Emily Watson

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, and 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 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), Small Things like These (2024), and Hamnet (2025).

For her role in the HBO miniseries Chernobyl, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. She won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress for playing Janet Leach in the 2011 ITV television biopic Appropriate Adult and 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.

Early life Watson was born 14 January 1967 in London. Her father, Richard Watson, was an architect, and her mother, Katharine (née Venables), was an English teacher at St David's Girls' School, west London. She has an older sister, Harriet. Watson was brought up as an Anglican.

Watson was educated at St James Independent Schools in west London which were founded by the School of Economic Science. She attended the University of Bristol, where she obtained a BA (1988, English). Watson was a member of the School of Economic Science until 1996, when aged 29 she was expelled following her part in Breaking the Waves. She describes the organisation as a "very repressive regime"

Career Watson's career began on the stage. Her theatre credits include The Children's Hour (at the Royal National Theatre), Three Sisters, Much Ado About Nothing and The Lady from the Sea. Watson has also worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company in A Jovial Crew, The Taming of the Shrew, All's Well That Ends Well and The Changeling. In 2001, she appeared with John Turturro in The Luzhin Defence and in Robert Altman's ensemble piece Gosford Park. for her portrayal of Julie Nicholson in the BBC Drama A Song for Jenny, with experts tipping her to win the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress.

In 2019 she appeared as a nuclear scientist — a composite of several real scientists — in the miniseries Chernobyl.

Watson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2015 New Year Honours for services to drama. In 2017, she starred in the BBC mini-series Apple Tree Yard.

Personal life

Watson married Jack Waters in 1995, whom she had met on a bus while working at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Waters is a former actor who now works as a potter. and a son in 2009.

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.

In May 2026 Watson was the guest for BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1996 Breaking the Waves Bess McNeill 1997 Metroland Marion Maggie 1998 Hilary and Jackie Jacqueline du Pré 1999 Cradle Will Rock Olive Stanton Angela's Ashes Angela McCourt 2000 Trixie Trixie Zurbo Natalia Katkov 2001 Gosford Park Elsie 2002 Punch-Drunk Love Lena Leonard Red Dragon Reba McClane Equilibrium Mary O'Brien 2004 Boo, Zino & the Snurks Atlanta Voice role Anne Sellers 2005 Separate Lies Anne Manning Wah-Wah Ruby Compton Corpse Bride Victoria Everglot Voice role Martha Stanley 2006 Miss Potter Amelia "Millie" Warne Crusade in Jeans Mary Vega 2007 Anne MacMorrow 2008 Fireflies in the Garden Adult Jane Lawrence Synecdoche, New York Tammy 2009 Cold Souls Claire Within the Whirlwind Evgenia Ginzburg 2010 Cemetery Junction Mrs. Kendrick 2011 Oranges and Sunshine Margaret Humphreys War Horse Rose Narracott 2012 Anna Karenina Countess Lydia 2013 Some Girl(s) Lindsay The Book Thief Rosa Hubermann Belle Lady Mansfield 2014 The Theory of Everything Beryl Wilde Testament of Youth Mrs. Brittain 2015 Little Boy Emma Busbee A Royal Night Out Queen Elizabeth Everest Helen Wilton Molly Moon and the Incredible Book of Hypnotism Miss Trinklebury 2017 Kingsman: The Golden Circle White House Chief of Staff Fox On Chesil Beach Violet Ponting Monster Family Emma Wishbone Voice role 2018 The Happy Prince Constance Lloyd 2021 Monster Family 2 Emma Wishbone Voice role 2022 God's Creatures Aileen O'Hara 2024 Small Things Like These Sister Mary Midas Man Malka Epstein 2025 The Legend of Ochi Dasha Steve Jenny Hamnet Mary Shakespeare 2027 Amri Marie Antoinette Gottesman Post-production

Television Year Title Role Notes 1994 A Summer Day's Dream Rosalie Television film 1997 Maggie Tulliver 2008 Caroline Gil 2011 Appropriate Adult Janet Leach 2 episodes 2013 The Politician's Husband Freya 3 episodes 2015 The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe Grace McKee 2 episodes A Song for Jenny Julie Nicholson Television film The Dresser Her Ladyship 2017 Apple Tree Yard Yvonne Carmichael 4 episodes Genius Elsa Einstein Little Women Marmee 3 episodes 2018 King Lear Regan Television film 2019 Chernobyl Ulana Khomyuk 4 episodes 2020 The Third Day Mrs. Martin 6 episodes 2021 Too Close Dr. Emma Robertson 3 episodes 2024 Dune: Prophecy Valya Harkonnen Lead role

Theatre

School for Mothers and The Mistake (double-bill of one-act plays), White Bear Theatre, London, 1991 All's Well That Ends Well (Royal Shakespeare Company, Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon 1992, later Pit Theatre, London, 1993) as Marianna The Taming of the Shrew (Royal Shakespeare Company, Barbican Theatre, London, 1993) as Mrs. Ruth Banks-Ellis The Changeling (Royal Shakespeare Company, Pit Theatre, 1993) A Jovial Crew (Royal Shakespeare Company, Pit Theatre, 1993) as Amie The Lady from the Sea (Lyric Theatre, London, 1994) as Hilde Wangel The Children's Hour (Royal National Theatre, London, 1994) as Mary Tilford Three Sisters (Out of Joint, 1995) Othello (1996, theatre) Twelfth Night / Uncle Vanya (Donmar Warehouse, 2002 / BAM, 2003)

Radio The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (1994, radio) Wuthering Heights (1995, radio series) The Glass Piano (2010, radio drama about Princess Alexandra of Bavaria)

Awards and nominations

Honorary awards Year Organizations Award Result 2026 Sarajevo Film Festival Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award