Emma
Thompson is one of Britain's top actresses with numerous accolades including 2
Academy Awards, an Emmy, 2 Golden Globes and 2 BAFTA awards. She is also an accomplished
screenwriter -- one of her Academy Awards was for her screenplay adaptation of
Sense and Sensibility. Offscreen, Emma Thompson has been active in many causes
for a better world. She is patron of the Refugee Council, the UK's largest organization
working with refugees; an Ambassador of the international development charity,
ActionAid, which is helping to end global poverty with programs in more than 40
countries; supports the Make Poverty History campaign; advocates for corporate
responsibility and Fair Trade; and she has been an outspoken advocate of AIDS
funding for Africa.