Who is Kelly Macdonald?
British actress Kelly Macdonald was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on 23 February 1976, making Pisces her zodiac sign. She’s appeared in 60 movies and TV series, but is perhaps still known best for portraying Carla Jean Moss in the evergreen 2007 crime thriller movie “No Country for Old Men”, which starred Javier Bardem and Tommy Lee Jones, and was directed by the Coen brothers. It follows a hunter who’s found $2 million in cash near the Rio Grande where a drug deal went wrong – the film won 164 of its 304 award nominations, including four Oscar wins, some of which were for Best Writing, Best Achievement in Directing and Best Motion Picture of the Year.
Kelly’s currently shooting for the upcoming movie “O’Dessa” and TV series “Never Let Me Go”.
Education and early life
Kelly was raised in Neilston, Scotland alongside her brother David; their parents divorced before Kelly turned 10, and she and her brother were then raised by their mother who worked as a sales executive in the garment industry.
She became passionate about acting while studying at Eastwood High School; Kelly could’ve been seen appearing in a number of school plays, often playing lead roles, and she was also into dancing and playing volleyball.
She matriculated in 1994 and then worked as a barmaid for two years, prior to launching her acting career; Kelly hasn’t attended college.
Roles in movies
Kelly’s debut film role was playing Diane in the evergreen 1996 drama “Trainspotting”, which starred Ewen Bremner and Ewan McGregor, and was directed by Danny Boyle. It follows the lives of several friends who are addicted to drugs, and the movie won 23 of its 58 award nominations, including an Oscar nomination for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published.
Some of her following roles were in the 1996 drama “Stella Does Tricks”, the romantic comedy “Cousin Bette” and the biographical historical drama “Elizabeth” both in 1998.
In 2001, she played Mary Maceachran in the popular mystery comedy “Gosford Park”, which starred Ryan Phillippe and Maggie Smith, and was directed by Robert Altman. It follows a group of wealthy people as they’re spending their weekend at a hunting resort in the ‘30s, while one of them has now been murdered; the film won 36 of its 110 award nominations, including an Oscar win for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. Some of Kelly’s following notable performances were in the 2003 drama “Brush with Fate”, the 2004 biographical family drama “Finding Neverland” and the 2005 adventure science fiction comedy “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”.
Kelly Macdonald (b.1976 Glasgow). Actor, known for Trainspotting, Choke, Boardwalk Empire. pic.twitter.com/CohUEDKgPV
— PictureThis Scotland (@74frankfurt) April 26, 2018
In 2008, she portrayed Paige Marshall in the comedy “Choke”, which starred Sam Rockwell and Anjelica Huston, and was written and directed by Clark Gregg. It follows a sex addict who pretends to be choking at restaurants, so that he would get a free meal and perhaps money from his saviors for his mother’s hospital bills; the film won two of its nine award nominations.
Some of Kelly’s following roles were playing Helena Ravenclaw in the critically acclaimed 2011 fantasy family adventure “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”, voicing the lead character Merida in the 2012 animated adventure comedy “Brave”, and portraying Claire in the 2016 comedy “Special Correspondents”.
The year 2017 saw her play Olive in the biographical family drama “Goodbye Christopher Robin”, which starred Margot Robbie and Domhnall Gleeson, and was directed by Simon Curtis. It follows the lives of author AA Milne and his son Christopher Robin, and how they became the inspiration for Winnie the Pooh; the film won two of its five award nominations.
Some of Kelly’s most recent film roles have been in the 2021 war drama “Operation Mincemeat”, the thriller “I Came By” and the drama “Typist Artist Pirate King” both in 2022.
Roles in TV series
Kelly’s debut TV series role was playing Amy Ogilvie in the 1996 episode “Flowers of the Forest” of the drama “Screen Two”, and her following role came in 2003, when cast to star as Della Smith in all the six episodes of the crime mystery mini-series “State of Play”, which also starred David Morrissey and John Simm, and follows a journalist who’s uncovered a government conspiracy; the mini-series won 17 of its 26 award nominations.
