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Dry charcoal

Charcoal burning

Charcoal burning video

Wood pile before covering it by turf or soil, and firing it (around 1890)

Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen (see pyrolysis, char and biochar). It is usually an impure form of carbon as it contains ash; however, sugar charcoal is among the purest forms of carbon readily available, particularly if it is not made by heating but by a dehydration reaction with sulfuric acid to minimise introducing new impurities, as impurities can be removed from the sugar in advance. The resulting soft, brittle, lightweight, black, porous material resembles coal.^[1]

History[link]

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Historically, production of wood charcoal in districts where there is an abundance of wood dates back to a very ancient period, and generally consists of piling billets of wood on their ends so as to form a conical pile, openings being left at the bottom to admit air, with a central shaft to serve as a flue. The whole pile is covered with turf or moistened clay. The firing is begun at the bottom of the flue, and gradually spreads outwards and upwards. The success of the operation depends upon the rate of the combustion. Under average conditions, 100 parts of wood yield about 60 parts by volume, or 25 parts by weight, of charcoal; small-scale production on the spot often yields only about 50%, large-scale was efficient to about 90% even by the seventeenth century. The operation is so delicate that it was generally left to colliers (professional charcoal burners).

An abandoned charcoal kiln near Walker, Arizona, USA.

The massive production of charcoal (at its height employing hundreds of thousands, mainly in Alpine and neighbouring forests) was a major cause of deforestation, especially in Central Europe. In England, many woods were managed as coppices, which were cut and regrew cyclically, so that a steady supply of charcoal would be available (in principle) forever; complaints (as early as the Stuart period) about shortages may relate to the results of temporary over-exploitation or the impossibility of increasing production to match growing demand. The increasing scarcity of easily harvested wood was a major factor for the switch to the fossil fuel equivalents, mainly coal and brown coal for industrial use.

The use of charcoal as a smelting fuel has been experiencing a resurgence in South America following Brazilian law changes in 2010 to reduce carbon emissions as part of President Lula da Silva's commitment to make a "green steel".^{[citation needed]}

The modern process of carbonizing wood, either in small pieces or as sawdust in cast iron retorts, is extensively practiced where wood is scarce, and also for the recovery of valuable byproducts (wood spirit, pyroligneous acid, wood tar), which the process permits. The question of the temperature of the carbonization is important; according to J. Percy, wood becomes brown at 220 °C (428 °F), a deep brown-black after some time at 280 °C (536 °F), and an easily powdered mass at 310 °C (590 °F).^{[citation needed]} Charcoal made at 300°C (572 °F) is brown, soft and friable, and readily inflames at 380 °C (716 °F); made at higher temperatures it is hard and brittle, and does not fire until heated to about 700 °C (1,292 °F).

In Finland and Scandinavia, the charcoal was considered the by-product of wood tar production. The best tar came from pine, thus pinewoods were cut down for tar pyrolysis. The residual charcoal was widely used as substitute for metallurgical coke in blast furnaces for smelting. Tar production led to rapid deforestation: it has been estimated all Finnish forests are younger than 300 years. The end of tar production at the end of the 19th century resulted in rapid re-forestation.

The charcoal briquette was first invented and patented by Ellsworth B. A. Zwoyer of Pennsylvania in 1897^[2] and was produced by the Zwoyer Fuel Company. The process was further popularized by Henry Ford, who used wood and sawdust byproducts from automobile fabrication as a feedstock. Ford Charcoal went on to become the Kingsford Company.

