Emma Watson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Emma Watson
Watson in 2013
Born	Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson (1990-04-15) 15 April 1990 (age 35) Paris, France
Education	Brown University (BA) University of Oxford (MSt)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1999–present
Awards	Full list
Signature

Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson (born April 15, 1990) is an English actress famous for playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series. She is also known for her work as an activist for women's rights.

Watson has starred in big-budget movies and smaller independent films. She has won many awards, including a Young Artist Award and three MTV Movie Awards. Magazines like Forbes and Vanity Fair have listed her as one of the world's highest-paid actresses. In 2015, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

After the Harry Potter series ended, Watson continued her acting career. She played Sam in The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) and Belle in the live-action Disney movie Beauty and the Beast (2017). She also starred as Meg March in Little Women (2019).

Besides acting, Watson is dedicated to education and activism. She graduated from Brown University in 2014. In the same year, she became a UN Women Goodwill ambassador and helped start the HeForShe campaign, which encourages men to support gender equality. She has also worked on campaigns for sustainable fashion.

Early Life and School

Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson was born in Paris, France, on April 15, 1990. Her parents, Jacqueline Luesby and Chris Watson, are English lawyers. When she was five, her parents divorced, and she moved to Oxfordshire, England, with her mother.

From the age of six, Watson knew she wanted to be an actress. She trained at the Stagecoach Theatre Arts school in Oxford, where she learned to sing, dance, and act. She performed in school plays like Arthur: The Young Years but had no professional acting experience before Harry Potter.

While filming the Harry Potter movies, Watson and her co-stars had tutors on set for up to five hours a day. She continued her regular schooling and earned excellent grades. After finishing high school, she took a break from her studies to film the last two Harry Potter movies.

Watson later attended Brown University in the United States. It took her five years to finish her degree instead of four because she was also working on films. In 2014, she graduated with a degree in English literature. In 2023, she started a master's degree in creative writing at the University of Oxford.

Acting Career

Becoming Hermione Granger

Watson at the premiere of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2005

In 1999, casting began for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Casting agents found Watson through her theater teacher in Oxford. She auditioned eight times for the role of Hermione Granger. The author of the books, J. K. Rowling, supported her for the part from her very first screen test.

The first Harry Potter film was released in 2001 and was a huge success. Critics loved Watson's performance. The Daily Telegraph called it "admirable," and she won a Young Artist Award.

Watson played Hermione in all eight Harry Potter films. As the series went on, critics praised her and her co-stars for their growing talent. For Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, one critic for The New York Times wrote that Hermione "earns the loudest applause with a decidedly unmagical punch to Draco Malfoy's deserving nose."

By the fifth film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Watson and her co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint were famous worldwide. In 2007, they left imprints of their hands, feet, and wands in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

Life After Harry Potter

Watson with co-stars Daniel Radcliffe (left) and Rupert Grint (right) at the premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 in July 2011

Watson's first role outside of Harry Potter was in the 2007 BBC movie Ballet Shoes. She also voiced Princess Pea in the animated film The Tale of Despereaux (2008).

After the final Harry Potter film in 2011, Watson took on new roles. She starred in The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), where she played a free-spirited high school student named Sam. Critics praised her for showing a different side to her acting.

She also appeared in The Bling Ring (2013), based on a true story, and played a small part in the comedy This Is the End (2013). In 2014, she played Ila in the biblical movie Noah.

Major Roles and Taking a Break

Watson promoting The Circle in 2017

In 2017, Watson starred as Belle in Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast. The movie was a massive success, earning over $1.2 billion worldwide. Watson helped shape her character, making Belle an inventor's assistant and giving her a more practical wardrobe with boots.

In 2019, she played Meg March in Little Women. Watson said the role showed that "there's not one way to be a feminist" and that choosing to be a mother and wife is also a valid feminist choice.

After Little Women, Watson took a break from acting. She explained in an interview that she "wasn't very happy" with the demands of the profession and felt "a bit caged." She said she would "absolutely" act again but is waiting for the right project.

Fashion and Business

Watson began modeling in 2005 for Teen Vogue. In 2009, she became the face of the fashion brand Burberry. She has also worked with the makeup company Lancôme.

Watson is passionate about sustainable fashion, which means making clothes in a way that is kind to people and the planet. She worked with the fair trade brand People Tree to create a clothing line. She also supports apps that help people find ethical fashion brands.

In 2020, Watson joined the board of directors of Kering, a group that owns luxury brands like Gucci. She served as the head of their sustainability committee, helping the company make better choices for the environment.

In 2023, Watson and her brother, Alex, launched their own gin brand called Renais. The gin is made using recycled grapes from their family's wine business in France.

Activism and Charity Work

Watson is a well-known feminist and activist. In 2014, she was named a UN Women Goodwill ambassador. She helped launch the HeForShe campaign, which asks men and boys to join the fight for gender equality. Her speech at the United Nations headquarters received worldwide attention.

She has traveled to countries like Bangladesh and Zambia to promote education for girls. In 2016, she started a feminist book club called Our Shared Shelf to encourage people to read and discuss books about feminism.

Watson is also a founding member of Time's Up UK, an organization that fights against harassment in the workplace. She has donated money and helped create guidelines to make the film industry safer for everyone. She has also voiced her support for transgender rights and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Personal Life

Watson has spoken about the challenges of growing up famous. She said that staying true to herself helped her find peace. In 2013, she became a certified yoga and meditation teacher. She says this training helps her feel "safe and at home" within herself, no matter where she is.

In 2019, she said she was happy being single, calling herself "self-partnered."

Filmography

Film

Television

Fun Facts About Emma

• Emma Watson had never acted professionally before the Harry Potter series.
• She took a break from school after finishing high school to film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Parts 1 & 2.
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows earned over $1.3 billion worldwide. It is Emma Watson's most successful film so far.
• In 2013, Watson became certified to teach yoga and meditation.
• She also helped design a clothing line for the sustainable brand People Tree.
• She has said she can speak some French, but "not as well" as she used to.
• In November 2014, Watson designed a Paddington Bear statue. It was one of fifty statues placed around London before the movie Paddington came out. The statues were auctioned to raise money for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).
• Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2015.
• In 2013, Madame Tussauds in London showed a wax statue of Emma Watson.
• In 2019, researchers studied the carbon footprints of ten celebrities, including Watson. Emma Watson's carbon footprint was the lowest among them.
• Watson has said that Gloria Steinem and Maya Angelou are people who have inspired her.

Images for kids

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  Watson attending the 2013 Cannes Film Festival

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  Watson's butterfly themed "Flutterby Bear" (right), one of fifty Paddington Bears along 'The Paddington Trail' in London, auctioned for the NSPCC

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  Watson delivering an address at the Legislative Palace of Uruguay as a UN Women Ambassador in 2014

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  Watson's wax figure at Madame Tussauds wearing an Elie Saab design

See also

In Spanish: Emma Watson para niños