Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson (born April 15, 1990, in Oxfordshire, England) is an English actress who portrays Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series.
The daughter of two lawyers, Watson attended Dragon School, a renowned preparatory school located in Oxford, England. She now attends the all-girls Headington School. An avid sports player, Watson enjoys playing hockey, tennis, and rounders.
Before being cast in the Harry Potter films, her dramatic performances had been limited to school plays. At school, she took the lead role in several plays, including Arthur: The Young Years and The Happy Prince. Along with plays, Emma participated in many other school productions, including the Daisy Pratt Poetry Competition, in which she won first place for her year at age seven.
At the age of ten, Watson made her professional acting debut in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (released in the United States as Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone) playing Hermione Granger. She has also appeared in the sequels: Chamber of Secrets (2002), Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), and Goblet of Fire (2005).
In 2007, Watson is set to return to the Potter franchise in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, reprising her role as the studious, bookish Granger.
Emma has drawn some criticism from fans for her portrayal of Hermione Granger. While some fans feel she is perfect, others believe she fails to capture the essence of Hermione along with the character's insecurities and flaws, and complain about the fact that she seems genetically blessed as a pretty girl growing into an attractive young woman whereas, in the book series, Hermione was generally described as being very plain. This may be due in part to the films' screenwriters, who have made Hermione a wiser and more powerful and prominent character than originally written by Potter author J. K. Rowling.
Awards
Nominated:
- Best Youth Performance - Phoenix Film Critics Society, 2002
- Best Ensemble in a Feature Film - Young Artists Awards, 2002
- Outstanding Supporting Actress - American Moviegoer Awards, 2002
- Saturn Award - for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
- Empire Award - for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Won:
- Best Female Film Star (Silver) - Otto Awards, 2003
- Leading Young Actress Feature Film - Young Artists Awards, March 2002
- Best Female Child Artist - Phoenix Film Critics Society, for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- Best Ensemble in Feature Film - Young Artist Awards, for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
- Best Performance in Feature Film - Young Artist Awards, for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone