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). 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.
Filmography
2025
- Hamnet as Mary
- The Legend of Ochi as Dasha
- Steve as Jenny
2024
- Dune: Prophecy as Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen
- Midas Man as Queenie Epstein
- Small Things Like These as Sister Mary
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
- King Lear as Regan
- Weinstein as Narrator (voice)
- The Happy Prince as Constance Wilde
- On Chesil Beach as Violet Ponting
2017
- Genius as Elsa Einstein
- Monster Family as Emma Wishbone (voice)
- Kingsman: The Golden Circle as Chief of Staff Fox
- Little Women as Marmee March
- Apple Tree Yard as Yvonne Carmichael
2015
- Little Boy as Emma Busbee
- The Dresser as Her Ladyship
- Everest as Helen Wilton
- Testament of Youth as Mrs. Brittain
- A Royal Night Out as Queen Elizabeth
- Molly Moon and the Incredible Book of Hypnotism as Miss Trinklebury
- A Song for Jenny as Julie Nicholson
- The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe as Grace McKee
2014
- The Theory of Everything as Beryl Wilde
2013
- Belle as Lady Mansfield
- The Book Thief as Rosa Hubermann
- Some Girl(s) as Lindsay
- The Politician's Husband as Freya Gardner
2012
- Anna Karenina as Countess Lydia Ivanova
2011
- War Horse as Rose Narracott
- Meerkats 3D as Narrator
- Appropriate Adult as Janet Leach
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)
- Separate Lies as Anne Manning
- The Proposition as Martha Stanley
- 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
- The Making of Gosford Park as Self
- Ballchewer as Self
- Red Dragon as Reba McClane
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
1997
- Metroland as Marion
- The Boxer as Maggie Hamill
- 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