Production methods[link]

Charcoal has been made by various methods. The traditional method in Britain used a clamp. This is essentially a pile of wooden logs (e.g. seasoned oak) leaning against a chimney (logs are placed in a circle). The chimney consists of 4 wooden stakes held up by some rope. The logs are completely covered with soil and straw allowing no air to enter. It has to be lit by introducing some burning fuel into the chimney; the logs burn very slowly (cold fire) and transform into charcoal in a period of 5 days' burning. If the soil covering gets torn (cracked) by the fire, additional soil is placed on the cracks. Once the burn is complete, the chimney is plugged to prevent air from entering.^[3]

The last section of the film Le Quattro Volte (2010) gives a good and long, if poetic, documentation of the traditional method of making charcoal.^[4] The Arthur Ransome children's series Swallows and Amazons, (particular the second book Swallowdale), features carefully drawn vignettes of the lives and the techniques of charcoal burners at the turn of the century, in the Lake District of the UK.

Modern methods use a sealed metal container, as this does not have to be watched lest fire break through the covering.^{[citation needed]} However, on-site attendance is required. This is often carried out by the last forestry workers to live in working woodland in the western world. There has been a resurgence of this, particularly in the UK. A good example of this is Bulworthy Project where charcoal production supports an experiment in low-impact living and nature conservation.^[5]

The properties of the charcoal produced depend on the material charred and the charring temperature is also important. Charcoal contain varying amounts of hydrogen and oxygen as well as ash and other impurities which together with the structure determine the properties. The approximate composition of charcoal for gunpowders is sometimes empirically described as C₇H4O. In order to obtain a coal with high purity the source material should be free from non-volatile compounds (sugar can be used) and a high charring temperature used. After charring partial oxidation with oxygen or chlorine can be used to reduce the hydrogen levels. For activation of charcoal see activated carbon.

Types[link]

Binchōtan, Japanese high grade charcoal made from ubame oak

Ogatan, Charcoal briquettes made from sawdust

Commercial charcoal is found in either lump, briquette, or extruded forms:

• Lump charcoal is made directly from hardwood material and usually produces far less ash than briquettes.

• Briquettes are made by compressing charcoal, typically made from sawdust and other wood by-products, with a binder and other additives. The binder is usually starch. Some briquettes may also include brown coal (heat source), mineral carbon (heat source), borax, sodium nitrate (ignition aid), limestone (ash-whitening agent), raw sawdust (ignition aid), and other additives like paraffin or petroleum solvents to aid in ignition.^[6]
• Extruded charcoal is made by extruding either raw ground wood or carbonized wood into logs without the use of a binder. The heat and pressure of the extruding process hold the charcoal together. If the extrusion is made from raw wood material, the extruded logs are then subsequently carbonized.^{[citation needed]}
• Japanese charcoal removes pyroligneous acid during the charcoal making. Therefore when burning, there are almost no stimulating smells or smoke. The charcoal of Japan is classified into three kinds.
  • White charcoal (Binchōtan), It is very hard and having a metallic sound.
  • Black charcoal
  • Ogatan, Black charcoal that is made from hardened sawdust. Used in the Izakaya or Yakiniku restaurant.

The characteristics of charcoal products (lump, briquette, or extruded forms) vary widely from product to product. Thus it is a common misconception to stereotype any kind of charcoal, saying which burns hotter, etc.

• Bamboo charcoal
• Activated carbon

Uses[link]

Charcoal has been used since the earliest times for a range of purposes including art and medicine, but by far its most important use has been as a metallurgical fuel. Charcoal is the traditional fuel of a blacksmith's forge and other applications where an intense heat is wanted. Charcoal was also used historically as a source of carbon black by grinding it up. In this form charcoal was important to early chemists and was a constituent of formulas for mixtures such as gunpowder. Due to its high surface area charcoal can be used as a filter, as a catalyst or as an adsorbent.

Metallurgical fuel[link]

Charcoal burns at intense temperatures, up to 2700 degrees Celsius. By comparison the melting point of iron is approximately 1200 to 1550 degrees Celsius. Due to its porosity it is sensitive to the flow of air and the heat generated can be moderated by controlling the air flow to the fire. For this reason charcoal is an ideal fuel for a forge and is still widely used by blacksmiths. Charcoal is also an excellent reducing fuel for the production of iron and has been used that way since Roman times. In the 16th century England had to pass laws to prevent the country from becoming completely denuded of trees due to production of iron. In the 19th century charcoal was largely replaced by coke, baked coal, in steel making due to cost. Charcoal is far superior fuel to coke, however, because it burns hotter and has no sulfur. Until World War II charcoal was still being used in Sweden to make ultra high-quality steel. In steel making charcoal is not only a fuel but also a source for the carbon in the steel.

