Dead Now Of Course: A Heartwarming Memoir of Life in the Theatre and a Famous Courtship

by Phyllida Law

‘My future mother-in-law burst into tears when she heard her son was to marry an actress. There’s still something disturbing, I grant you, about the word “actress”. If an MP or some other outstanding person plays fast and loose with an actress the world is unsurprised. She is certainly no better than she should be, and probably French…’

As well as being a mother (to the actresses Sophie and Emma Thompson) and a devoted carer to her own mother and mother-in-law, Phyllida Law is also a distinguished actress, and Dead Now Of Course is the tale of her early acting career.

As a young member of a travelling company, Phyllida learned to cope with whatever was thrown at her, from making her own false eyelashes to battling flammable costumes and rogue cockroaches. We find her in Mrs Miller’s digs, which were shared with a boozy monkey bought from Harrods, an Afghan hound known as the ‘the flying duster’, several hens and various children.

Filled with funny, charming anecdotes, Dead Now Of Course paints a fascinating picture of life in the theatre – and at the heart of the story is an enchanting account of Phyllida’s courtship with her future husband, the actor and writer Eric Thompson.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

128 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 27, 2017

About the author

Phyllida Ann Law (6 July 1932 − 27 July 2026) was a Scottish television, film and stage actress.

Having trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, she appeared in television series such as Dixon of Dock Green, Rumpole of the Bailey, Kingdom and Foyle's War. Her film credits included Peter's Friends (1992), Much Ado About Nothing (1993) and The Winter Guest (1997).

Her daughters Emma and Sophie Thompson are also actresses.

Reviews

[Beth Bonini]

Phillida Law - actress, writer and mother to Emma and Sophie Thompson - is a very likeable storyteller, but this is really not her best work. It promises much, but nearly all of her anecdotes and stories left me wanting: wanting more detail, more resolution and more reflection. Law is self-deprecating to a fault; I suspect that is part of her own character, and also part of the English/Scottish generation she belongs to. But sometimes that self-deprecation just gets in the way. I felt like it undercut every story she tells. Mostly, Law sticks to her early days as an actress in the theatre - and she gives her audience a glimpse of a fascinating (and in many case, bygone) world. Everything from post-war ‘digs’ to props, stage make-up, costumes and exploding foot lights are touched upon - and I really do mean ‘touched upon’ because Law’s touch is both light-hearted and brief. Of course, there are also references to many famous actors of the day that Law observed or came into contact with, but again, she is really quite discreet. Too discreet for my taste.

Truthfully, this book is a very ‘okay’ two stars; but despite its frustrating brevity, I am too fond of Law as a person and writer to give it anything less than 3 stars.

[Melissa]

A delightful small volume of reminisces from Phyllida Law’s early career in the theatre up to the beginning of her marriage to Eric Thompson. So many stingers at the ends of paragraphs.

For those who don’t know, she’s Emma Thompson’s mum. You can tell where she gets the no-nonsense humor.

[a ☕︎]

warm and funny. you will recognize quite a few of the names so long as you have seen at least one michael powell and emeric pressburger movie (best bet is the red shoes).

[Rachel]

Lovely. Warm and with a neat turn of phase which makes for a charming style of writing. No matter that I've never heard of most of the actors, amusing anecdotes are sprinkled throughout. Law conjures up a world which is now lost.

[Theresa]

An absolute delight! Phyllida Law is a British actress who is also mother to Emma and Sophie Thompson. This is a light memoir of her early days in the 1950s pursuing her acting career and coincidentally her romance with her future husband, actor/writer Eric Thompson. A collection of witty anecdotes, easily read in about an hour, what emerges is a charming and funny portrait of life as a budding stage actress just after the war.

Must make passing mention of the charming illustrations by the author, and the memorabilia and photos included. My favorite photo features a theater cat!

[Cody]

24. Dead now of course • Phyllida Law // this book served one purpose and one alone.. and that was the fulfilment of ticking the category box off the list. I very nearly didn’t finish this. What absolute rubbish.. I have no idea how this even made it to print. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME. 1/5 ⭐️ (generous) #lessthan200pages

[Karen Plummer]

Lovely memoir of Phyllida Law's beginnings as an actress with interesting anecdotes of life in the theatre including all the little jobs she did to make ends meet, and her romance with actor Eric Thompson which led to marriage (and two lovely daughters, Emma and Sophie, both actresses as well). She also includes photos and her own beautiful illustrations.

