Emma Watson is an English actress and activist known for her blockbuster and independent film roles as well as her activism for women’s rights, environmental justice, and climate change relief. Watson is most widely known as the iconic Hermione Granger in the globally successful “Harry Potter” films, which she started working on at age eleven. Watson was nominated for five awards for her performance in the first film of the series, winning the Young Artist Association award for Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actress.
In 2007, she stepped out of Hermione Granger’s shoes for the first time and into the BBC’s adaptation of the 1936 novel “Ballet Shoes.” The ending of the Potter franchise allowed Watson to explore other roles with edgier characters in movies including “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” “The Bling Ring,” and “My Week With Marilyn.” In 2017, she starred in the live-action version of Disney’s “The Beauty and the Beast,” where she was able to expand on the feminist and fiercely independent character of Belle.
While Watson was furthering her acting career, she worked on her education and became more deeply involved with activism. She attended Worcester College, Oxford during the 2011–12 academic year as part of the Visiting Student Program and then went on to graduate from Brown University in 2014. The same year, she was named the U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador, a position that aims to fight discrimination against women worldwide. She also became a spokesperson for the U.N. Women campaign HeForShe, which urges men to advocate for gender equality.
Watson has given numerous speeches around the world highlighting the importance of women’s political participation and education for young girls. Her strong and passionate identity as an activist has not gone unnoticed in popular media, and in 2015 she landed on the TIME 100 list of the world’s most influential people.
Watson is as passionate about the Earth as she is about human rights. In June 2021, it was reported that Watson was part of a group investing $12.5 million into FabricNano, a startup developing sustainable alternatives to petrochemical products. That same year, she also hosted a panel on climate change with Greta Thunberg at the United Nations Climate Change conference in Glasgow.