Emily Watson
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). and A Pariare Farm Girl ( 2026). 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. 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. Receiving her award in the crowded House of Commons, she spoke out against the possibility that the Children's Commissioner become a figurehead with little real power.
Known For
Corpse Bride
2005
Chernobyl
2019
Genius
2017
The Oscars
1953
Dune: Prophecy
2024
Performance
1991
The Legend of Ochi
2025
Kingsman: The Golden Circle
2017
Hamnet
2025
The Book Thief
2013
Equilibrium
2002
Everest
2015
Filmography
Corpse Bride
as Victoria Everglot (voice) · 2005
Chernobyl
as Ulana Khomyuk · 2019
Genius
as Elsa Einstein · 2017
The Oscars
as Self · 1953
Dune: Prophecy
as Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen · 2024
Performance
as Rosalie · 1991
The Legend of Ochi
as Dasha · 2025
Kingsman: The Golden Circle
as Chief of Staff Fox · 2017
Hamnet
as Mary · 2025
The Book Thief
as Rosa Hubermann · 2013
Equilibrium
as Mary O'Brien · 2002
Everest
as Helen Wilton · 2015
The Theory of Everything
as Beryl Wilde · 2014
The Early Show
as Self · 1999
War Horse
as Rose Narracott · 2011
Punch-Drunk Love
as Lena Leonard · 2002
Small Things Like These
as Sister Mary · 2024
The Third Day
as Mrs. Martin · 2020
Anna Karenina
as Countess Lydia Ivanova · 2012
Fired on Mars
as Sheila (voice) · 2023
Little Women
as Marmee March · 2017
The Water Horse
as Anne MacMorrow · 2007
Synecdoche, New York
as Tammy · 2008
Monster Family
as Emma Wishbone (voice) · 2017
Monster Family 2
as Emma Wishbone (voice) · 2021
Miss Potter
as Millie Warne · 2006
Breaking the Waves
as Bess McNeill · 1996
Gosford Park
as Elsie · 2001
Too Close
as Dr. Emma Robinson · 2021
Apple Tree Yard
as Yvonne Carmichael · 2017
The Politician's Husband
as Freya Gardner · 2013
King Lear
as Regan · 2018
Testament of Youth
as Mrs. Brittain · 2015
Appropriate Adult
as Janet Leach · 2011
Steve
as Jenny · 2025
On Chesil Beach
as Violet Ponting · 2018
Angela's Ashes
as Angela McCourt · 1999
The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe
as Grace McKee · 2015
Working Shakespeare
· 2003
Little Boy
as Emma Busbee · 2015
God's Creatures
as Aileen O'Hara · 2022
The Dresser
as Her Ladyship · 2015
A Royal Night Out
as Queen Elizabeth · 2015
The Proposition
as Martha Stanley · 2005
Fireflies in the Garden
as Jane Lawrence · 2008
The Happy Prince
as Constance Wilde · 2018
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers
as Anne Sellers · 2004
The Boxer
as Maggie Hamill · 1997
Molly Moon and the Incredible Book of Hypnotism
as Miss Trinklebury · 2015
Cradle Will Rock
as Olive Stanton · 1999
Separate Lies
as Anne Manning · 2005
Cemetery Junction
as Mrs. Kendrick · 2010
Hilary and Jackie
as Jackie du Pré · 1998
Belle
as Lady Mansfield · 2013
Red Dragon
as Reba McClane · 2002
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
as Caroline Gil · 2008
Cold Souls
as Claire · 2009
Midas Man
as Queenie Epstein · 2024
The Making of Gosford Park
as Self · 2002
Wah-Wah
as Ruby Compton · 2005
Oranges and Sunshine
as Margaret Humphreys · 2010
Trixie
as Trixie Zurbo · 2000
The Luzhin Defence
as Natalia Katkov · 2000
Crusade in Jeans
as Mary Vega · 2006
A Song for Jenny
as Julie Nicholson · 2015
In Doctor von Trier's Laboratory: Back to the Magic of Cinema
as Self · 1998
The Mill on the Floss
as Maggie Tulliver · 1997
Ballchewer
as Self · 2002
Amri
as Marie Antoinette Gottesman
A Director's Journey: The Making of 'Red Dragon'
as Self · 2003
Metroland
as Marion · 1998
Fado!
Tranceformer: A Portrait of Lars von Trier
· 1997
Some Girl(s)
as Lindsay · 2013
Within the Whirlwind
as Evgenia Ginzburg · 2009
RSC Meets USA: Working Shakespeare
as Self
London Fog: A Ruby Gale Mystery
as (The Detective)
Meerkats 3D
as Narrator · 2011
The Clockmaker’s Secret: Lost in Spindlewood
as The Keeper of the Keys
Late in Summer
Inside Look: Hamnet
as Self (archive footage) · 2025
Holly Noel: The Winter Ball (Christmas 3)
as ( Host )
A Christmas Child
as Emily Watson ( Self/Narrator )
A Summer Day's Dream
· 1994
Weinstein
as Narrator (voice) · 2018
Midday Sun
as Sarah