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Emily Watson

Emily Watson

Actor · Born January 14, 1967 (59) · Islington, London, England, UK

BAFTA Award winner · Screen Actors Guild Award winner · Oscar nominee · 6 other major award bodies

Emily Margaret Watson (born 14 January 1967) is an English actress. She began her career on stage and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1992. In 2002, she starred in productions of Twelfth Night and Uncle Vanya at the Donmar Warehouse. She was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Actress for the latter. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her debut film role as a newlywed in Lars von Trier's Breaking the Waves (1996) and for her portrayal of Jacqueline du Pré in Anand Tucker's Hilary and Jackie (1998). Watson's other films include The Boxer (1997), Angela's Ashes (1999), Gosford Park (2001),  Punch-Drunk Love (2002), Red Dragon (2002), The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004), Corpse Bride (2005), Miss Potter (2006), Synecdoche, New York (2008), Oranges and Sunshine (2010), War Horse (2011), The Theory of Everything (2014), Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017), God's Creatures (2022), and Small Things like These (2024). and A Pariare Farm Girl ( 2026). She was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for her role in the HBO miniseries Chernobyl. She won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress for playing Janet Leach in the 2011 ITV television biopic Appropriate Adult. She was nominated for the International Emmy Award for Best Actress for the 2017 BBC miniseries Apple Tree Yard. In 2024, she portrayed the lead role of Valya Harkonnen in the HBO science fiction series Dune: Prophecy. Watson is a supporter of the 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. 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.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 14, 1967 (59)
From
Islington, London, England, UK
Works as
Actor
Titles
62 on MovieCove · 79 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26

What are Emily Watson's films like?

Across their 54 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Drama15 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 73rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Biography12 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 85th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Comedy7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 62nd percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 56th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Animation4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 17th percentile
: browse their Animation movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 87th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 73rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
32%
Self
22%
Morality
16%
Survival
15%
Ideas
7%
Society
5%
Power
3%
Family bonds20 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love11 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity8 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief9 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship6 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival5 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 49 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 12 · Serious 10 · Dark 27

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 26 · Stylized 14 · Heightened 9

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 9 · Charged 23 · Intense 17

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 19 · Shifting 28 · Whiplash 2

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 33 · Some laughs 14 · Funny 2

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 31 · Even-paced 18 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 19 · Engaged 25 · Full focus 5

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 9 · Affecting 10 · Heavy 30

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 35 · Open-ended 10 · Ambiguous 4

Roles they play

36 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 12 of 36 analyzed roles.

Hero
12 of 36
Ally
9 of 36
Mentor
6 of 36
Shadow
4 of 36
Shapeshifter
3 of 36
Threshold guardian
1 of 36
Herald
1 of 36
Show the 36 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
35
Tense
28
Hopeful
18
Bittersweet
16
Dread
12
Other
40

How their films linger

Hopeful27 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet23 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy13
  • Bittersweet30
  • Tragic7
  • Ambiguous4

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Emily Watson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 42 of their 62 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (19).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Emily Watson's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

79 credits, 62 with a MovieCove page; 8 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Hamnet(2025)

    as Mary

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Steve(2025)

    as Jenny

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Legend of Ochi(2025)

    as Dasha

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Dune: Prophecy(2024)

    Show 14 episodes · as Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all shows

  • Small Things Like These(2024)

    as Sister Mary

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Midas Man(2024)

    as Queenie Epstein

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Fired on Mars(2023)

    Show 2 episodes · as Sheila (voice)

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all shows

  • God's Creatures(2022)

    as Aileen O'Hara

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Monster Family 2(2021)

    as Emma Wishbone (voice)

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Too Close (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Show 3 episodes · Executive Producer · as Dr. Emma Robinson

  • The Third Day(2020)

    Show 6 episodes · as Mrs. Martin

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all shows

  • Chernobyl(2019)

    Show 5 episodes · as Ulana Khomyuk

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • King Lear(2018)

    as Regan

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • The Happy Prince(2018)

    as Constance Wilde

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Weinstein (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • On Chesil Beach(2017)

    as Violet Ponting

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Little Women(2017)

    Show 3 episodes · as Marmee March

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows

  • Kingsman: The Golden Circle(2017)

    as Chief of Staff Fox

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Monster Family(2017)

    as Emma Wishbone (voice)

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Genius(2017)

    Show 10 episodes · as Elsa Einstein

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • Apple Tree Yard(2017)

    Show 4 episodes · as Yvonne Carmichael

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all shows

  • The Dresser(2015)

    as Her Ladyship

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Everest(2015)

    as Helen Wilton

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • A Song for Jenny(2015)

    as Julie Nicholson

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe(2015)

    Show 2 episodes · as Grace McKee

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all shows

  • A Royal Night Out(2015)

    as Queen Elizabeth

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Little Boy(2015)

    as Emma Busbee

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Molly Moon and the Incredible Book of Hypnotism(2015)

    as Miss Trinklebury

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Testament of Youth(2014)

    as Mrs. Brittain

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Theory of Everything(2014)

    as Beryl Wilde

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Book Thief(2013)

    as Rosa Hubermann

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Some Girl(s) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    as Lindsay

