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Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson (born 15 April 1990) is an English actress who plays Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series.

Biography: Early life

Emma Watson is the elder of two children born to Chris and Jacqueline Watson, lawyers who are now divorced; she has a younger brother named Alex. She spent her formative years living in Paris, France, and Oxford, England. During her primary school years, Watson attended The Dragon School, a private preparatory school, until June 2003.

Prior to her role in the Harry Potter films, Watson's acting experience was limited, consisting only of minor roles in school plays, including Arthur: The Young Years and The Happy Prince. Other school activities included the Daisy Pratt Poetry Competition, in which, at the age of seven, she won first place for her year.

Career

Watson was cast to play Hermione Granger at age ten and was eleven years old when Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone—titled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States—was released. She has since appeared in all subsequent Potter films: Chamber of Secrets (2002), Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), and Goblet of Fire (2005), and has finished filming Order of the Phoenix.

Potter fans have expressed mixed opinions about Watson's portrayal of Granger: Some feel she is perfect for the role; others believe Watson fails to capture Hermione's insecurities and flaws, and complain that she is too pretty for the role— one prominent film critic, Roger Ebert, said Watson was "in the early stages of babehood"—since Granger, as presented by screenwriters, was considered "plain" (neither "pretty" nor "ugly") as chronicled by Rita Skeeter in her Daily Prophet gossip column. The films, however—with Rowling's approval—establish Hermione as a pretty girl past her bushy hair and bookish demeanor, as Harry and Ron discover at the Yule Ball in Goblet of Fire. The screenplays also present a somewhat different chemistry between the three central characters than do the books.

At age fifteen, Watson became the youngest person to appear on the cover of Teen Vogue magazine. She also served on a jury, along with Pierce Brosnan, Kenneth Branagh, and Samantha Morton, to select the 2004 teenaged filmmakers' "First Light" for the Film Award ceremony in Leicester Square in London. She also played Hermione in The Queen's Handbag, a special mini-episode of Harry Potter in celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's 80th birthday.

By October 2006, Watson had not committed to appearing in the Harry Potter film series beyond the fifth installment; though the Potter films constitute her only professional acting experience, she has expressed interest in expanding her film career into other works. She has said this is unlikely to happen before the Harry Potter films are complete, though American shark-attack survivor Bethany Hamilton has mentioned Watson as the possible lead in a film version of Hamilton's life story.

Personal life

An avid sports player, Watson enjoys field hockey, tennis, rounders and netball. While on set, she passes the time by playing video games and table tennis. Her musical interests (as of Spring 2005) include singing, hip hop, blues, and classic rock, including Eminem, Eric Clapton, U2 and Nelly Furtado.

Watson attends Headington School, a private all-girls school in Oxford.

Awards
Nominated:

Saturn Award: for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Empire Award: for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Outstanding Supporting Actress: American Moviegoer Awards, 2002
Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actress: Young Artists Awards, 2002
Best Ensemble in Feature Film: Young Artist Awards, for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Best Young Actress: Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, 2004
Best Young Actress: Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, 2005

Won:

Best Female Film Star (Silver): Otto Awards, 2003
Best Female Child Artist: Phoenix Film Critics Society, for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Total Film Magazine "Child Performance of the Year", 2004
Best Female Film Star (Gold): Otto Awards, 2006

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2001	Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone	Hermione Granger	(U.S. title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)
2002	Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets	Hermione Granger
2004	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban	Hermione Granger
2005	Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire	Hermione Granger
2007	Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix	Hermione Granger	Scheduled for release on July 13, 2007