Emma Watson

Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson is an English actress known for her roles in film and her public advocacy. She achieved global fame portraying Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film franchise. Recognized for her professional success and public influence, Watson was ranked among the world's highest-paid actresses by Forbes and Vanity Fair in the 2010s and was included on Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2015.

Watson was born on 15 April 1990 in Paris, France, to English lawyers Jacqueline Luesby and Chris Watson. After her parents divorced when she was five years old, she moved to Oxfordshire, England, with her mother while spending weekends with her father in London. From an early age, Watson pursued acting and studied singing, dancing, and acting at the Oxford branch of Stagecoach Theatre Arts. She attended the Dragon School and Headington School in Oxford before pursuing higher education.

While continuing her acting career, Watson prioritized her education. She enrolled at Brown University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature in May 2014, having also studied at Worcester College, Oxford, as a visiting student. She was appointed a visiting fellow at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, in 2016. Watson continued her studies in later years, beginning a Master of Studies in creative writing at New College, Oxford, in 2023 and pursuing a DPhil at the University of Oxford in February 2025.

Watson's professional acting career began in 1999 when she was cast as Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001), having previously performed only in school and Stagecoach plays. She reprised the role across all eight films in the franchise through Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011). Her performance in her debut film earned her a Young Artist Award, and she subsequently received further accolades, including a National Movie Award and multiple Otto Awards, during her tenure in the series.

Beyond the Harry Potter series, Watson made her television debut in the 2007 BBC film Ballet Shoes and voiced Princess Pea in the 2008 animated film The Tale of Despereaux. Following the conclusion of the Potter franchise, she appeared in My Week with Marilyn (2011) and starred in the coming-of-age drama The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012). Her subsequent film credits include Sofia Coppola's satirical crime film The Bling Ring (2013), the comedy This Is the End (2013), and Darren Aronofsky's biblical drama Noah (2014), the year she was named British Artist of the Year by BAFTA.

Watson continued to take on major film roles, starring as Belle in the live-action fantasy musical Beauty and the Beast (2017) and playing Meg March in Greta Gerwig's drama Little Women (2019). Alongside her acting career, she has engaged in modeling campaigns for brands such as Burberry and Lancôme and collaborated on a clothing line for the sustainable brand People Tree.

In addition to her entertainment work, Watson is active in social and humanitarian causes. She was appointed a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador in 2014, helping launch the HeForShe campaign for gender equality. In 2018, she helped establish Time's Up UK as a founding member, and in 2019 she served on a G7 advisory body consulting leaders on women's rights and foreign policy. Watson also served on the board of directors for the luxury group Kering from 2020 to 2023 as an advocate for sustainable fashion.