Shauna Macdonald

Scottish actress Shauna Macdonald was born in Malaysia and moved to Edinburgh at age three. She is known for her gripping lead performance as Sarah Carter in the horror film The Descent (2005) and its sequel, a role that earned her a Saturn Award nomination. Macdonald trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow and began her screen career in 1999 with The Debt Collector, alongside Billy Connolly. She later gained wider attention as MI5 officer Sam Buxton in the BBC series Spooks (2003-2004).

Her career includes a range of projects: Filth (2013) opposite James McAvoy, White Chamber (2018), for which she won a Scottish BAFTA, Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), and TV series such as The Cry, In Plain Sight, and Outlander. She also voices Professor Squawkencluck in the animated series Danger Mouse. In addition to acting, Macdonald serves as co-artistic director of Edinburgh Youth Theatre and runs public speaking workshops. She is married to actor Cal MacAninch and has three children. She lives in Edinburgh.