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IMDbPro

Kelly Macdonald

  • Actress
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,00041
Kelly Macdonald
Carl, a former top-rated detective who is wracked with guilt following an attack that left his partner paralyzed and another policeman dead. On his return to work, Carl is assigned to a cold case that will consume his life.
Play trailer2:23
Dept. Q (2025– )
86 Videos
99+ Photos
Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald was born and raised in Glasgow. Her parents divorced when she was young, and she was raised by her mother, a sales executive in the garment industry. She has one brother, David. As a hobby, she acted in an amateur theatrical club, which she enjoyed a great deal. Macdonald was working as a barmaid, when she saw a leaflet for an open casting call for a film. She went along and was cast as Diane in Trainspotting (1996). For this breakout role, she was nominated for a BAFTA Scotland Award and began a highly successful acting career.

Other notable film projects include Stella Does Tricks (1996), Elizabeth (1998), Gosford Park (2001) and No Country for Old Men (2007). She won an Emmy for her role as Gina in The Girl in the Café (2005) and appeared as Helena Ravenclaw in the wildly popular Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011). In 2010, she won the role of Margaret Schroeder in Boardwalk Empire (2010).

Macdonald is married to Travis bassist Dougie Payne, and they have a son, Freddie.
BornFebruary 23, 1976
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornFebruary 23, 1976
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,00041
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Primetime Emmy
      • 18 wins & 42 nominations total

    Photos227

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    Known for

    Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin in No Country for Old Men (2007)
    No Country for Old Men
    8.2
    • Carla Jean Moss
    • 2007
    Gosford Park (2001)
    Gosford Park
    7.2
    • Mary Maceachran
    • 2001
    Kelly Macdonald in Brave (2012)
    Brave
    7.1
    • Merida(voice)
    • 2012
    Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Jonny Lee Miller, and Ewen Bremner in T2 Trainspotting (2017)
    T2 Trainspotting
    7.1
    • Diane
    • 2017

    Credits

    Edit
    IMDbPro

    Actress



    • Dept. Q
      • Dr. Rachel Irving
      • Released
      • TV Series
      • 2025
    • Lanterns
      • Sheriff Kerry
      • In Production
      • TV Series
      • 2026



    • Dept. Q (2025)
      Dept. Q
      8.5
      TV Series
      • Dr. Rachel Irving
      • 2025
    • Jude Law and Kerry Condon in Skeleton Crew (2024)
      Skeleton Crew
      7.1
      TV Series
      • Pokkit
      • 2024
    • Damian Lewis, Kelly Macdonald, Harry Baxendale, and Bo Bragason in The Radleys (2024)
      The Radleys
      5.0
      • Helen Radley
      • 2024
    • Never Let Me Go (2023)
      Never Let Me Go
      5.3
      TV Series
      • 2023
    • Monica Dolan and Kelly Macdonald in Typist Artist Pirate King (2022)
      Typist Artist Pirate King
      5.8
      • Sandra Panza
      • 2022
    • Hugh Bonneville and George MacKay in I Came By (2022)
      I Came By
      6.2
      • Lizzie Nealey
      • 2022
    • Ten Percent (2022)
      Ten Percent
      6.9
      TV Series
      • Kelly Macdonald
      • 2022
    • Colin Firth, Jason Isaacs, Kelly Macdonald, Matthew Macfadyen, Penelope Wilton, and Johnny Flynn in Operation Mincemeat (2021)
      Operation Mincemeat
      6.6
      • Jean Leslie
      • 2021
    • Adrian Dunbar, Vicky McClure, and Martin Compston in Line of Duty (2012)
      Line of Duty
      8.7
      TV Series
      • Jo
      • 2021
    • Nick Frost, Simon Pegg, Samson Kayo, and Emma D'Arcy in Truth Seekers (2020)
      Truth Seekers
      7.0
      TV Series
      • JoJo 74
      • 2020
    • Yôsuke Kubozuka, Kelly Macdonald, Aoi Okuyama, and Takehiro Hira in Giri/Haji (2019)
      Giri/Haji
      7.8
      TV Mini Series
      • Sarah
      • 2019
    • Dirt Music (2019)
      Dirt Music
      5.3
      • Georgie
      • 2019
    • Urban Myths (2017)
      Urban Myths
      7.2
      TV Series
      • Princess Margaret
      • 2019
    • John Hannah, Kelly Macdonald, Zak Leyni, and James Harkness in The Victim (2019)
      The Victim
      7.6
      TV Mini Series
      • Anna Dean
      • 2019
    • Ralph Fiennes, John C. Reilly, Will Ferrell, Rob Brydon, Steve Coogan, and Rebecca Hall in Holmes & Watson (2018)
      Holmes & Watson
      3.9
      • Mrs. Martha Hudson
      • 2018

    Soundtrack



    • Boardwalk Empire (2010)
      Boardwalk Empire
      8.6
      TV Series
      • performer: "I'll See You In My Dreams"
      • 2012
    • Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Jonny Lee Miller, Ewen Bremner, and Kelly Macdonald in Trainspotting (1996)
      Trainspotting
      8.1
      • performer: "Temptation" (uncredited)
      • 1996

    Videos86

    Boardwalk Empire: Clip #2
    Clip 1:12
    Boardwalk Empire: Clip #2
    Baby Feet
    Clip 2:09
    Baby Feet
    Baby Feet
    Clip 2:09
    Baby Feet
    Long Night
    Clip 1:13
    Long Night
    Swallows and Amazons
    Clip 1:26
    Swallows and Amazons
    Swallows and Amazons
    Clip 1:41
    Swallows and Amazons
    Brave
    Clip 0:37
    Brave

    Personal details

    Edit
    • Alternative name
      • Kelly MacDonald
    • Height
      • 5′ 2½″ (1.59 m)
    • Born
      • February 23, 1976
      • Glasgow, Scotland, UK
    • Spouse
      • Dougie PayneAugust 27, 2003 - present (separated, 2 children)
    • Children
        Freddie Peter Payne
    • Parents
        Archibald Macdonald
    • Relatives
      • David Macdonald(Sibling)
    • Other works
      Played Donna in the UK premiere of "Hurlburly" by David Rabe - Old Vic Theatre, London
    • Publicity listings
      • 1 Interview
      • 4 Articles
      • 4 Pictorials
      • 2 Magazine Cover Photos

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      She was the last person to be cast in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011). Subsequently she was the last person ever to join the large cast of the 'Harry Potter' story.
    • Quotes
      [on Trainspotting (1996) in 2012] I was uncomfortable with the explicit nudity. I was in denial, head in the sand about that day's work. I just nodded my head and agreed and got along with it. But nudity's out now. You won't even get me in a bikini on set, frankly. Yeah, I was 19. It was a different body, a different life.
    • Trademarks
        Her talent with accents

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