Emma Watson

Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson was the daughter of British parents Jacqueline Luesby, a lawyer, as well as Chris Watson, a teacher in Paris, France. When she was five years old, she relocated to Oxfordshire where she went to Dragon School. As early as the age of six, Emma was aware that she wanted to be an actress and, for a period of years, she studied at the Oxford branch of Stagecoach Theatre Arts, a part-time theatre school in which she studied singing, dancing and acting. She was a stagecoach actor and had taken the lead in several Stagecoach productions. In 1999 the casting process began for Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone (2001) which was the film adaptation of British author J.K. Rowling's bestselling novel. Emma was discovered by casting agents through her Oxford theater teacher. After eight consecutive auditions, producer David Heyman told Emma and fellow applicants, Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint, that they had been cast to play the three leads, Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Emma's debut on the screen was the release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in 2001. It was the top-grossing film of 2001, smashing records in terms of opening-day sales and opening weekend take-offs. The film's performances as well as those of its young stars received praise from critics. The Daily Telegraph, a British newspaper that is widely distributed, praised Emma's performance as "admirable." Emma was awarded the Young Artist Award as Leading Young Actress in a Feature Film, and was later nominated for five other awards. After the release of the first film of the highly successful series, Emma became one of the most well-known actresses in the world. Hermione Granger was her character for a total of ten years in the Harry Potter films. Emma was awarded two Critics' Choice Award nominations from the Broadcast Film Critics Association.