Tuesday, March 18

The Connection Between Miss Bates and Mrs. Bates and Elinor Dashwood

Jane Austen's Emma boasts many memorable characters, including the amiable and chatty Miss Bates and her mother, Mrs. Bates. The real life mother and daughter team of Phyllida Law and Sophie Thompson played the two women in the 1996 version of Emma, directed by Douglas McGrath.


Both women are related to Emma Thompson, who is Sophie's older sister.

Emma played Elinor Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility, 1996. Sophie also played Mary Musgrove in Persuasion, 1995. Update: Most recently, Phyllida played Cassandra Leigh Austen, Jane's mother, in Miss Austen Regrets. (See picnic photo)



More about Phyllida and her daughters:
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3 comments:

  1. Anonymous3/18/2008

    How interesting! I can't believe I didn't know that.

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  2. Anonymous3/19/2008

    Phyllida Law also played Mrs. Austen in Masterpiece Theatre's "Miss Austen Regrets".

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  3. Vic3/19/2008

    Yes! Something kept niggling in the back of my mind about Phyllida, but search as I might, I couldn't find the reference. Thanks for the reminder. I've made the change in the post. :)

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