In 2005, Kelly played Kiera MacLaine in the episode “Ice” of the action mystery “Alias”, and from 2010 through 2014, she starred as Margaret Thompson in all the 56 episodes of the critically acclaimed crime drama “Boardwalk Empire”, which also starred Steve Buscemi and Michael Shannon, and was created by Terence Winter. It follows the life of an Atlantic City politician during the Prohibition era, and the series won 64 of its 148 award nominations.
Kelly’s since appeared in only a couple of TV series, with her three most recent roles having been in two episodes of the 2020 fantasy comedy “Truth Seekers”, seven episodes of the 2021 crime mystery “Line of Duty”, and a 2022 episode of the comedy “Ten Percent”.
Other credits
Kelly received special thanks for the 2008 short documentary movie “The Making of ‘No Country for Old Men’”.
She sang “Temptation” in the 1996 movie “Trainspotting” and “I’ll See You In My Dreams” in the 2012 episode “A Man, a Plan…” of the crime series “Boardwalk Empire”.
Some of Kelly’s most recent talk-show appearances have been in “There’s Something About Movies”, “Portrait Artist of the Year” and “The One Show”.
Awards and nominations
Kelly’s won 18 of her 60 award nominations. Some of her wins include a 2002 Satellite Special Achievement Award for Outstanding Motion Picture Ensemble, for her and her colleagues’ performance in “Gosford Park”, a 2006 Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie, for “The Girl in the Café” and a 2019 BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Actress – Television for “The Victim”.
Some of her notable nominations include a 2008 BAFTA Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for “No Country for Old Men”, two Golden Globes in 2011 and 2012, both for her performance in “Boardwalk Empire” and two BAFTA Scotland Awards in 2021, both for “Line of Duty”.
Love life and marriage
Kelly can rarely be heard speaking about her love life in public, but it’s still widely known that she’s a married woman. She and British musician Douglas ‘Dougie’ Payne exchanged vows in a small and private ceremony in August 2003; he’s probably known best for being the backing vocalist and bassist of the Scottish band Travis, which was formed back in 1990.
Kelly gave birth to their first son Freddie Peter Payne on 9 March 2008, and their second son Theodore William Payne followed on 8 December 2012; the family of four split their time between their homes in London, England and New York City until 2014, when they moved to Glasgow.
Kelly and Douglas separated in 2017, but they’re still married; it remains unknown whether or not the two have filed for divorce.
Kelly’s yet to mention other men whom she’s dated, she’s married to Douglas ‘Dougie’ Payne (separated) as of June 2023, and they have two sons together.
Interesting facts and hobbies
Kelly was the last person to be cast in the movie series “Harry Potter”.
“The New York Times Magazine” featured Kelly on their 2011 list ‘Eight Actors Who Turn Television into Art’.
She’s had roles in four movies which were nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture, including “Finding Neverland”, “Gosford Park” and “Elizabeth”, while “No Country for Old Men” won the award.
Kelly was named a ‘Shooting Star’ by European Film Promotion in 1999.
She’s a fan of Disney movies, and her favorite character is Tinkerbell from “Peter Pan’.
Kelly auditioned for roles in the 1998 historical comedy movie “Shakespeare in Love”, the 1999 science fiction action film “The Matrix” and the 2001 romantic musical movie “Moulin Rouge!”, all of which won multiple Oscars.
She’s followed by over 3,600 people on Instagram, and has posted nearly 300 pictures and videos; most of Kelly’s content shows her during her everyday life.
Benedict Cumberbatch is one of Kelly’s favorite actors, and some of her favorite films include “Star Trek Into Darkness”, “Penguins of Madagascar” and “Doctor Strange”.
Height, eyes and wealth
Kelly’s age is 47. Her hair and eyes are brown, she’s 5ft 2ins (1.59m) tall and weighs around 110lbs (49kgs).
Kelly’s net worth’s been estimated at over $8 million as of June 2023.
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