Cooking fuel[link]

Prior to the industrial revolution charcoal was occasionally used as a cooking fuel. Modern "charcoal briquettes", widely used for outdoor grilling and barbecues in backyards and on camping trips, imitate this use, but are not actually charcoal.^[7] They are usually compacted mixtures of coal or coke and various binders.

Industrial fuel[link]

Historically, charcoal was used in great quantities for smelting iron in bloomeries and later blast furnaces and finery forges. This use was replaced by coke during the Industrial Revolution. For this purpose, charcoal in England was measured in dozens (or loads) consisting of 12 sacks or shems or seams, each of 8 bushels.^{[citation needed]}

Syngas production, automotive fuel[link]

Like many other sources of carbon charcoal can be used for the production of various syngas compositions, i.e. various CO+H2 + CO2 + N2 mixtures. The syngas is typically used as fuel, including automotive propulsion, or as a chemical feedstock.

In times of scarce petroleum, automobiles and even buses have been converted to burn wood gas (a gas mixture consisting primarily of diluting atmospheric nitrogen, but also containing combustible gasses, mostly carbon monoxide) released by burning charcoal or wood in a wood gas generator. In 1931 Tang Zhongming developed an automobile powered by charcoal, and these cars were popular in China until the 1950s. In occupied France during World War II, wood and wood charcoal production for such vehicles (called gazogènes) increased from pre-war figures of approximately fifty thousand tons a year to almost half a million tons in 1943.^[8]

Gunpowder[link]

Charcoal (mostly together with sulphur) is the fuel component of gunpowders and blasting powders and is also used in other pyrotechnic mixtures.^[9] This coal is usually made from specific hardwoods charred at low temperature.

Carbon source[link]

Charcoal may be used as a source of carbon in chemical reactions. One example of this is the production of carbon disulphide through the reaction of sulphur vapours with hot charcoal. In that case the wood should be charred at high temperature in order to reduce the residual amounts of hydrogen and oxygen that lead to side reactions.

Purification and filtration[link]

Activated carbon

Charcoal may be activated to increase its effectiveness as a filter. Activated charcoal readily adsorbs a wide range of organic compounds dissolved or suspended in gases and liquids. In certain industrial processes, such as the purification of sucrose from cane sugar, impurities cause an undesirable color, which can be removed with activated charcoal. It is also used to absorb odors and toxins in gases, such as air. Charcoal filters are also used in some types of gas masks. The medical use of activated charcoal is mainly the adsorption of poisons, especially in the case of suicide attempts in which the patient has ingested a large amount of a drug.^[10] Activated charcoal is available without a prescription, so it is used for a variety of health-related applications. For example, it is often used to reduce discomfort (and embarrassment) due to excessive gas in the digestive tract.^[11]

Animal charcoal or bone black is the carbonaceous residue obtained by the dry distillation of bones. It contains only about 10% carbon, the remainder being calcium and magnesium phosphates (80%) and other inorganic material originally present in the bones. It is generally manufactured from the residues obtained in the glue and gelatin industries. Its decolorizing power was applied in 1812 by Derosne to the clarification of the syrups obtained in sugar refining; but its use in this direction has now greatly diminished, owing to the introduction of more active and easily managed reagents. It is still used to some extent in laboratory practice. The decolorizing power is not permanent, becoming lost after using for some time; it may be revived, however, by washing and reheating. Wood charcoal also to some extent removes coloring material from solutions, but animal charcoal is generally more effective.^{[citation needed]}

Art[link]

