Emily Watson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Emily Watson OBE
Watson in 2024
Born	Emily Margaret Watson (1967-01-14) 14 January 1967 (age 58) Islington, London, England
Alma mater	University of Bristol Drama Studio London
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1992–present
Spouse(s)	Jack Waters ​ (m. 1995)​
Children	2

Emily Margaret Watson (born 14 January 1967) is a talented English actress. She started her acting journey on stage, joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1992. She became well-known for her first movie role in Breaking the Waves (1996), which earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress nomination. She was also nominated for an Oscar for her role as Jacqueline du Pré in Hilary and Jackie (1998).

Emily Watson has starred in many other films, including The Boxer (1997), Angela's Ashes (1999), Gosford Park (2001), and War Horse (2011). More recently, she appeared in The Theory of Everything (2014) and Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017). In 2024, she played Sister Mary in the film Small Things like These.

On television, Emily Watson was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for her role in the miniseries Chernobyl. She won a British Academy Television Award for Best Actress for playing Janet Leach in Appropriate Adult (2011). In 2024, she took on a main role as Valya Harkonnen in the science fiction series Dune: Prophecy.

Early Life and Education

Emily Watson was born on 14 January 1967 in London, England. Her father, Richard Watson, was an architect, and her mother, Katharine, was an English teacher. Emily has an older sister named Harriet.

She grew up in an Anglican family. Emily has described herself as a "nice middle-class English girl" during her childhood. She is also a childhood friend of actress and writer Clara Salaman. Emily later starred in the TV show Too Close, which was based on Clara Salaman's novel.

Emily Watson went to University of Bristol and earned a degree in English in 1988. After that, she trained to be an actress at Drama Studio London. In 2003, she received an honorary Master of Arts degree from Bristol University.

Acting Career Highlights

Emily Watson's acting career began on the stage. She performed in plays like The Children's Hour and Three Sisters. She also worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company in several productions.

Breakthrough Roles in Film

Watson was not widely known until director Lars von Trier chose her for the main role in Breaking the Waves (1996). Her powerful performance as Bess McNeill earned her many awards and nominations, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

Emily Watson at the British Academy Film Awards in February 2007

She gained more attention for her role as cellist Jacqueline du Pré in Hilary and Jackie (1998). For this film, she learned to play the cello in just three months, which helped her earn another Oscar nomination. She also played a leading role in Cradle Will Rock, a movie about a theatre show in the 1930s. In 1999, she starred as Frank McCourt's mother in Angela's Ashes. In 2001, she appeared in The Luzhin Defence and the ensemble film Gosford Park.

Diverse Film Roles

In 2002, Emily Watson starred as Reba McClane in Red Dragon. ..... That same year, she took a break from movies to perform in two plays, Uncle Vanya and Twelfth Night, which were highly praised.

In 2004, Watson was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role as Anne Howe in the film The Life and Death of Peter Sellers. The year 2005 saw her in four films: Wah-Wah, Separate Lies, Tim Burton's animated film Corpse Bride (where she voiced a character), and the Australian Western The Proposition.

In 2006, she had a supporting role in Miss Potter, a movie about children's author Beatrix Potter. In 2007, she appeared in The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep, a children's novel adaptation about the Loch Ness Monster.

Recent Work in Film and Television

In 2008, Watson starred with Julia Roberts in Fireflies in the Garden and in Synecdoche, New York. In 2010, she starred in Oranges and Sunshine, a film based on the true story of children sent to abusive care homes in Australia. The following year, in 2011, she appeared in Steven Spielberg's War Horse.

..... Her performance earned her a BAFTA award. In 2014, she had supporting roles in The Book Thief and the Oscar-nominated film The Theory of Everything, where she played Jane Wilde, Stephen Hawking's mother-in-law.

In 2019, she appeared as a nuclear scientist in the miniseries Chernobyl. For her work in drama, Emily Watson was honored with the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2015. In 2017, she starred in the BBC mini-series Apple Tree Yard.

Personal Life and Charity Work

Emily Watson in 2014

Emily Watson married Jack Waters in 1995. They met while working at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Jack Waters used to be an actor but now works as a potter. They have two children, a daughter born in 2005 and a son born in 2009. The family lives in Greenwich, London.

Watson is a strong supporter of the children's charity the NSPCC. In 2004, she was recognized for her successful efforts to help appoint a Children's Commissioner for England. She also supports the London children's charity Scene & Heard. In 2018, she promoted Maternity Worldwide as her chosen charity on BBC Radio 4.

Film and Television Roles

Emily Watson has had many roles in both films and television shows. Here are some of her notable appearances:

Film Roles

Television Roles

Awards and Recognitions

Emily Watson has received many awards and nominations throughout her career.

• She won the Bodil Award for Best Actress and the European Film Award for Best Actress for Breaking the Waves in 1996.
• For Hilary and Jackie (1998), she won the British Independent Film Award for Best Actress.
• In 2001, she was part of the winning cast for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture for Gosford Park.
• She won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress in 2011 for her role in Appropriate Adult.
• In 2024, she won the Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance for Small Things like These at the Berlin Film Festival.

See also

In Spanish: Emily Watson para niños