Kristin Scott Thomas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dame Kristin Scott Thomas DBE
Scott Thomas in 2017
Born	Kristin Ann Scott Thomas (1960-05-24) 24 May 1960 (age 65) Redruth, Cornwall, England
Citizenship	United Kingdom • France
Alma mater	Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1984–present
Spouse(s)	François Olivennes ​ ​ (m. 1987; div. 2005)​ John Micklethwait ​ (m. 2024)​
Children	3
Relatives	Serena Scott Thomas (sister)

Dame Kristin Ann Scott Thomas (born on May 24, 1960) is a famous British actress. She has been nominated for many important awards, like the BAFTA Award and the Olivier Award, five times. She won a BAFTA Award for her role in the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994). She also won an Olivier Award in 2008 for her acting in the play The Seagull. She was even nominated for an Oscar for her work in The English Patient (1996).

Kristin Scott Thomas started her film career in Under the Cherry Moon (1986). She quickly gained attention and won an award for "Most Promising Newcomer" for her role in A Handful of Dust (1988). She has starred in many other well-known movies. These include Mission: Impossible (1996), The Horse Whisperer (1998), and Gosford Park (2001). She also won the European Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in I've Loved You So Long (2008).

For her amazing work in drama, she was given special honors by the British government. She became an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2003 and a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2015. France also honored her, making her a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur in 2005.

Kristin's Early Life and Education

Kristin Scott Thomas was born in Redruth, a town in Cornwall, England. Her mother, Deborah, grew up in Hong Kong and Africa. She studied drama before marrying Kristin's father, Simon Scott Thomas. He was a pilot in the Royal Navy. Sadly, he died in a flying accident when Kristin was only five years old.

Kristin has a younger sister, Serena Scott Thomas, who is also an actress. Their childhood home was in Trent, near Sherborne, in Dorset, England. After her father's death, her mother married another Royal Navy pilot, Simon Idiens. He also died in a flying accident six years later.

Kristin went to two independent schools: Cheltenham Ladies' College and St Antony's Leweston. After finishing school in 1978, she moved to London. She worked in a department store for a while.

She then started training to become a drama teacher at the Central School of Speech and Drama. However, she wanted to switch to acting but was not allowed. After one year, she moved to Paris, France, where she could speak French fluently. She worked as an au pair and studied acting at a French drama school called École Nationale supérieure des arts et techniques du théâtre. When she was 25, she got her first film role in Under the Cherry Moon (1986).

Kristin's Acting Career

Scott Thomas at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival

Kristin Scott Thomas's acting career began with the film Under the Cherry Moon in 1986. Her big break came when she played Brenda Last in A Handful of Dust (1988). This role earned her an award for being a promising new actress.

She then starred with Hugh Grant in Bitter Moon and Four Weddings and a Funeral. For Four Weddings and a Funeral, she won a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress.

In 1994, she acted in the Romanian-French film An Unforgettable Summer. She learned her lines phonetically because she didn't speak Romanian. She had the lines translated into French, which she speaks perfectly, so she understood what she was saying. She has said this film is one of her proudest works, along with The English Patient.

Her role as Katharine Clifton in The English Patient (1996) brought her many nominations, including for a Golden Globe and an Oscar. After this, she worked in Hollywood for a short time. She appeared in films like The Horse Whisperer with Robert Redford and Random Hearts with Harrison Ford. However, she decided to take a year off to focus on her family.

Kristin returned to the stage in 2003, starring in a French play called Bérénice. She also appeared in the film Gosford Park as Lady Sylvia McCordle. This marked the start of a very successful second career in theatre. She has been nominated four times for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress. She won one for her role as Arkadina in The Seagull in London. She later played the same role in New York.

She has also acted in many French films. In 2006, she played Hélène in Tell No One. In 2008, she received many awards and nominations for her role in I've Loved You So Long. This included BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations. In 2009, she starred in Leaving, playing a wife who leaves her husband.

In Sarah's Key (2010), Kristin played an American journalist in Paris. She discovers that the apartment her husband is renovating was once home to a Jewish family who were forced to leave. Other roles include Elizabeth Boleyn, the mother of Henry VIII's second wife, Anne Boleyn, in The Other Boleyn Girl (2008). She also played a fashion magazine editor in Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009).

She appeared in Only God Forgives (2013), which was shown at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2017, she was nominated for another BAFTA Award for her role as Clementine Churchill in Darkest Hour. In 2020, she played Mrs. Danvers in the film Rebecca.

Since 2022, Kristin Scott Thomas has starred in the British spy thriller series Slow Horses. She plays Diana Taverner, a high-ranking officer in MI5. In June 2022, she started filming her first movie as a director, called North Star.

Kristin's Personal Life

Kristin Scott Thomas raised her children in Paris, France. She has mentioned that she sometimes feels more French than British. However, in 2022, she shared that she was living in London.

She was married to French doctor François Olivennes from 1987 to 2005. They have three children together. In September 2024, Kristin Scott Thomas married John Micklethwait, who is the editor-in-chief of Bloomberg News.

Kristin's Film Roles

As a Director

Kristin's Television Roles

Kristin's Theatre Roles

• Three Sisters (2003, London) ... Masha
• The Seagull (2007, London; 2008, New York) ... Arkadina
• Betrayal (2011, London) ... Emma
• Old Times (2013, London) ... Kate/Anna
• Electra (2014, London) ... Electra
• The Audience (2015, London) ... Queen Elizabeth II

Olivier Awards for Theatre

Honors and Awards

• Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE): This is a very high honor given by the British monarch for great achievements. Kristin received it in 2015. She was first made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2003.
• Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour: This is the highest award given by the French government. Kristin received this honor in 2005.

Images for kids

• 

  Kristin Scott Thomas at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009.

See also

In Spanish: Kristin Scott Thomas para niños