Fortunes of War (TV series) . It stars Kenneth Branagh as Guy Pringle , lecturer in English Literature in Bucharest during the early part of the Second World War , and Emma Thompson as his wife Harriet . Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh ( [ ˈbrænə ] born 10 December 1960 ) is a Northern Irish actor , director , producer , and screenwriter originally from Belfast . Branagh has also starred in numerous other films and television series including Fortunes of War ( 1987 ) , Woody Allen 's Celebrity ( 1998 ) , Wild Wild West ( 1999 ) , The Road to El Dorado ( 2000 ) , Conspiracy ( 2001 ) , Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ( 2002 ) , Warm Springs ( 2005 ) , Valkyrie ( 2008 ) , The Boat That Rocked ( 2009 ) , Wallander ( 2008 -- present ) , and My Week with Marilyn ( 2011 ) as Sir Laurence Olivier ( Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor ) .
Fortunes of War stars the actor Kenneth Branagh.