Having read one of her other books, I'm used to her writing style but must admit I just wanted more. It was a fun, quick read which ended way too soon.

[Michael]

i listened to the audiobook, read by the author herself - she's the actress emma thompson's mother, also an actress. she's telling stories about her life as a young actress. she has a wonderful speaking voice, which is a little fancy and old-fashioned. she is warm, friendly, charming, smart, and silly. the fancy accent makes the silliness feel sillier. this is not supposed to be great literature, and giving it a 5-star rating makes me feel a little guilty about denying 5 stars to greater literary artists. but this gave me a lot of pleasure. it's a short listen - 147 minutes.

[Mrs Erica Morley Hillard]

Entertaining Vignettes

The abrupt endings of many of these anecdotes is disconcertingly blunt at times, but that doesn't detract from the highly entertaining nature of the stories. Evoking bygone times, it would probably be best to have a genuine interest in the theatre if you are planning to set about reading these, but it really is a charming little book.

[Judy]

This is charming but pretty incoherent. Phyllida has a very informal style, that you have to interpret, as you might do if having a conversation with her in person in a crowded room, perhaps an afterparty. It's remarkably compact. She certainly wastes no words; even those that might have been useful to include... A very likeable woman.

[Sharen]

Love her style - a pleasure to read. Her earlier books Notes to My Mother-in-Law and How Many Camels Are There in Holland? re. caring for her mother-in-law and her own mother respectively are two of my favourites - tenderly amusing and often hilarious, she speaks candidly about dementia - and this is a great comfort.

[Nannick JF]

My favorite author strikes again. Like all Law's work this is the equivalent of a big bowl of your favorite comfort food. One to keep close at hand for those nights a little pick me up is needed.
A joyous and witty read.

[Sarah]

Listened to the audiobook

Short, sweet and interesting. A collection of anecdotes and stories of her life as a young actress.

I think the listening pleasure was definitely enhanced by the fact it’s Phyllida Law reading it.

I particularly enjoyed the bits about Bristol.

[Gerard de Bruin]

Dat zeg ik niet gauw, maar dit is een FLUTboek. Babbel, klepperdeklep, klets. En lollig dat mevrouw Law is! Nee dus. Versierde volzinnen die niks zeggen. Afgerond met een uitsmijter van een paar woorden. Zo vreselijk 'British', daar kan een lolbroek als Boris J. nog wat van leren.

[Dee]

A little bit disappointed - found it rather jerky and disjointed, but there was some interesting 'behind the scenes' anecdotes as well. Phyllida Law is Emma Thompson's mother, by the way.

[Adele]

Great title, very lightweight, glad I borrowed it from the library otherwise £12.99 wouldn’t have been well spent.

[Philip Meeks]

Trees were destroyed for this to be published.

[Clare]

Short anecdotes of the theatre. No development but interesting enough.

[Emma Dargue]

interesting look at the beginning of the author's career.

[Gareth Evans]

It almost reads as a spoof, but is perhaps too light and artless for that. Both charming and confusing. An enjoyable slight read.

[Pers]

Written in a very chatty, sometimes slightly incoherent, style.

[Susan Pilkington]

Very funny book. Lots of nostalgia about the theatre life.

[wickedwitchie]

gossipy delicious

[Heather]

A short, funny theatre memoir, written and read by Emma Thompson’s mother. It’s theatre so expect some language and escapades.

[Rebecca B - What Rebecca Read Next]

With gentleness, respect and an eye for the eccentric detail, Phyllida Law takes us through her early years as a set designer, actress and wife. Each chapter touches on a moment, she name drops with reverence to the person mentioned.
As ever, her books leave you needing more stories of times gone by.

[Laura]

Lovely. A nonlinear biography, and I really enjoyed it. It was sweet, and was an example of little things that the mind strays to when we try to remember our past.