Emily Watson Biography

Actress. Born January 14, 1967 in London, England. Though Watson's first application for acting school was rejected, she persevered, spending several years in theater productions of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

In 1996, she landed her first feature film role in Breaking the Waves. Watson's moving portrayal of Bess McNeil won her both Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations in the Best Actress category. In 1997, Watson returned to the big screen in The Mill on the Floss, The Boxer and Metroland. Just three years after her triumph in Breaking the Waves, Watson was again nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, this time for her portrayal of the manic British cellist Jacqueline du Pre in Hilary and Jackie (1998). In 1999, she played the title role in the film adaptation of Frank McCourt's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Angela's Ashes.

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