Kelly Macdonald

Birthday: 23 February 1976, Glasgow, Scotland, UK

Height: 159 cm

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. Show less «

What I'm normally associated with are darker, more brooding roles.

I'm so not a celebrity.

I've done TV and I've done film, and I'm not snobby about it. It's about the project.

I'm no good at anecdotes.

It was both comforting and terrifying to go in to audition for 'The Girl in the Cafe,' as I'd worked...Show more »

It was both comforting and terrifying to go in to audition for 'The Girl in the Cafe,' as I'd worked with everyone in the room on 'State Of Play.' Show less «

[on Trainspotting (1996) in 2012] I was uncomfortable with the explicit nudity. I was in denial, hea...Show more »

[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. Show less «

It's that TV thing. You can be in the biggest film of the year and it will still not have the kind o...Show more »

It's that TV thing. You can be in the biggest film of the year and it will still not have the kind of impact a TV series has. Once you're in people's living rooms, that's it. There's no hiding place. Show less «

L.A. is brilliant, but however long my trip is I'm always ready to leave. But New York I'm never qui...Show more »

L.A. is brilliant, but however long my trip is I'm always ready to leave. But New York I'm never quite happy to see the back of. Show less «

A few years ago, if you had told me I'd be moving back to Glasgow I'd have said, 'No way'. But it's ...Show more »

A few years ago, if you had told me I'd be moving back to Glasgow I'd have said, 'No way'. But it's changed. It's much more vibrant, bohemian. But I'm 35 and I've become a bit of a homebody, I don't really go out much. Same in New York. My home could be anywhere but I love Glasgow. Show less «

They're naughty, all those writers - they mess around with people. I know James Gandolfini got a bit...Show more »

They're naughty, all those writers - they mess around with people. I know James Gandolfini got a bit fed up on 'The Sopranos': if he said anything in front of a writer, told them a story from his life, it could make its way into the script. Show less «

I tend to get cast as a certain type of quiet, almost introverted person who's strong on the inside,...Show more »

I tend to get cast as a certain type of quiet, almost introverted person who's strong on the inside, but the characters are so very different I don't see it as any kind of typecasting. Show less «

I love that thing on Amazon that you can go on and order a book, and you click on it and it says, 'Y...Show more »

I love that thing on Amazon that you can go on and order a book, and you click on it and it says, 'You might also like,' or 'Other people who bought this have bought that.' Show less «

I don't lobby where work is concerned. As long as I know I've got something coming up, I don't reall...Show more »

I don't lobby where work is concerned. As long as I know I've got something coming up, I don't really worry. It's not that I'm not ambitious, but I don't have a drive to be hugely successful and be working all the time. Show less «

It can get a bit boring working on accents.

I get claustrophobic in a harness. I'd be a terrible superhero.

Kelly Macdonald

Kelly Macdonald's FILMOGRAPHY

Kelly Macdonald'S roles

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