Emily Watson
Born: 1967-01-14 in Islington, London, England, UK
Known For: Acting
Biography
Emily Margaret Watson (born 14 January 1967) is an English actress. She began her career on stage and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1992. In 2002, she starred in productions of Twelfth Night and Uncle Vanya at the Donmar Warehouse. She was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Actress for the latter. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her debut film role as a newlywed in Lars von Trier's Breaking the Waves (1996) and for her portrayal of Jacqueline du Pré in Anand Tucker's Hilary and Jackie (1998). Watson's other films include The Boxer (1997), Angela's Ashes (1999), Gosford Park (2001), Punch-Drunk Love (2002), Red Dragon (2002), The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004), Corpse Bride (2005), Miss Potter (2006), Synecdoche, New York (2008), Oranges and Sunshine (2010), War Horse (2011), The Theory of Everything (2014), Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017), God's Creatures (2022), and Small Things like These (2024). and A Pariare Farm Girl ( 2026). She was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for her role in the HBO miniseries Chernobyl. She won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress for playing Janet Leach in the 2011 ITV television biopic Appropriate Adult. She was nominated for the International Emmy Award for Best Actress for the 2017 BBC miniseries Apple Tree Yard. In 2024, she portrayed the lead role of Valya Harkonnen in the HBO science fiction series Dune: Prophecy. Watson is a supporter of the children's charity the NSPCC. In 2004, she was inducted into the society's hall of fame for spearheading the successful campaign to appoint a Children's Commissioner for England. Receiving her award in the crowded House of Commons, she spoke out against the possibility that the Children's Commissioner become a figurehead with little real power.
Filmography
2025
- Hamnet as Mary
- The Legend of Ochi as Dasha
- Steve as Jenny
2024
- Dune: Prophecy as Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen
- Small Things Like These as Sister Mary
- Midas Man as Queenie Epstein
2023
- Fired on Mars as Sheila (voice)
2022
- God's Creatures as Aileen O'Hara
2021
- Monster Family 2 as Emma Wishbone (voice)
- Too Close as Dr. Emma Robinson
2020
- The Third Day as Mrs. Martin
2019
- Chernobyl as Ulana Khomyuk
2018
- On Chesil Beach as Violet Ponting
- King Lear as Regan
- The Happy Prince as Constance Wilde
- Weinstein as Narrator (voice)
2017
- Genius as Elsa Einstein
- Kingsman: The Golden Circle as Chief of Staff Fox
- Little Women as Marmee March
- Apple Tree Yard as Yvonne Carmichael
- Monster Family as Emma Wishbone (voice)
2015
- Everest as Helen Wilton
- Testament of Youth as Mrs. Brittain
- Little Boy as Emma Busbee
- The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe as Grace McKee
- A Royal Night Out as Queen Elizabeth
- Molly Moon and the Incredible Book of Hypnotism as Miss Trinklebury
- The Dresser as Her Ladyship
- A Song for Jenny as Julie Nicholson
2014
- The Theory of Everything as Beryl Wilde
2013
- The Book Thief as Rosa Hubermann
- Belle as Lady Mansfield
- The Politician's Husband as Freya Gardner
- Some Girl(s) as Lindsay
2012
- Anna Karenina as Countess Lydia Ivanova
2011
- War Horse as Rose Narracott
- Appropriate Adult as Janet Leach
- Meerkats 3D as Narrator
2010
- Cemetery Junction as Mrs. Kendrick
- Oranges and Sunshine as Margaret Humphreys
2009
- Cold Souls as Claire
- Within the Whirlwind as Evgenia Ginzburg
2008
- Synecdoche, New York as Tammy
- Fireflies in the Garden as Jane Lawrence
- The Memory Keeper's Daughter as Caroline Gil
2007
- The Water Horse as Anne MacMorrow
2006
- Miss Potter as Millie Warne
- Crusade in Jeans as Mary Vega
2005
- Corpse Bride as Victoria Everglot (voice)
- The Proposition as Martha Stanley
- Separate Lies as Anne Manning
- Wah-Wah as Ruby Compton
2004
- The Life and Death of Peter Sellers as Anne Sellers
2002
- Equilibrium as Mary O'Brien
- Punch-Drunk Love as Lena Leonard
- Red Dragon as Reba McClane
- The Making of Gosford Park as Self
- Ballchewer as Self
2001
- Gosford Park as Elsie
2000
- The Luzhin Defence as Natalia Katkov
- Trixie as Trixie Zurbo
1999
- Angela's Ashes as Angela McCourt
- Cradle Will Rock as Olive Stanton
- The Early Show as Self
1998
- Hilary and Jackie as Jackie du Pré
- In Doctor von Trier's Laboratory: Back to the Magic of Cinema as Self
1997
- The Boxer as Maggie Hamill
- Metroland as Marion
- The Mill on the Floss as Maggie Tulliver
- Tranceformer: A Portrait of Lars von Trier
1996
- Breaking the Waves as Bess McNeill
1994
1991
- Performance as Rosalie
1953
- The Oscars as Self