Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson (born 15 April 1990) is an English actress and model who rose to prominence playing Hermione Granger, one of three starring roles in the Harry Potter film series. Watson was cast as Hermione at the age of nine, having previously acted only in school plays.[2] From 2001 to 2011, she starred in all eight Harry Potter films alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint.[3] Watson's work on the Harry Potter series has earned her several awards and more than £10 million.[4] She made her modelling debut for Burberry's Autumn/Winter campaign in 2009.
In 2007, Watson announced her involvement in two productions: the television adaptation of the novel Ballet Shoes and an animated film, The Tale of Despereaux. Ballet Shoes was broadcast on 26 December 2007 to an audience of 5.2 million, and The Tale of Despereaux, based on the novel by Kate DiCamillo, was released in 2008 and grossed over US $86 million in worldwide sales.[5][6]
Early life
Emma Watson was born in Paris to Jacqueline Luesby and Chris Watson, both British lawyers.[7][8] Watson has one French grandmother,[9] and lived in Paris until the age of five. Following her parents' divorce, she moved with her mother and younger brother to Oxfordshire.[7]
From the age of six, Watson had wanted to become an actress,[10] 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.[11] By the age of ten, she had performed in various Stagecoach productions and school plays, including Arthur: The Young Years and The Happy Prince,[12] but she had never acted professionally before the Harry Potterseries. "I had no idea of the scale of the film series," she stated in a 2007 interview with Parade; "If I had I would have been completely overwhelmed."[13]
Emma Watson | |
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Watson in November 2010 at the premiere ofHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 | |
Born | Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson[1] 15 April 1990 Paris, France |
Occupation | Actress, model |
Years active | 2001–present |
Website | |
emmawatson.com |