The second daughter born to actress Phyllida Law and actor Eric Thompson, Sophie is the younger sister of twice Academy Award-winning actress and screenwriter Emma Thompson.

Sophie Thompson has worked in film, television, theatre and radio, and has narrated a number of audiobooks. She made her debut in 1978, at the age of 16, starring in A Traveller in Time, before going on to study at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Big-screen roles include Four Weddings and a Funeral, Emma, Dancing at Lughnasa, Gosford Park, Fat Slags, Relative Values, and Morris: A Life with Bells On. Thompson will also be starring in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2010, as Mafalda Hopkirk.

Sophie Thompson starred alongside popular British comedians Jack Dee, in Jonathan Creek, and Lee Evans in So What Now? She has also appeared in Persuasion, Midsomer Murders, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (TV series), A Harlot's Progress and Magnolia. She played Miss Bartlett in Andrew Davies' 2007 adaptation of E.M. Forster's A Room with a View and also appeared in the last episode of Series 4 of Doc Martin.

Sophie Thompson played the role of child abuser Stella Crawford in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders. She came into the show as Phil Mitchell's lawyer and they gradually developed a romantic link. Stella later became jealous of Phil's relationship with his son Ben and began to emotionally and physically abuse him — becoming one of soaps most-hated villains. A big success with critics and viewers, her character is said to be a part of EastEnders' big turn around and renewed success.[citation needed]. Thompson left EastEnders on 20 July 2007, after the exposure of Stella's evil ways on her wedding day led to the character's suicide.

In 2009, Sophie Thompson appeared in the BBC One comedy series Big Top.

Sophie Thompson played Amy in the 1996 revival of Stephen Sondheim's musical Company. She later won the 1999 Olivier Award for her performance in Sondheim's Into The Woods.

Sophie Thompson has been married to actor Richard Lumsden since 1995. They have two sons — Ernie James (born 1997) and Walter Eric (born 2000) — and live in London.

Sophie is a Charity Ambassador of Child In Need India (CINI) which helps poor mothers and children in India and will be running the 2010 London Marathon for CINI and a local charity.

Virginia McKenna (1979) · Gemma Craven (1980) · Carlin Glynn (1981) · Julia McKenzie (1982) · Barbara Dickson (1983) · Natalia Makarova (1984) · Patti LuPone (1985) · Lesley Mackie (1986) · Nichola McAuliffe (1987) · Patricia Routledge (1988) · Lea Salonga (1990) · Imelda Staunton (1991) · Wilhelmenia Fernandez (1992) · Joanna Riding (1993) · Julia McKenzie (1994) · Ruthie Henshall (1995) · Judi Dench (1996) · Maria Friedman (1997) · Ute Lemper (1998) · Sophie Thompson (1999) · Barbara Dickson (2000) · Samantha Spiro (2001) · Martine McCutcheon (2002) · Joanna Riding (2003) · Maria Friedman (2004) · Laura Michelle Kelly (2005) · Jane Krakowski (2006) · Jenna Russell (2007) · Leanne Jones (2008) · Elena Roger (2009) · Samantha Spiro (2010)