Kristin Scott Thomas was first seen in the Episode: "L'Ami d'enfance de Maigret" of the television series ‘Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret’ in 1984. That same year, she also appeared in the American television miniseries ‘Mistral's Daughter’ directed by Douglas Hickox and Kevin Connor. She made her big-screen debut in the 1986 romantic musical comedy-drama film ‘Under the Cherry Moon’ directed by Prince. The film saw mostly negative reviews upon release and underperformed at the box office. In 1988, she starred as ‘Brenda Last’ in the British film ‘A Handful of Dust’ directed by Charles Sturridge. The film was praised by critics. Thomas also became a recipient of the ‘Evening Standard British Film Award’ for her performance in the film. She next appeared in films like ‘Force majeure’ (1989), ‘Bille en tête’ (1989), ‘Le bal du gouverneur’ (1990), ‘The Bachelor’ (1990), ‘Aux yeux du monde’ (1991), and ‘Bitter Moon’ (1992).
Thomas received the ‘BAFTA Award’ and ‘Evening Standard British Film Award’ for her performance as ‘Fiona’ in the British romantic comedy film ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’ directed by Mike Newell. The film opened to universal acclaim and was a massive box office success, earning over $245.7 million against a budget of $4.4 million. In 1999, ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’ was included in the British Film Institute's 100 greatest British films of the 20th century. She continued to star in films like ‘An Unforgettable Summer’ (1994), ‘The Confessional’ (1995), ‘Angels & Insects’ (1995), ‘Mission: Impossible’ (1996), and ‘Microcosmos’ (1996). The year 1996 saw the release of the epic romantic war drama film ‘The English Patient’ where Thomas was seen playing the role of Katharine Clifton. The film was a major critical and commercial success. Thomas also received several award nominations including the ‘Academy Award,’ ‘Golden Globe Award’ and ‘BAFTA Award’ nominations for her performance.
She was next seen in films like ‘The Horse Whisperer’ (1998), ‘Random Hearts’ (1999), ‘Up at the Villa’ (2000), ‘Gosford Park’ (2001), ‘Arsène Lupin’ (2004), ‘Keeping Mum’ (2005), ‘The Golden Compass’ (2007), ‘I've Loved You So Long’ (2008), ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’ (2009), ‘Nowhere Boy’ (2009), ‘Sarah's Key’ (2010), ‘The Woman in the Fifth’ (2011), and ‘Bel Ami’ (2012). In 2013, she appeared in the British biographical drama film ‘The Invisible Woman’ directed by Ralph Fiennes. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics. The following year, she starred as ‘Chloé Girard’ in the comedy-drama film ‘My Old Lady.’ The film garnered mixed to positive reviews from critics. She next starred in ‘Suite Française’ (2014), ‘The Party’ (2017), ‘Darkest Hour’ (2017), ‘Tomb Raider’ (2018), ‘Military Wives’ (2019), and ‘Final Set’ (2020). She was last seen in the 2020 British romantic thriller film ‘Rebecca’ where she portrayed ‘Mrs. Danvers.’ The film saw mixed reviews upon release.