Emily Watson Biography, Life, Interesting Facts

Emily Watson was born on January 14, 1967, in Islington, England.

Education

Emily Watson attended the University of Bristol. She later graduated from the university with a Bachelor's degree in English. She had also earlier applied for a drama school but was rejected. This did little to stop her ambitions of one day becoming a successful actress.

Theatre Acting Career

Out of university, Emily Watson worked on the stage. She began performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company in the early 1990’s. While working for the company, she performed in plays like All Well That Ends Well and The Taming of the Shrew. The Royal Shakespeare Company wasn’t the only group she acted within the early 1990’s. 

Emily Watson also performed with the Join Theatre Company, Lyric Theatre, White Bear Theatre, and the National Theatre. Even after she had completed her work with the Royal Shakespeare Company, she continued to act in various Shakespearean plays. Throughout her theater career, she performed in dozens of plays in theaters throughout England.

Film And Television Career

In 1996, Emily Watson got her big break as she earned the part of Bess McNeil in the movie Breaking the Waves. This film would prove to open up her career immensely. In the late 1990’s and the early 2000’s her schedule flooded as she took on roles in many movies that would prove to become famous in years to come. Some of her most famous films are listed below.

Hilary and Jackie
Cradle Will Rock
Angela’s Ashes
Red Dragon
Equilibrium
Corpse Bride (Voice)
The Water Horse
War Horse
Anna Karenina
The Book Thief

In most of the films above, Emily Watson plays caring mothers. Mothers are her trademark characters. This became more common in her career in the 2000’s. Emily Watson continues to act to this day. Even now, she is working on many projects at a time, proving that she is a great actress.

Emily Watson has also written one film (with her husband) titled Mood Indigo. This film is about a young couple that falls in love in the midst of World War II.

Awards And Accomplishments

During her long acting career, Emily Watson has won more than two dozen awards and has been nominated for more than four dozen others. Some of her most prestigious awards are listed below.

BAFTA TV Award for Best Leading Actress (Appropriate Adult)

Australian Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress (Oranges and Sunshine)

British Independent Film Award for Best Actress (Hilary and Jackie)

European Film Awards for Best European Actress of the Year (Breaking the Waves)

London Critics Circle Film Awards British Actress of the Year (Angela’s Ashes)

Aside from her acting awards, one great accomplishment in Watson’s life is that she was appointed as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2015.

Charity Work

Emily Watson is involved with many charities in England. She is a member of both the Scene & Heard children’s charity and another children’s charity, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). In 2004, she was inducted into the NSPCC Hall of Fame for her generous work with the charity.

Family Life

Emily Watson married Jack Waters in 1995. The couple has two children together: Dylan and Juliet.