Emily Watson
Biography
Emily Margaret Watson, born 14 January 1967 in Islington, London, England, is an English actress. She began her career on stage and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1992. In 2002 she performed in productions of Twelfth Night and Uncle Vanya at the Donmar Warehouse, receiving an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress for the latter. Watson made her film debut as a newlywed in Lars von Trier’s Breaking the Waves (1996), for which she earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, and was again nominated for the Academy Award for her portrayal of Jacqueline du Pré in Anand Tucker’s Hilary and Jackie (1998). Her subsequent film work includes The Boxer (1997), Angela’s Ashes (1999), Gosford Park (2001), Punch‑Drunk Love (2002) and Red Dragon (2002).
Career overview
Emily Watson was born on 14 January 1967 in Islington, London, England. She began her professional career on the stage, joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1992. A decade later she returned to the theatre at the Donmar Warehouse, appearing in productions of Twelfth Night and Uncle Vanya in 2002. Her performance in Uncle Vanya earned her a nomination for the Olivier Award for Best Actress.
Watson made a striking entry into cinema with her debut film role as a newlywed in Lars von Trier’s Breaking the Waves (1996, released in 1996). The performance brought her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She received a second Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of Jacqueline du Pré in Anand Tucker’s Hilary and Jackie (1998). Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s she built a diverse filmography, appearing in The Boxer (1997), Angela’s Ashes (1999), and Robert Altman’s ensemble piece Gosford Park (2001). In 2002 she featured in both Punch‑Drunk Love and Red Dragon, adding further range to her screen work. Watson’s career combines acclaimed stage work with a series of notable film roles that have earned her recognition from both the British theatre community and the international film industry.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- Hamnet (2025) as Mary
- The Legend of Ochi (2025) as Dasha
- Steve (2025) as Jenny
- Inside Look: Hamnet (2025) as Self (archive footage)
- Dune: Prophecy (2024) as Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen
- Small Things Like These (2024) as Sister Mary
- Midas Man (2024) as Queenie Epstein
- Fired on Mars (2023) as Sheila (voice)
- God's Creatures (2022) as Aileen O'Hara
- Monster Family 2 (2021) as Emma Wishbone (voice)
- Too Close (2021) as Dr. Emma Robinson
- Too Close (2021) Executive Producer
- The Third Day (2020) as Mrs. Martin
- Chernobyl (2019) as Ulana Khomyuk
- King Lear (2018) as Regan
- The Happy Prince (2018) as Constance Wilde
- On Chesil Beach (2018) as Violet Ponting
- Weinstein (2018) as Narrator (voice)
- Genius (2017) as Elsa Einstein
- Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) as Chief of Staff Fox
- Apple Tree Yard (2017) as Yvonne Carmichael
- Little Women (2017) as Marmee March
- Monster Family (2017) as Emma Wishbone (voice)
- Everest (2015) as Helen Wilton
- Testament of Youth (2015) as Mrs. Brittain
- Molly Moon and the Incredible Book of Hypnotism (2015) as Miss Trinklebury
- Little Boy (2015) as Emma Busbee
- A Royal Night Out (2015) as Queen Elizabeth
- The Dresser (2015) as Her Ladyship
- The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe (2015) as Grace McKee
- A Song for Jenny (2015) as Julie Nicholson
- The Theory of Everything (2014) as Beryl Wilde
- The Book Thief (2013) as Rosa Hubermann
- Belle (2013) as Lady Mansfield
- The Politician's Husband (2013) as Freya Gardner
- Some Girl(s) (2013) as Lindsay
- Anna Karenina (2012) as Countess Lydia Ivanova
- War Horse (2011) as Rose Narracott
- Appropriate Adult (2011) as Janet Leach
- Meerkats 3D (2011) as Narrator
- Oranges and Sunshine (2010) as Margaret Humphreys
- Cemetery Junction (2010) as Mrs. Kendrick
- Cold Souls (2009) as Claire
- Within the Whirlwind (2009) as Evgenia Ginzburg
- Synecdoche, New York (2008) as Tammy
- Fireflies in the Garden (2008) as Jane Lawrence
- The Memory Keeper's Daughter (2008) as Caroline Gil
- The Water Horse (2007) as Anne MacMorrow
- Miss Potter (2006) as Millie Warne
- Crusade in Jeans (2006) as Mary Vega
- Corpse Bride (2005) as Victoria Everglot (voice)
- The Proposition (2005) as Martha Stanley
- Wah-Wah (2005) as Ruby Compton
- Separate Lies (2005) as Anne Manning
- The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004) as Anne Sellers
- Working Shakespeare (2003)
- A Director's Journey: The Making of 'Red Dragon' (2003) as Self
- Equilibrium (2002) as Mary O'Brien
- Punch-Drunk Love (2002) as Lena Leonard
- Red Dragon (2002) as Reba McClane
- Ballchewer (2002) as Self
- The Making of Gosford Park (2002) as Self
- Gosford Park (2001) as Elsie
- Trixie (2000) as Trixie Zurbo
- The Luzhin Defence (2000) as Natalia Katkov
- The Early Show (1999) as Self
- Angela's Ashes (1999) as Angela McCourt
- Cradle Will Rock (1999) as Olive Stanton
- Hilary and Jackie (1998) as Jackie du Pré
- In Doctor von Trier's Laboratory: Back to the Magic of Cinema (1998) as Self
- The Boxer (1997) as Maggie Hamill
- The Mill on the Floss (1997) as Maggie Tulliver
- Metroland (1997) as Marion
- Tranceformer: A Portrait of Lars von Trier (1997)
- Breaking the Waves (1996) as Bess McNeill
- A Summer Day's Dream (1994)
- Performance (1991) as Rosalie
- The Oscars (1953) as Self
- The Clockmaker’s Secret: Lost in Spindlewood as The Keeper of the Keys
- London Fog: A Ruby Gale Mystery as (The Detective)
- A Christmas Child as Emily Watson ( Self/Narrator )
- Amri as Marie Antoinette Gottesman
- Holly Noel: The Winter Ball (Christmas 3) as ( Host )
- RSC Meets USA: Working Shakespeare as Self
- Fado!
- Late in Summer
- Midday Sun as Sarah