Emma Thompson

An actor or actress receiving Dame Commander’s title is not an everyday occurrence, and that rare honor alone speaks volumes about Emma Thompson’s talent. She started her career as a comic at the Cambridge University with Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry’s likes, before the world of acting soon came calling for her.

While Thompson is known for playing button-downed and classy roles, she did manage to surprise us with unexpectedly brilliant character choices in her three-decade-long career. That said, critics still consider Sense and Sensibility and The Remains of the Day as her best works.