jacky Leggo, confirmed that Law died "supremely peacefully at home, surrounded by all her family" on July 27, 2026.

Born in Glasgow in 1932, Law initially trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School to become a stage designer before turning to acting. It was there she met her future husband, fellow actor Eric Thompson, whom she married in 1957. The couple remained together until Thompson's death from a heart attack in 1982. Together they had two daughters, Emma Thompson and Sophie Thompson, both of whom followed their mother into acting careers.

Law's extensive stage work included roles in the original West End production of John Mortimer's A Voyage Round My Father in 1971 and Alan Bennett's Habeas Corpus in 1973, both opposite Alec Guinness. She also appeared in the 1967 production of A Day in the Death of Joe Egg and played Jacqueline in the original London cast of the musical La Cage aux Folles at the London Palladium in 1986. Her career included work with the National Theatre in productions such as For Services Rendered and When...