Birth name Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson Date of birth April 15, 1990 (age: 16) Notable role(s) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) Nickname Em Height 5' 5" (1.65 m)   Emma is a British actress who plays Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series.

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. As a young girl, Watson lived with her parents in Oxford, England; she attended The Dragon School, a renowned preparatory school in Oxford.

Before being cast 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 age seven, she won first place for her year.

Watson was cast to play Hermione Granger at age 10, and was 11 years old in 2001 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 is currently filming Order of the Phoenix It is unknown whether Watson will again reprise her role as Hermione in the sixth Potter film, the Half Blood Prince, due to begin filming next year.

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 glamorous for the role —one prominent film critic, Roger Ebert, said Watson was "in the early stages of babehood"—since, according to these critics, Granger was considered "plain" (neither "pretty" nor "ugly"). 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. (Still, a Daily Prophet article by Rita Skeeter called Granger "a plain but ambitious girl".) 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 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.

Although the Harry Potter film series comprises 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 is also reportedly in talks to play shark-attack survivor Bethany Hamilton in a film-version of Hamilton's life story.

An avid sports player, Watson enjoys field hockey, tennis, rounders and netball. While on set, Emma passes the time by playing video games and table tennis. Her musical interests (as of Spring 2005) include singing, hip hop, blues, Grunge and classic rock, ranging from Eminem, Nirvana, Eric Clapton, U2 to Nelly Furtado.
In August of 2006, it was announced that Watson had earned eight A* and two A grades in her GCSEs.