Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson was born in Paris, France
to parents, Jacqueline Luesby and Chris Watson. When Emma was five her
parents divorced, and she then moved to Oxfordshire, England with her
mother and younger brother, Alexander. Since the divorce, Emma's
extended family has grown as her parents both have new partners. Her
father has a son named Toby, and identical twin daughters, Nina and
Lucy, and her mother's partner has two sons. Emma spent much of her
childhood residing in England with her mother and stepfather, younger
brother, and two stepbrothers.
From the age of six, Emma knew
that she wanted to be an actress and, for a number of years, she trained
at the Oxford branch of Stagecoach Theatre Arts, a part-time theatre
school where she studied singing, dancing and acting. By the age of ten,
she had performed and taken the lead in various Stagecoach productions
and school plays, including "Arthur: The Young Years" and "The Happy
Prince". In 1999, casting began for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's
Stone (2001), the film adaptation of British author J.K. Rowling's
bestselling novel. Casting agents found Emma through her Oxford theatre
teacher. After eight consistent auditions, producer David Heyman told
Emma and fellow applicants, Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint, that they
had been cast for the roles of the three leads, Hermione Granger, Harry
Potter and Ron Weasley.
The release of Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer's Stone (2001) was Emma's cinematic screen debut. The film
broke records for opening-day sales and opening-weekend takings and was
the highest-grossing film of 2001. Critics praised the film and the
performances of the three leading young actors. The highly distributed
British newspaper, 'The Daily Telegraph', called her performance
"admirable". Later, Emma was nominated for five awards for her
performance in the film, winning the Young Artist Award for Leading
Young Actress in a Feature Film.
Since the release of the first
film of the highly successful franchise, Emma has quickly become one of
the most well-known actresses in the world. She continued to play the
role of Hermione Granger for nearly ten years, in all of the following
Harry Potter films: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001), Harry
Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Harry Potter and the Prisoner
of Azkaban (2004), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), Harry
Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), Harry Potter and the
Half-Blood Prince (2009), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
(2010), and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011). In
addition, Emma has began to branch out into other films, with My Week
with Marilyn (2011), The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), and the
upcoming The Bling Ring (2013) and Noah (2014).
1999–2003: Beginnings and breakthrough
Handprints, footprints and wand prints of (from left to right) Watson, Radcliffe, Grint, 2007
In 1999, casting began for
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (released as
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States), the film adaptation of British author J. K. Rowling's best-selling novel. Casting agents found Watson through her Oxford theatre teacher,
[12] and producers were impressed by her confidence. After eight auditions, producer David Heyman told Watson and fellow applicants Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint that they had been cast for the roles of the schoolfriends Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley respectively. Rowling supported Watson from her first screen test.
[12]
The release of
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in
2001 was Watson's debut screen performance. The film broke records for
opening-day sales and opening-weekend takings and was the
highest-grossing film of 2001.
[17][18] Critics praised the performances of the three leads, often singling out Watson for particular acclaim;
The Daily Telegraph called her performance "admirable",
[19] and IGN said she "stole the show".
[20] Watson was nominated for five awards for her performance in
Philosopher's Stone, winning the Young Artist Award for Leading Young Actress.
[21]
A year later, Watson again starred as Hermione in
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the second instalment of the series. Reviewers praised the lead actors' performances. The
Los Angeles Times said Watson and her peers had matured between films,
[22] while
The Times criticised director Chris Columbus for "under-employing" Watson's hugely popular character.
[23] Watson received an Otto Award from the German magazine
Bravo for her performance.
[24]
Watson at the premiere of
Goblet of Fire in November 2005
2004–2011: Continued success with Harry Potter
In 2004,
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
was released. Watson was appreciative of the more assertive role
Hermione played, calling her character "charismatic" and "a fantastic
role to play".
[25] Although critics panned Radcliffe's performance, labelling him "wooden", they praised Watson;
The New York Times
lauded her performance, saying "Luckily Mr. Radcliffe's blandness is
offset by Ms. Watson's spiky impatience. Harry may show off his
expanding wizardly skills ... but Hermione ... earns the loudest
applause with a decidedly unmagical punch to Draco Malfoy's deserving nose."
[26] Although
Prisoner of Azkaban proved to be the lowest-grossing
Harry Potter
film of the entire series, Watson's personal performance won her two
Otto Awards and the Child Performance of the Year award from
Total Film.
[27][28][29]
With
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), both Watson and the
Harry Potter film series reached new milestones. The film set records for a
Harry Potter
opening weekend, a non-May opening weekend in the US, and an opening
weekend in the UK. Critics praised the increasing maturity of Watson and
her teenage co-stars;
The New York Times called her performance "touchingly earnest".