Four sticks of vine charcoal and four sticks of compressed charcoal

Two charcoal pencils in paper sheaths designed to be unwrapped as the pencil is used and two charcoal pencils in wooden sheaths

Charcoal is used in art for drawing, making rough sketches in painting and is one of the possible media for making a parsemage. It must usually be preserved by the application of a fixative. Artists generally utilize charcoal in three forms:

• Vine charcoal is created by burning sticks of wood (usually willow or linden/Tilia) into soft, medium, and hard consistencies.^[12]
• Powdered charcoal is often used to "tone" or cover large sections of a drawing surface. Drawing over the toned areas will darken it further, but the artist can also lighten (or completely erase) within the toned area to create lighter tones.
• Compressed charcoal charcoal powder mixed with gum binder compressed into round or square sticks. The amount of binder determines the hardness of the stick.^[13] Compressed charcoal is used in charcoal pencils.

Horticulture[link]

One additional use of charcoal was rediscovered recently in horticulture. Although American gardeners have been using charcoal for a short while, research on Terra preta soils in the Amazon has found the widespread use of biochar by pre-Columbian natives to turn otherwise unproductive soil into very rich soil. The technique may find modern application, both to improve soils and as a means of carbon sequestration.^{[citation needed]}

Medicine[link]

Charcoal was consumed in the past as dietary supplement for gastric problems in the form of charcoal biscuits. Now it can be consumed in tablet, capsule or powder form, for digestive effects.^{[citation needed]} Research regarding its effectiveness is controversial.^[14]

Red colobus monkeys in Africa have been observed eating charcoal for the purposes of self-medication. Their leafy diets contain high levels of cyanide, which may lead to indigestion. So they learned to consume charcoal, which absorbs the cyanide and relieves indigestion. This knowledge about supplementing their diet is transmitted from mother to infant.^[15]

Also, see Activated charcoal, medicinal applications.

Smoking[link]

Special charcoals are used in smoking the hookah. Lit coals are placed on top of foil which is placed over the tobacco bowl; through indirect heat the coals "cook" the tobacco to a temperature that does not burn it but produces smoke.

Environmental implications[link]

Charcoal production at a sub-industrial level is one of the primary causes of deforestation in the Developing World. Charcoal production is usually illegal and nearly always unregulated as in Brazil where charcoal production is actually a huge illegal industry for making 'pig' iron^[16][17] Massive forest destruction has been documented in areas such as Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it is considered to be a primary threat to the survival of the mountain gorillas.^[18] Similar threats are found in Zambia.^[19]

See also[link]

Look up charcoal in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Binchōtan
• Biochar
• Biomass briquettes
• Char cloth
• Pyrolysis
• Shichirin
• Slash-and-char
• Terra preta

References[link]

This article uses bare URLs for citations. Please consider adding full citations so that the article remains verifiable. Several templates and the Reflinks tool are available to assist in formatting. (Reflinks documentation) (May 2012)

External links[link]

• An illustrated description of how to make charcoal

Emma Stone
Emma Stone in March 2012.
Born	Emily Jean Stone (1988-11-06) November 6, 1988 (age 23) Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.
Other names	Riley Stone
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2004–present

Emily Jean "Emma" Stone (born November 6, 1988) is an American actress.

Stone was a cast member of the TV series Drive, and made her feature film debut in the comedy Superbad (2007). She appeared in The House Bunny (2008) and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009). She then starred in the horror-comedy Zombieland and the indie comedy Paper Man in 2009. In 2010, Stone voiced the character Mazie in Marmaduke, and starred in the high school comedy Easy A, which earned her a nomination for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy. In 2011, she starred in the films Crazy, Stupid, Love. and The Help, both of which were well received by critics and commercial successes. Stone will play Gwen Stacy in the Amazing Spider-Man film, a reboot of the Spider-Man film franchise.