  • Belle(2013)

    as Lady Mansfield

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • The Politician's Husband (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Show 3 episodes · as Freya Gardner

  • Anna Karenina(2012)

    as Countess Lydia Ivanova

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • War Horse(2011)

    as Rose Narracott

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Meerkats 3D (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    as Narrator

  • Appropriate Adult(2011)

    Show 2 episodes · as Janet Leach

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows

  • Oranges and Sunshine(2010)

    as Margaret Humphreys

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Cemetery Junction(2010)

    as Mrs. Kendrick

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Within the Whirlwind(2009)

    as Evgenia Ginzburg

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Cold Souls(2009)

    as Claire

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Synecdoche, New York(2008)

    as Tammy

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Fireflies in the Garden(2008)

    as Jane Lawrence

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • The Memory Keeper's Daughter(2008)

    as Caroline Gil

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Water Horse(2007)

    as Anne MacMorrow

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Miss Potter(2006)

    as Millie Warne

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Crusade in Jeans(2006)

    as Mary Vega

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The Proposition(2005)

    as Martha Stanley

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Separate Lies(2005)

    as Anne Manning

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Corpse Bride(2005)

    as Victoria Everglot (voice)

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Wah-Wah(2005)

    as Ruby Compton

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Life and Death of Peter Sellers(2004)

    as Anne Sellers

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Boo, Zino & the Snurks(2004)

    as Alanta

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Working Shakespeare (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Show 5 episodes · Actor

  • Equilibrium(2002)

    as Mary O'Brien

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Punch-Drunk Love(2002)

    as Lena Leonard

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Red Dragon(2002)

    as Reba McClane

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Gosford Park(2001)

    as Elsie

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • The Luzhin Defence(2000)

    as Natalia Katkov

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Trixie(2000)

    as Trixie Zurbo

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Angela's Ashes(1999)

    as Angela McCourt

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Cradle Will Rock(1999)

    as Olive Stanton

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Hilary and Jackie(1998)

    as Jackie du Pré

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Metroland(1997)

    as Marion

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • The Boxer(1997)

    as Maggie Hamill

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Tranceformer: A Portrait of Lars von Trier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Actor

  • The Mill on the Floss(1997)

    as Maggie Tulliver

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Breaking the Waves(1996)

    as Bess McNeill

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • A Summer Day's Dream (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Actor

  • Performance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Show 1 episode · as Rosalie

  • A Christmas Child (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Emily Watson ( Self/Narrator )

  • Amri (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Marie Antoinette Gottesman

  • Fado! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • Holly Noel: The Winter Ball (Christmas 3) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as ( Host )

  • Late in Summer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • London Fog: A Ruby Gale Mystery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as (The Detective)

  • Midday Sun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Sarah

  • The Clockmaker’s Secret: Lost in Spindlewood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as The Keeper of the Keys

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 78 titles, 70 of them dated from 1991 to 2025; peak year 2014.

Biggest box office

Red Dragon (2002)

$209M worldwide

Highest rated

Chernobyl (2019)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Corpse Bride (2005)

Film career

MilestoneAward winNomination
19912025

Peak 2014 · their film career is on the way up. Top draw in 39 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

Show 3 more milestones

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting78 of 78: 77 only acting, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score69thProducing1 of 78: 0 only producing, 1 with another role

By decade

1990s10 · acting2000s20 · acting2010s29 · acting2020s11 · 11 acting · 1 crew

Billing

usually 3rd · top billed in 16% of 49 roles
960106111621

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

a BAFTA Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and 4 other major awards from 25 major nominations, 1997–2026.

WinNomination
  1. 2026
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actress
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
  2. 2024
    • Berlinale award, won · Best Supporting Performance
  3. 2022
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Leading Actress
  4. 2020
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television
  5. 2019
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
  6. 2015
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
  7. 2012
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
    • BAFTA Award, won · Best Leading Actress
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
  8. 2009
    • Independent Spirit Award, won
Show 5 earlier years
  1. 2005
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
  2. 2002
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture
    • +2 other major bodies · 2 wins
      • Cannes award, won · Homage
      • Critics Choice Award, won · Best Acting Ensemble
  3. 2000
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
  4. 1999
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Actress in a Leading Role
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
  5. 1997
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Actress in a Leading Role
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Emily Watson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 70th percentile, the median of all 53; across their 49 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 68th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 49

Approval · how many liked their films

72ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 49

Reach · how many have seen their films

89thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 49

Midcredits score across 62 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up26
  • 50th to 74th24
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

39 of their 62 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved10
  • Crowd Pleaser39
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed10

Most divisive · actor

Monster Family 2 (2021)

63rd percentile spread · 39% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Chernobyl (2019)

Midcredits 99th · 95% liked

Reviewers score the acting 77/100 in their films, across 48 reviewed titles; fans 83, detractors 52. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Emily Watson's work okay for kids?

Across up to 34 MovieCove titles with content scores, frightening / intense runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore25 titles26–83 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity34 titles6–65 · median 33 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity24 titles8–67 · median 30 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs21 titles26–43 · median 31 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense22 titles24–82 · median 54 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Emily Watson work with?

People who share at least 2 of Emily Watson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Stephan Mallmann shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles