Actress. Born in
Glasgow
, Macdonald was raised in
Newton Mearns
(
East Renfrewshire
) and educated there at Eastwood High School. She was working as a bar-maid before auditioning for the role of schoolgirl Diane Coulston in
Trainspotting
(1996), based on the hard-hitting
Irvine Welsh
novel. She returned in
T2 Trainspotting
(2017).
Macdonald
has starred films including
My Life So Far
(1999),
Two Family House
(2000),
Gosford Park
(2001), the
J.M. Barrie
bio-pic
Finding Neverland
(2004),
Lassie
(2005),
Nanny McPhee
(2005),
A Cock and Bull Story
(2006),
Anna Karenina
(2012),
Swallows and Amazons
(2016) and
Goodbye Christopher Robin
(2017). Her role in the BBC television film
The Girl in the Café
(2005) brought her a nomination for a Golden Globe Award in 2006. She also starred in the HBO crime drama
Boardwalk Empire
(2010-14) which brought two further Golden Globe nominations, and an Emmy nomination.
In 2003, Macdonald married
Dougie Payne
(b.1972), bass-player in the band
Travis
but the couple separated in 2017. She lives in
Glasgow
with her children.