Learn about Kristin Scott Thomas's stage credits ahead of 'The Cherry Orchard'

The strikingly elegant Olivier winner and Oscar nominee returns to the West End this autumn in a new production of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard.

Summary

• Kristin Scott Thomas's screen work includes Four Weddings and a Funeral; The English Patient and Slow Horses
• She won an Olivier Award for The Seagull and has been nominated on four further occasions
• She regularly works with director Ian Rickson on classic plays
• Scott Thomas returns to the West End in The Cherry Orchard

Known for her elegance and patrician bearing, Kristin Scott Thomas was born in 1960 and raised in Dorset. She enrolled on Central School of Speech and Drama’s teacher training programme but left to work as an au pair in Paris when she was denied the opportunity to transfer to the acting course. She trained at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Techniques du Théâtre (ENSATT). She made her film debut in Under the Cherry Moon, directed by and starring Prince, in 1986, and came to prominence in the costume drama A Handful of Dust in 1988.

Scott Thomas won a BAFTA for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Four Weddings and a Funeral and other films have included, The English Patient (for which she received an Oscar nomination), The Horse Whisperer, Richard III, Gosford Park, Easy Virtue, Nowhere Boy, Suite Francaise, The Party, Darkest Hour, and Rebecca. She made her directorial and screenwriting debut with My Mother’s Wedding in 2023. On television, she has appeared in Fleabag, Talking Heads, and Slow Horses.

She lived in Paris for many years and has showcased her fluency in French in numerous acclaimed films, including Arsène Lupin, I’ve Loved You So Long, Leaving, In the House, and Final Set. She was named a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur by the French government in 2005.

Scott Thomas was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2015. She has made regular stage appearances in the past 25 years and, as a LondonTheatre.co.uk reviewer commented, “There are regular sightings on West End and Broadway stages of film stars passing through in an attempt to gain some serious acting kudos and credibility. But few have committed to the theatre as regularly and successfully in recent times as Kristin Scott Thomas.”

This autumn, Scott Thomas returns to the stage to play Madame Ranevskaya in The Cherry Orchard at the Harold Pinter Theatre, directed by her long-time collaborator Ian Rickson. In the meantime, read on to learn more about her classy theatre appearances.

Book The Cherry Orchard tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.

Early work

In the 1980s, Scott Thomas appeared in several plays around France. In 2001, she returned to the stage in the title role in Racine’s Bérénice at Festival de Perpignan, Festival d'Avignon, and on tour.

Three Sisters

In 2003, Scott Thomas was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and made her West End debut as Masha in Chekhov’s Three Sisters in a new version by Christopher Hampton directed by Michael Blakemore. The cast also included Kate Burton, Madeleine Worrall, Douglas Hodge, Robert Bathurst, and Tobias Menzies.

LondonTheatre.co.uk’s reviewer observed that “Kristin Scott Thomas gives an outstanding performance as Masha. She instantly captures the boredom and discontent that entwines her character, which makes her distant and aloof.” She received an Olivier Award nomination.

As You Desire Me

In 2005, Scott Thomas appeared in Jonathan Kent’s revival of Luigi Pirandello’s 1929 play (adapted by Hugh Whitemore). She portrayed Elma (played by Greta Garbo in the 1932 film version), a singer in a sleazy Berlin club, who loses her memory after being assaulted. She then is informed that she is the wife of an Italian aristocrat. The cast also included Bob Hoskins and Margaret Tyzack.

The Seagull

Scott Thomas starred as Arkadina in Chekhov’s The Seagull in 2007 at the Royal Court, directed by Ian Rickson (the first time they worked together). The cast also featured Carey Mulligan, Mackenzie Crook, and Katherine Parkinson. Scott Thomas won the Olivier Award for Best Actress and the production transferred to Broadway the following year. New York Theatre Guide’s reviewer commented that “as Arkadina, Scott Thomas is indeed luminous”.

Betrayal

In 2011, Scott Thomas played Emma in Harold Pinter’s Betrayal, the figure at the centre of a love triangle inspired by Pinter’s own real-life experiences. Ben Miles played her husband Robert, and Douglas Henshall was her lover Jerry. LondonTheatre.co.uk’s reviewer observed that “Kristin Scott Thomas has a distinct resemblance to Joan Bakewell [on whom the character was based], both in looks as well as her speech which adds a sense of intrusive reality. But the real joy of watching her performance is in her facial expressions and mannerisms… You don't often get revivals as satisfying and rewarding to watch as this.” Rickson, again, directed.

Old Times

Two years later, Scott Thomas appeared in another Pinter play directed by Rickson. Scott Thomas and Lia Williams alternated in the roles of former roommates Anna and Kate and, at some performances, the decision as to who played which role was made on the toss of a coin. Rufus Sewell took the third role, Kate’s husband Deeley. When LondonTheatre.co.uk’s reviewer saw the show, they noted that “Kristin Scott Thomas is a refined but rather playful Anna, Rufus Sewell is prone to anger and outbursts, and Lia Williams is a rather haunted Kate”. Scott Thomas was Olivier-nominated but, curiously, Williams wasn’t.

The Audience

When Helen Mirren transferred to Broadway as Queen Elizabeth II in Peter Morgan’s The Audience (a companion piece to the film The Queen and precursor to The Crown) in 2015, Scott Thomas took the role in the production’s West End reprisal. The enigmatic monarch, dealing with a conveyor belt of prime ministers, was the ideal vehicle for Scott Thompson’s cool composure and dry humour. She was made a Dame in the same year.

Electra

Scott Thomas was again directed by Rickson in 2016 in Frank McGuinness’s version of Sophocles’ tragedy, playing a role that allowed her to show her more feral side. LondonTheatre.co.uk’s reviewer observed that she brought “a bare, exposed vulnerability and lots of physical motion” to the part. The production co-starred Jack Lowden and Diana Quick, and Scott Thomas received another Olivier nomination.

Lyonesse

In 2023, Scott Thomas was cast against type in Penelope Skinner’s play as Elaine, an eccentric and reclusive former actress living in a remote part of Cornwall, who is now planning a comeback. LondonTheatre.co.uk’s reviewer called her performance “riveting”. Lily James played her daughter and Rickson directed.

The Cherry Orchard

This autumn, Scott Thomas returns to the West End at the Harold Pinter Theatre in her third Chekhov production, this time playing The Cherry Orchard's Madame Ranevskaya, who returns to her family home after many years away and discovers that the estate and titular cherry orchard are under threat. She will be directed by Rickson and the play will receive a new adaptation by Conor McPherson (The Weir, The Hunger Games).

Says Scott Thomas: “Returning to The Pinter with Chekhov is like coming home to a piece of theatre that is endlessly alive. Conor McPherson’s new adaptation brings a fresh, urgent energy to The Cherry Orchard; and I am excited to be exploring Chekhov’s utterly brilliant and beautiful examination of the human heart with our director Ian Rickson.”

Book The Cherry Orchard tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.

Photo credit: Kristin Scott Thomas. (Courtesy of production)