Early life[link]

Stone was born in Scottsdale, Arizona, the daughter of Krista (née Yeager), a homemaker, and Jeff Stone, a contractor.^[1] She has a brother, who is two years her junior.^[2] Stone's paternal grandfather was of Swedish descent, and his family's surname was anglicized to "Stone" when immigrating to the U.S. through Ellis Island; some of her ancestors also lived in Pennsylvania Dutch Country.^[3]

While growing up, she was a member of the Valley Youth Theatre, a regional theater in Phoenix, Arizona, where she appeared in her first stage production, The Wind in the Willows, at the age of 11.^[4] Stone attended Sequoya Elementary School and then Cocopah Middle School for sixth grade. She was home schooled for two years, at which time she appeared in 16 productions at Valley Youth Theatre, including: A Winnie-the-Pooh Christmas Tail, The Princess and the Pea, Cinderella, The Wiz, Titanic, Honk!, The Little Mermaid, Schoolhouse Rock Live!, Alice in Wonderland, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,^[4][5] and performed with the theater's improv comedy troupe.^[6]

Stone attended Xavier College Preparatory,^[4] an all-girl Catholic high school, as a freshman for one semester. She gave a PowerPoint presentation to her parents, set to the Madonna song "Hollywood", to convince them to let her move to California for an acting career.^[7] She dropped out of high school, and in January 2004, moved with her mother to a Los Angeles apartment, at the age of 15.^[8] She was then home schooled, so that she could audition during the day.^[9]

Career[link]

2004–2011[link]

Stone at the Zombieland world premiere, 2009

Stone launched a career in television after winning the role of Laurie Partridge on In Search of the New Partridge Family (2004), a VH1 talent competition reality show.^[10] The resulting show, The New Partridge Family (2005), only produced a pilot episode. Stone next had appearances in the television series Medium, Malcolm in the Middle and Lucky Louie. In 2007, she had a regular role on the Fox drama Drive, playing Violet Trimble, until the series was cancelled. She also auditioned for Heroes, and overheard in the casting room "On a scale of 1 to 10, you are an 11" — the casting directors were referring to Hayden Panettiere, who was cast as Claire Bennet instead. Stone called this experience "rock bottom."^[11]

Stone made her feature film debut in the 2007 teen comedy Superbad, playing Jules, the love interest of lead character Seth (Jonah Hill). In 2008, she appeared in the comedy The Rocker, with Rainn Wilson. Stone played Amelia, the bass guitarist in a band featuring singer Teddy Geiger. Stone learned to play bass for the role. Also that year, Stone appeared in The House Bunny, starring Anna Faris, alongside Katharine McPhee, Kat Dennings, Rumer Willis, and Colin Hanks.^[12] Stone played the president of a sorority and sang on a single from the film, "I Know What Boys Like," a cover version of the 1982 song by The Waitresses.^[13]

In 2009, Stone appeared in Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, a romantic comedy directed by Mark Waters, the director of Mean Girls, starring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner.^[14] Stone played "The Ghost of Girlfriends Past," a takeoff of the Ghost of Christmas Past from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. She starred in the horror/comedy Zombieland, along with Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg. The project began shooting in Atlanta in February 2009.^[15] Stone played Wichita, a survivor/con artist from Wichita, Kansas, traveling across the U.S. with her younger sister Little Rock (Abigail Breslin).^[16] Stone also starred in Paper Man in 2009, alongside Jeff Daniels, Ryan Reynolds and Lisa Kudrow, directed by Kieran and Michele Mulroney.^[17] She played Abby, a babysitter that Daniels' character hires after moving to Long Island.^[18] Stone began filming the independent comedy on November 11, 2008, in Montauk, New York, using well-known local locations.^[19]

