Born Charlotte Duerre Watson on April 15, 1990 in Paris, France, Emma Watson is arguably most famous for playing the character of Hermione Granger in the string of Harry Potter films. From being cast in the role at the age of 9, Watson had since appeared in five Harry Potter installments alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint. The daughter of two English lawyers, Watson has lived in Paris until she was 5, before she moved with her mother and younger brother to Oxford, after her parents’ divorce. It is said that as early as 6, she expressed her desire to be an actress, and by 10, she started appearing in school plays, such as Arthur: The Young Years and The Happy Prince.
Watson was discovered through her Oxford theater teacher. She had never acted professionally prior to the Harry Potter series and she said she had no idea how huge the project was. The casting directors were quite picky with the lead roles, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. The producers were reportedly impressed by her confidence. She was given the good news after eight auditions. The author of the book series, JK Rowling, was said to support her being cast from her first screen test. When the film series debut in 2001, it broke records for opening-day sales and became the highest grossing film of the year. For her part, Watson was often singled out for a sterling performance. She won the Young Artist Award for Leading Young Actress. Throughout the five installments, her performance would often receive critical acclaim. She signed for the sixth and seventh films in March 2007.
Outside Harry Potter, Emma Watson starred in the 2007 TV film Ballet Shoes, which she filmed despite being all ready to go back to school after Harry Potter.