Emily Watson

Infobox actor

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imagesize = 200px
caption = Watson at the Orange British Academy Film Awards in London's Royal Opera House, February 2007
birthname = Emily Margaret Watson
birthdate = birth date and age|1967|1|14|df=yes
birthplace = London, England
deathdate =
deathplace =
othername =
yearsactive =
spouse = Jack Waters
academyawards =
emmyawards =
tonyawards =

Emily Margaret Watson (born 14 January 1967) is a two-time Academy Award-nominated, Screen Actors Guild Award-winning English actress. She made an acclaimed debut film performance in Lars von Trier's "Breaking the Waves".

Personal life

Watson was born in Islington, London, England, the daughter of an architect father and an English professor mother. [ [http://www.filmreference.com/film/99/Emily-Watson.html Emily Watson Biography (1967-) ] ] She was raised as an Anglican. [ [http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/11.27.96/watson-9648.html Metroactive Movies | Emily Watson ] ] Watson trained at Drama Studio London and holds a BA (1988, English) as well as an MA (2003, honorary) from Bristol University. Watson married Jack Waters, whom she had met at the Royal Shakespeare Company, in 1995; their daughter, Juliet, was born in autumn 2005. [ [http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/main.jhtml?xml=/fashion/2006/03/05/stemily05.xml&sSheet=/fashion/2006/03/05/ixstellamain.html The great pretender] .]

Charity

Watson is a committed supporter of the British 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. [ [http://www.nspcc.org.uk/whatwedo/celebritysupporters/halloffame/emilywatson2004_wda39843.html NSPCC Hall of Fame 2004: Emily Watson] ] 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. [ [http://www.nspcc.org.uk/whatwedo/mediacentre/ourcampaigns/nspcc_full_stop_campaign_wda33321.html Celebrating five years of FULL STOP campaign] ]

Career

Theatrical career

Although best known internationally for her film roles, 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".

She has also worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company in such productions as "Jovial Crew", "The Taming of the Shrew", "All's Well That Ends Well" and "The Changeling". [ [http://www.filmbug.com/db/772 Emily Waston at Film Bug] ] [ [http://www.filmreference.com/film/99/Emily-Watson.html Emily Watson at Film Reference] ]

In 2002 she took time off from cinema to play two roles in Sam Mendes's repertory productions of "Uncle Vanya" and "Twelfth Night", first at Mendes's Donmar Warehouse in London and later at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Her performance was widely acclaimed on both sides of the Atlantic and garnered her an Olivier Award nomination. [ [http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/awards/news/display?contentId=73534 London Theatre Guide: Paltrow and Watson nominated for Best Actress Olivier] ]

Film debut

Watson was virtually unknown until director Lars von Trier chose her to star in his controversial "Breaking the Waves" after the first choice, Helena Bonham Carter, dropped out over the uncompromisingly bleak eroticism and the graphic nudity demanded for the role. Watson's performance as Bess McNeill became the most critically acclaimed of 1996. She won the Los Angeles, London and New York Critics Circle Awards, the US National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress, and ultimately an Oscar nomination. [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001833/awards IMDB: Awards for Emily Watson] ]

ubsequent career

She came to public notice again in another controversial role, as cellist Jacqueline du Pre in "Hilary and Jackie", for which she learned to play the cello herself, and received another Oscar nomination. Despite this, many of du Pre's friends and fans decried the film's portrayal of her as inaccurate and unfair. She also played a leading role in "Cradle Will Rock", a story of a theatre show in the 1930s, directed by Tim Robbins. Though she won the title role of Frank McCourt's mother in the adaptation of his memoir, "Angela's Ashes", the film underperformed. In 2001, she appeared alongside John Turturro in chess biopic "The Luzhin Defence", and as a member of Robert Altman's ensemble piece "Gosford Park". [ [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1285/is_1_29/ai_53567013 Emily Watson - IVTR] ] The following year she starred as Reba McClane in the adaptation of Thomas Harris's "The Silence of the Lambs" prequel, "Red Dragon", as the romantic interest of Adam Sandler in Paul Thomas Anderson's curious and quirky "Punch-Drunk Love", and in the sci-fi action thriller "Equilibrium" alongside Christian Bale.

In 2004 she received a Golden Globe nomination for her role as Peter Sellers's first wife, Anne Howe, in the HBO movie, "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers". 2005 saw Watson starring in four films: "Wah-Wah", Richard E. Grant's autobiographical directorial debut, for which she attended the UK premiere at the Edinburgh Festival; "Separate Lies", directed by "Gosford Park" writer Julian Fellowes; Tim Burton's animated film "Corpse Bride", alongside Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, and Nick Cave's Australian-set western, "The Proposition". In 2006 she took a supporting role in "Miss Potter," a biopic of children's author Beatrix Potter from "Babe" director Chris Noonan, with Ewan McGregor and Renée Zellweger, and also in an adaptation of Thea Beckman's children's novel "Crusade in Jeans". In 2007, she appeared in "", an adaptation of the Dick King-Smith children's novel about the origin of the Loch Ness Monster. [ [http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=12953 Comingsoon.net: Emily Watson joins Miss Potter and Shantaram] ] [ [http://www.black-magic.co.nz/home/?page_id=85 Black Magic: The Waterhorse] ]

She stars with Julia Roberts and Carrie-Anne Moss in "Fireflies in the Garden", [ [http://www.movieweb.com/news/86/17586.php Julia Roberts and Carrie Ann Moss plant Fireflies in the Garden] ] and appears in the forthcoming film "Cold Souls", from first time director Sophie Barthes. [ [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/international/news/e3ia9be1b78b3cdc76e2f89e2c618a0e490 Watson, Giamatti join ARTE Cinema's 'Souls'] ] She will also star in screenwriter Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut, "Synecdoche, New York" [cite web|title=First Synecdoche Pic|work=joblo.com|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgcl5K1HHDE|accessdate=2008-02-25] and "Within the Whirlwind", a biopic of Russian poetess Evgenia Ginzburg, from "Luzhin Defence" director Marleen Gorris. [cite web|title=Emily Watson to Star as Russian Dissident Eugenia Ginsburg in Gorris' Within the Whirlwind|work=Emmanuel Levy|url=http://www.emanuellevy.com/article.php?articleID=8516|accessdate=2008-02-25] She is slated to appear in "Fellini Black and White", as the wife of film director Frederico Fellini. The film depicts a trip made by the director to receive an award and also stars Antonio Banderas, Liv Tyler, Laurence Fishburne and Peter Dinklage. [cite web|title=Star wave crests at the American Film Market|author=Gregg Goldstein |work=The Hollywood Reporter|year=2007|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3ic868cb7073298c93e3901d60a5ed5f44
accessdate=2007-11-01]

criptwriting

In 2007, "Mood Indigo", a script written by Watson and her husband, was optioned by Capitol Films. The film is a love story set during World War II and concerns a young woman who falls in love with a pilot. [cite web|title='Enemies,' 'Ranch' lead Capitol slate|author=Adam Dawtrey|work=Variety|year=2007|url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117974607.html?categoryid=19&cs=1
accessdate=2007-11-01]

Missed roles

Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet wrote the character "Amélie" for Watson to play (Amélie was originally named Emily) but she eventually turned the role down due to difficulties speaking French and a desire not to be away from home. The role went on to make an international star of Audrey Tautou. [ [http://www.efilmcritic.com/feature.php?feature=487 Amelie Director, Jean-Pierre Jeunet – Je Voudrais Une Oscar] ] She was also the first choice to play Elizabeth I in Shekhar Kapur's film "Elizabeth", the role that ultimately made a star of Cate Blanchett. [ [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117491396.html?categoryid=2&cs=1 'Jackie' thesp sez she's no 'Elizabeth'] ]

Credits

*"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 Hammersmith Theatre, London, 1994) as Hilde Wangel
*"The Children's Hour" (Lyttelton Theatre, London, 1994) as Mary Tilford
*"A Summer Day's Dream" (1994, TV movie)
*"The Wolves of Willoughby Chase" (1994, radio)
*"Wuthering Heights" (1995, radio series)
*"Three Sisters" (Out of Joint, 1995)
*"Othello" (1996, theatre)
*"Breaking the Waves" (1996)
*"Metroland" (1997)
*"The Mill on the Floss" (1997, TV movie)
*"The Boxer" (1997)
*"Hilary and Jackie" (1998)
*"Cradle Will Rock" (1999)
*"Angela's Ashes" (1999)
*"Trixie" (2000)
*"The Luzhin Defence" (2000)
*"Gosford Park" (2001)
*"Punch-Drunk Love" (2002)
*"Red Dragon" (2002)
*"Equilibrium" (2002)
*"Twelfth Night"/ "Uncle Vanya" (Donmar Warehouse, 2002/ BAM, 2003)
*"Boo, Zino and the Snurks" (2004)
*"The Life and Death of Peter Sellers" (2004)
*"Separate Lies" (2005)
*"Wah-Wah" (2005)
*"Corpse Bride" (2005)
*"The Proposition" (2005)
*"Miss Potter" (2006) - Millie, sister of Miss Potter's publisher and fiancé Norman Warne
*"Crusade in Jeans" (2006) - Mary Vega, Dolf's mother
*"" (2007) - Anne MacMorrow, Angus' mother
*"Fireflies in the Garden" (2008) - old version of Michael's young aunt Jane
*"The Memory Keeper's Daughter" (2008, TV movie)
*"Synecdoche, New York" (2008)

###@@@KEY@@@###succession box
title = NYFCC Award for Best Actress
years = 1996
for" Breaking the Waves"
before= Jennifer Jason Leigh
for "Georgia
after = Julie Christie
for "Afterglow"

References

External links

*imdb name|id=001833|name=Emily Watson
* [http://www.premiere.com/actresses/3338/scene-stealer-emily-watson.html Premiere Magazine: Emily Watson Q&A and podcast]
* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2090-1731949,00.html Emily Watson at the Edinburgh Festival]
* [http://www.filmreference.com/film/99/Emily-Watson.html Emily Watson at "Film Reference"]
* [http://www.filmbug.com/db/772 Emily Watson at "Film Bug"]