Stone at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival

In 2010, Stone had a voice role in Marmaduke, a film adaptation of the long-running comic strip about a Great Dane.^[20] She voiced Marmaduke's friend, Mazie, a tomboyish Australian Shepherd.^[21] Stone landed her first leading role that year, starring with Amanda Bynes as a high school student in Easy A, a comedy directed by Will Gluck.^[22] Her character scandalizes her teachers and more conservative religious classmates after a false rumor circulates that she is sexually promiscuous.^[23] The script contrasts the novel The Scarlet Letter and its heroine, Hester Prynne, to the life of the protagonist in the film. Stone read the script before the project was optioned for production, and kept an eye on it along with her manager until preparations were made.^[24] She was attracted to the script because it was "funny and sweet" and her character was "fantastic from the first read" who was "fleshed [..] out so much in the script".^[24] When she found out that the film had gone into production, she met with Gluck to express her enthusiasm about the project.^[24] A few months later, the audition process started and Stone met again with Gluck to be one of the first actresses to audition.^[24] Stone was nominated for the 2011 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for her role.^[25]

Stone appeared at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12, 2010, and introduced Linkin Park. She stated in 2008 that she would eventually like to venture into film production, producing her own films, and that her dream was to appear on Saturday Night Live.^[12] Stone hosted the late-night sketch comedy show on October 23, 2010, and again on November 12, 2011.^[26][27]

Stone appeared in Friends With Benefits, starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, and directed by Will Gluck. The sex comedy began filming in July 2010, in New York, and was released in July 2011.^[28] She also starred in Crazy, Stupid, Love. that year, alongside Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling and Marisa Tomei. The Warner Bros. film, about a husband (Carell) with marital problems and difficulties with his children, began shooting on April 16, 2010, in Los Angeles and was released on July 29, 2011.^[29] Stone starred in The Help, an adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's best-selling novel of the same name, a period piece set in Jackson, Mississippi, in the 1960s, which was released in August 2011. She plays Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, an aspiring writer, and employed a Southern dialect for the role.^[18]

2012–present[link]

Stone at the 69th Golden Globe Awards in 2012

Stone joined the voice cast of The Croods, a 3D computer animated caveman comedy by DreamWorks Animation. She will voice the role of Eep, the oldest daughter of Grug (Nicolas Cage) and Ugga (Catherine Keener). Ryan Reynolds voices Gy, the love interest to Stone's character.^[30] The film is scheduled for release on March 22, 2013.

She stars in the comedic short film, "Veronica," alongside Kieran Culkin, directed by Griffin Dunne.^[31] The short is a comedy segment that is part of the anthology film, Movie 43, featuring Kate Winslet, Gerard Butler, Hugh Jackman, Uma Thurman, Halle Berry, and others.^[32] The feature-film was produced by the Farrelly brothers^[1] and directed by Elizabeth Banks, Steven Brill and Steve Carr.^[32]

Stone will star as the female lead in The Amazing Spider-Man, a reboot by Columbia Pictures and Marvel Entertainment of the Spider-Man film series.^[33] She plays Gwen Stacy, the 17-year-old love interest of Peter Parker.^[34] Marc Webb is directing the film, which has a release date of July 3, 2012.^[33] The film went into production in December 2010, and was scheduled to last through April 2011.^[35] Stone was considered for the lead in a reboot of 21 Jump Street, alongside Superbad co-star Jonah Hill.^[36] She did not take the role however, after signing on to Spider-Man.^[37]

Stone joined the cast of The Gangster Squad, a film by Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer. She will again play opposite Ryan Gosling in the ensemble crime drama, which also stars Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Anthony Mackie, Giovanni Ribisi and Michael Peña. Stone plays Jean, a femme fatale caught in a love triangle with Gosling and Penn's character, mobster Mickey Cohen.^[38]

Stone will again work with writer/director Will Gluck, starring in and executive producing an untitled comedy for Screen Gems.^[39] The film studio has given Gluck and Stone full discretion in developing a new project, after the success of Easy A.^[40] She will also star in Little White Corvette, a comedy about a pair of would-be drug dealing siblings, written by Michael Diliberti.^[41] Stone will film the project in Miami in mid 2012.^[42]

Personal life[link]