[30]
For Watson, much of the humour of the film sprang from the tension
among the three lead characters as they matured. She said, "I loved all
the arguing. ... I think it's much more realistic that they would argue
and that there would be problems."
[31] Nominated for three awards for
Goblet of Fire, Watson won a bronze Otto Award.
[32][33][34] Later that year, Watson became the youngest person to appear on the cover of
Teen Vogue,
[35] an appearance she reprised in August 2009.
[36] In 2006, Watson played Hermione in
The Queen's Handbag, a special mini-episode of
Harry Potter in celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's 80th birthday.
[37]
Watson at the premiere of
Half-Blood Prince in July 2009
The fifth film in the
Harry Potter franchise,
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, was released in 2007. A huge financial success, the film set a record worldwide opening-weekend gross of $332.7 million.
[38] Watson won the inaugural National Movie Award for Best Female Performance.
[39] As the fame of the actress and the series continued, Watson and fellow
Harry Potter co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint left imprints of their hands, feet and wands in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood on 9 July 2007.
[40]
By July 2007, Watson's work in the
Harry Potter series was said to have earned her more than £10 million, and she acknowledged she would never have to work for money again.
[4] In March 2009, she was ranked 6th on the
Forbes list of "Most Valuable Young Stars",
[41] and in February 2010, she was named as Hollywood's highest paid female star, having earned an estimated £19 million in 2009.
[42]
Despite the success of
Order of the Phoenix, the future of the
Harry Potter franchise
became surrounded in doubt, as all three lead actors were hesitant to
sign on to continue their roles for the final two episodes.
[43] Radcliffe eventually signed for the final films on 2 March 2007,
[43] but Watson was considerably more hesitant.
[44]
She explained that the decision was significant, as the films
represented a further four-year commitment to the role, but eventually
conceded that she "could never let [the role of] Hermione go",
[45] signing for the role on 23 March 2007.
[46]
Watson with Daniel Radcliffe (left) and Rupert Grint at the London premiere of
Deathly Hallows – Part 2 in July 2011
Watson's first non-
Potter role was the 2007 BBC film
Ballet Shoes, an adaptation of the novel of the same title by Noel Streatfeild.
[47][48] The film's director, Sandra Goldbacher,
commented that Watson was "perfect" for the starring role of aspiring
actress Pauline Fossil: "She has a piercing, delicate aura that makes
you want to gaze and gaze at her."
[49] Ballet Shoes was broadcast in the UK on Boxing Day 2007 to an audience of 5.7 million viewers, to mixed reviews.
[50][51][52][53][54] Watson also lent her voice to the role of Princess Pea in the animated film
The Tale of Despereaux, a children's comedy starring Matthew Broderick with Harry Potter co-star Robbie Coltrane (playing the character of Rubeus Hagrid) also starring in the film.
[55]
Principal photography for the sixth film began in late 2007, with Watson's part being filmed from 18 December to 17 May 2008.
[56][57] Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince premiered on 15 July 2009,
[58] having been delayed from November 2008.
[59]
With the lead actors now in their late teens, critics were increasingly
willing to review them on the same level as the rest of the film's
all-star cast, which the
Los Angeles Times described as "a comprehensive guide to contemporary UK acting".
[60] The Washington Post felt Watson to have given "[her] most charming performance to date",
[61] while
The Daily Telegraph described the lead actors as "newly-liberated and energised, eager to give all they have to what's left of the series".
[62] The Tale of Despereaux was released in December 2008 and grossed $87 million worldwide.
[5] In December 2008, Watson stated she wanted to go to university after she completed the Potter series.
[63]
Watson's filming for the final instalment of the
Harry Potter series,
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, began on 18 February 2009
[64] and ended on 12 June 2010.
[65] For financial and scripting reasons, the original book was divided into two films which were shot consecutively.
[66][67] Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 was released in November 2010 while the second film was released in July 2011.
She also appeared in a music video for One Night Only, after meeting lead singer George Craig at the 2010 Winter/Summer Burberry advertising campaign. The video, "Say You Don't Want It", was screened on Channel 4 on 26 June 2010 and released on 16 August.
[68] In her first post-
Harry Potter film, Watson appeared in 2011's
My Week with Marilyn as Lucy, a wardrobe assistant who has a few dates with the main character, Colin Clark.
[69][70]
2012–present: Upcoming projects
Watson at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival.
In May 2010, Watson was reported to be in talks to star in a film adaptation of
The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
[71] Filming began in summer 2011 and the film was released in September 2012.
[72]
In June 2012, Watson was confirmed for the role of Ila in Darren Aronofsky's
Noah, which began filming the following month for a March 2014 release.
[6] In August 2012, she confirmed that she would begin filming Guillermo del Toro's
Beauty and the Beast in the summer of 2013, ahead of a release in 2014.
[73][74] In March 2013, it was reported that Watson was in negotiations to star as the titular character in a live-action Disney adaptation of
Cinderella. Kenneth Branagh was attached to direct the adaptation, while Cate Blanchett had reportedly agreed the evil stepmother. Watson was offered the role, but turned it down.
[75] The same month, she withdrew from an adaptation of the book
Your Voice in My Head.
[76] In
The Bling Ring (2013), Watson stars as Nicki. The film is based on the real-life Bling Ring robberies, with Watson playing a fictionalized version of Alexis Neiers
- a television personality who was one of seven teenagers involved in
the robberies. While the film mostly received mixed reviews, critics
gave almost unanimous praise for Watson's portrayal of Nicki in the
film. Watson also had a supporting role in the apocalyptic comedy
This Is the End (2013), where she played herself.
In June 2013, Watson is again teaming-up with producer David Heyman for her next film
Queen of the Tearling, she will lead the film as
Kelsea Glynn and also executive producer.
[77] Film is an adaptation of an upcoming book of the same name. Warner Bros. will distribute the film.
[78]
Modelling
In 2008, the British press reported that Watson was to replace Keira Knightley as the face of the fashion house Chanel, but this was denied by both parties.
[79] In June 2009, following several months of rumours, Watson confirmed that she would be partnering with Burberry as the face of their Autumn/Winter 2009 campaign, for which she received an estimated six-figure fee.
[80][81] She also appeared in Burberry's 2010 Spring/Summer campaign alongside her brother Alex, musicians George Craig and Matt Gilmour, and model Max Hurd.
[82] In February 2011, Watson was awarded the Style Icon award from British
Elle by Dame Vivienne Westwood.
[83] Watson continued her involvement in fashion advertising when she announced she had been chosen as the face of Lancôme in March 2011.
[84]
Watson at the U.S. premiere of
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 in November 2010
In September 2009, Watson announced her involvement with People Tree, a Fair Trade fashion brand.
[85] Watson worked as a creative advisor for People Tree to create a spring line of clothing, which was released in February 2010;
[85][86] the range featured styles inspired by southern France and London.
[86][87] The collection, described by
The Times as "very clever" despite their "quiet hope that [she] would become tangled at the first hemp-woven hurdle",
[88] was widely publicised in magazines such as
Teen Vogue,
[89] Cosmopolitan, and
People. Watson, who was not paid for the collaboration,
[90] admitted that competition for the range was minimal,
[88]
but argued that "Fashion is a great way to empower people and give them
skills; rather than give cash to charity you can help people by buying
the clothes they make and supporting things they take pride in"; adding,
"I think young people like me are becoming increasingly aware of the
humanitarian issues surrounding fast fashion and want to make good
choices but there aren't many options out there."
[88] Watson continued her involvement with People Tree, resulting in the release of a 2010 Autumn/Winter collection.
[91]
Watson has appeared for six years running in men's magazine FHM's
100 Sexiest Women list. She first appeared in the list, voted for by readers, in 2007, placing 98th.
[92] The following years saw her placed 33rd, 47th, 29th, 23rd and in 2012, 64th.
[93]
Student and personal life
After leaving school, Watson took a gap year
[94] to film
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows beginning in February 2009,
[67] but said she "definitely want[ed] to go to university".
[63] The Providence Journal reported that Watson had confirmed that she had chosen Brown University, located in Providence, Rhode Island.
[95] In March 2011, after 18 months at the university, Watson announced that she was deferring her course for "a semester or two",
[96] to give her more time to participate in the advertising buildup for the release of the second
Deathly Hallows film, and other projects. Watson continued her studies reading English at Worcester College, Oxford University as a visitor student for the 2011–12 academic year.
[97]
Filmography
| Notes |
| 2001 |
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone |
Hermione Granger |
Released as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the US and India |
| 2002 |
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets |
Hermione Granger |
|
| 2004 |
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban |
Hermione Granger |
|
| 2005 |
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire |
Hermione Granger |
|
| 2007 |
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix |
Hermione Granger |
|
| 2007 |
Ballet Shoes |
Pauline Fossil |
Television film shown on BBC One |
| 2008 |
The Tale of Despereaux |
Princess Pea |
Voice part |
| 2009 |
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince |
Hermione Granger |
|
| 2010 |
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 |
Hermione Granger |
|
| 2011 |
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 |
Hermione Granger |
|
| 2011 |
My Week with Marilyn |
Lucy |
|
| 2012 |
The Perks of Being a Wallflower |
Sam |
|
| 2013 |
This Is the End |
Herself |
|
| 2013 |
The Bling Ring |
Nicki |
|
| 2014 |
Noah |
Ila |
Post-production |
Awards and nominations
