Sharman Macdonald (born 8 February 1951) is a Scottish playwright, screenwriter, and actress.

Life and career

Macdonald was born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, the daughter of Janet Rewat (née Williams) and Joseph Henry Hosgood MacDonald. She has Scottish and Welsh ancestry. Macdonald was educated at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, from which she graduated in 1972. She credits fellow Scot

Ian Charleson Ian Charleson (11 August 1949 – 6 January 1990) was a Scottish stage and film actor. He is best known internationally for his starring role as Olympic athlete and missionary Eric Liddell in the Oscar-winning 1981 film '' Chariots of Fire''. ...

with supporting and encouraging her to follow her theatrical aspirations, and she later contributed a chapter to the 1990 book, ''For Ian Charleson: A Tribute''. Macdonald moved to London after university, and worked as an actress with the 7:84 Theatre Company and at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, Englan ...

. Although her acting career included 7 years of television work, she eventually left it, due in large part to stage fright. While working as an actress, Macdonald wrote her first play, ''When I Was a Girl, I Used to Scream and Shout''; it was first performed at the

Bush Theatre The Bush Theatre is located in the Passmore Edwards Public Library, Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 as a showcase for the work of new writers. The Bush Theatre strives to create a spa ...

in 1984, and won her the

Evening Standard Award The ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Awards, established in 1955, are the oldest theatrical awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. They are presented annually for outstanding achievements in London Theatre, and are organised by the ''Evening Standa ...

for most promising playwright. Some of the themes in ''Scream and Shout'' were inspired by games that her son Caleb played with his friends. Of this, Macdonald has said that "it's the result of a bet, this writing life. I was desperate for a second child. Desperate never to act again. Most of all desperate to stop eating lentils, French bread and tomatoes. We were broke, Will and me. We had one child. My hormones were screaming at me to have another. So. Will bet me a child for the sale of a script". Actor

Alan Rickman Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an English actor and director. Known for his deep, languid voice, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and became a member of the Royal Shakespe ...

, then a reader, found it in the unsolicited script pile and told the Bush they should put it on. I Macdonald's other work includes ''The Brave'', commissioned by the

; ''When We Were Women'', first performed at the

Cottesloe Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. In ...

; ''All Things Nice'', commissioned by the

English Stage Company The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England ...

and first performed at the

in 1991; ''

The Winter Guest ''The Winter Guest'' is a 1997 drama film directed by Alan Rickman and starring Phyllida Law and Emma Thompson. Plot Set in Scotland on one wintry day, the film focuses on eight people; a mother and daughter, Elspeth (Phyllida Law) and Fran ...

'', which was made into a film, in 1997, directed by

; ''The Girl With Red Hair'' (2005), which had its first reading in August 2003; and ''Windfall'' a film adaptation of Penny Vincenzi's best-selling novel ''PiVotal Pictures''. She has written two plays for the National Theatre's Shell Connections programme; ''

After Juliet ''After Juliet'' is a play written by Scottish playwright Sharman Macdonald. It was commissioned for the 2000 Connections programme, in which regional youth theatre groups compete to stage short plays by established playwrights. The basic premis ...

'' (in which Macdonald's daughter Keira starred as a young girl), and 2006's ''Broken Hallelujah''. Macdonald's resume also includes the novels ''The Beast'' (1986) and ''Night Night'' (1988), the

radio plays Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine t ...

(for the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

) such as ''Sea Urchins'' and ''Gladly My Cross Eyed Bear'' (1999), the

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

to ''Hey Persephone!'', performed at

Aldeburgh Aldeburgh ( ) is a coastal town in the English county, county of Suffolk, England. Located to the north of the River Alde. Its estimated population was 2,276 in 2019. It was home to the composer Benjamin Britten and remains the centre of the int ...

with music by

Deirdre Gribbin Deirdre Gribbin (born 14 May 1967) is a composer from Northern Ireland. Career Gribbin was born in Belfast. She studied at Queen's University Belfast where, at the age of twenty, she began to compose. Further studies were in London (at the Guildh ...

, and ''Lu Lah, Lu Lah'' (2010) commissioned for a young all-female cast and performed at the

Cheltenham Ladies' College Cheltenham Ladies' College is an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Consistently ranked as one of the top all-girls' schools nationally, the school was established in 1853 to pr ...

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

Personal life

Macdonald is married to the actor

Will Knightley Will Knightley (born 23 April 1946) is an English television and stage actor. He has primarily worked on the stage, and is a founding member of London's Half Moon Theatre. In addition to acting, he has performed voice-over work. He has had TV ...

. They have two children, composer

Caleb Knightley Caleb (), sometimes transliterated as Kaleb ( he, כָּלֵב, ''Kalev'', ; Tiberian vocalization: Kālēḇ; Hebrew Academy: Kalev), is a figure who appears in the Hebrew Bible as a representative of the Tribe of Judah during the Israelites' ...

and two-time

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-nominated actress

Keira Knightley Keira Christina Righton (; née Knightley, born 26 March 1985) is an English actress. Known for her work in both independent films and blockbusters, particularly period dramas, she has received several accolades, including nominations for ...

Selected writings

*''When I Was a Girl, I Used to Scream and Shout'' (1984, stage play) *''The Beast'' (1986, gently surreal novel about a family picnic at Kenwood in Hampstead) Collins, *''The Brave'' (1988, stage play) *''When We Were Women'' (stage play) *''Night Night'' (1988, novel about a 1980s family in emotional freefall) Collins, *'' Soft Fall the Sounds of Eden'' (2004, radio play) * ''

The Edge of Love ''The Edge of Love'' is a 2008 British biographical romantic drama film directed by John Maybury and starring Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller, Cillian Murphy and Matthew Rhys. The script was written by Knightley's mother, Sharman Macdonald. Origi ...

'' (2008, film)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, Sharman 1951 births Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Living people Writers from Glasgow Scottish screenwriters Scottish women dramatists and playwrights British women screenwriters Scottish people of Welsh descent 21st-century Scottish women writers 21st-century Scottish dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Scottish writers 20th-century Scottish dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Scottish women writers 20th-century Scottish actresses Actresses from Glasgow 20th-century Scottish novelists 21st-century Scottish novelists Scottish librettists Scottish radio writers Women librettists Women radio writers Scottish women novelists