Although known as a redhead, Stone is naturally a blonde. She landed her first role as a teenager after dyeing her hair dark brown.^[1] Film producer Judd Apatow had her change from a brunette to a redhead for her role in Superbad.^[6] She returned to blonde for her role in The Amazing Spider-Man.^[40]

She began dating actor Andrew Garfield after meeting him on the set of The Amazing Spider-Man.^[43][44]

Stone's low-pitched husky voice is a result of having baby colic, a condition of constant screaming as an infant, resulting in the development of nodules. She has calluses on her vocal cords as an adult.^[45]

Stone chose the name "Emma" when she registered for the Screen Actors Guild as the name "Emily Stone" was already taken. Her family and friends call her Emily.^[40]

Stone moved from Los Angeles to Greenwich Village, New York City in 2009.^[7]

Filmography[link]

Awards[link]

Rankings[link]

Discography[link]

• Katharine McPhee – "I Know What Boys Like" (2008), RCA – iTunes Store single with Emma Stone and Rumer Willis from The House Bunny, a cover version of the 1982 single by The Waitresses

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Emma Stone

• Emma Stone at the Internet Movie Database
• Emma Stone on Twitter

Emma Watson
Watson at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival premiere of Struck by Lightning
Born	Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson[1] (1990-04-15) 15 April 1990 (age 22) Paris, France
Occupation	Actress, model
Years active	2001–present
Website
www.emmawatson.com

Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson (born 15 April 1990) is an English actress and model.

Watson rose to prominence playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series. Watson was cast as Hermione at the age of nine, having previously acted only in school plays.^[2] From 2001 to 2011, she starred in all eight Harry Potter films alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint.^[3] Watson's work on the Harry Potter series has earned her several awards and more than £10 million.^[4] She made her modelling debut for Burberry's Autumn/Winter campaign in 2009.

In 2007, Watson announced her involvement in two productions: the television adaptation of the novel Ballet Shoes and an animated film, The Tale of Despereaux. Ballet Shoes was broadcast on 26 December 2007 to an audience of 5.2 million, and The Tale of Despereaux, based on the novel by Kate DiCamillo, was released in 2008 and grossed over US $86 million in worldwide sales.^[5][6]

Early life[link]

Emma Watson was born in Paris to Jacqueline Luesby and Chris Watson, both British lawyers.^[7][8] Watson has one French grandmother,^[9] and lived in Paris until the age of five. Following her parents' divorce, she moved with her mother and younger brother to Oxfordshire.^[7]

From the age of six, Watson had wanted to become an actress,^[10] and for a number of years she trained at the Oxford branch of Stagecoach Theatre Arts, a part-time theatre school where she studied singing, dancing and acting.^[11] By the age of ten, she had performed in various Stagecoach productions and school plays, including Arthur: The Young Years and The Happy Prince,^[12] but she had never acted professionally before the Harry Potter series. "I had no idea of the scale of the film series," she stated in a 2007 interview with Parade; "If I had I would have been completely overwhelmed."^[13]

Career[link]

Harry Potter[link]

Handprints, footprints and wand prints of (from left to right) Watson, Radcliffe, Grint.

In 1999, casting began for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (released as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States), the film adaptation of British author J. K. Rowling's best-selling novel. Casting agents found Watson through her Oxford theatre teacher,^[10] and producers were impressed by her confidence. After eight auditions, producer David Heyman told Watson and fellow applicants Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint that they had been cast for the roles of the schoolfriends Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley respectively. Rowling supported Watson from her first screen test.^[10]

The release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 2001 was Watson's debut screen performance. The film broke records for opening-day sales and opening-weekend takings and was the highest-grossing film of 2001.^[14][15] Critics praised the performances of the three leads, often singling out Watson for particular acclaim; The Daily Telegraph called her performance "admirable",^[16] and IGN said she "stole the show".^[17] Watson was nominated for five awards for her performance in Philosopher's Stone, winning the Young Artist Award for Leading Young Actress.^[18]