She began her career starring in The Debt Collector (1999).
At the age of 17, Macdonald was cast in and then made her screen debut in the film The Debt Collector (1999), opposite Billy Connolly.
2000
In 2000 she made her professional theatre debut in a small role as a waitress in Pal Joey at the Citizens Theatre.
She next made appearances in the films Daybreak (2000) and Late Night Shopping (2001) and guest starred in the series Murder Rooms: Mysteries of the Real Sherlock Holmes (2000) and Taggart (2002).
2002
In 2002 she also appeared in the play Victory at the Royal Lyceum Theatre.
2003
She then had her breakthrough starring as Sam Buxton in the television series Spooks (2003–2004).
She first gained some recognition for her main role as Sam Buxton in the television series Spooks (2003–2004).
During this time she starred as Catherine in A View From A Bridge (2003) in a co-production of both the Birmingham Repertory Theatre and West Yorkshire Playhouse.
She left Spooks after feeling dissatisfied with how her character was developing.
2004
While in her second year of university she landed a starring role in The Rocket Post (2004), alongside Kevin McKidd, but the film would take five years after filming to release.
2005
After departing the series, she starred as Sarah Carter in the horror film The Descent (2005), the role for which she is best known.
She gained widespread recognition and praise for her performance, and was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Actress.
The film established Macdonald as a scream queen.
She gained further recognition and critical praise after starring as the lead role Sarah Carter in the horror film The Descent (2005).
The Descent opened in cinemas in the United Kingdom on 8 July 2005.
2006
The film's reception was largely positive from critics and the public alike, appeared on several top ten film lists in 2006, and was a box office success, grossing $57.1 million against a £3.5 million budget.
Macdonald's performance in particular was widely praised and she was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Actress and the Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Chick You Don't Wanna Mess With.
The film also established Macdonald as a modern scream queen.
It premiered in the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and released on 4 August 2006 in the United States.
In August 2006 Macdonald appeared in the play Realism at the National Theatre of Scotland.
2008
Macdonald has continued having starring roles in horror films, portraying Adelaide in Mutant Chronicles (2008), Kate in Howl (2015), Dana in Nails (2017), and Dr. Elle Chrysler in White Chamber (2018), for which she won the Scottish BAFTA Award for Best Actress.
2009
She reprised her role in its sequel The Descent Part 2 (2009).
2013
She is also known for her roles as Carole Robertson in the film Filth (2013), Agnes Muncie in the television series In Plain Sight (2016), a pilot in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), and as psychiatrist Dr. Wallace in the critically acclaimed miniseries The Cry (2018).
2014
Macdonald is the co-artistic director of Edinburgh Youth Theatre in Bellfield and has been since 2014.
She also teaches public speaking classes, which she teaches through her own company called If In Doubt Shout.
Shauna Macdonald was born in Malaysia while her father was working in the country.
At the age of three, she moved back to her family's native Edinburgh in Scotland.
As a child, Macdonald was very shy and had a lisp and went to speech therapy.
Her mother made her join a choir group that did musical theatre.
Her first role was when she was four years old, portraying a fairy in a church hall in Portobello.
She attended Towerbank Primary School in Portobello.
At the age of 12, Macdonald joined the Brunton Youth Theatre in Musselburgh and then the Paisley Youth Theatre in Paisley.
It was here that she met and became friends with fellow Scottish actor James McAvoy.
At 14, Macdonald landed the lead role in the theatre's production called Earth Crack where she starred alongside singer and actor David Sneddon and McAvoy.
After working as a cleaner for the brother of Ann Coulter, a Scottish talent agent, Coulter signed with Macdonald as her agent.
Macdonald attended Portobello High School where she participated in the school plays.
After graduating, she studied acting at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, and was two years below James McAvoy.
She later went on to co-star with McAvoy in a film and he is a patron of the Edinburgh Youth Theatre, which Macdonald runs.
2015
She is the voice of Professor Squawkencluck in the 2015 revival of the 80s animated television series Danger Mouse (2015–present).
