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Today's birthday, February 23: Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald (1976- )
Kelly Macdonald kicked off her acting career in Danny Boyle's cult classic Trainspotting.
Macdonald was born in Glasgow on February 26, 1976. Her parents divorced when she was young and Macdonald remains largely estranged from her father.
Although she watched movies constantly as a child, Macdonald never received acting training.
Despite this, she scored the role of Diane in Danny Boyle's independent classic Trainspotting (1996) after attending an open audition.
The film, which also starred a young Ewan McGregor, was a surprise hit and launched Macdonald's career.
She played a prostitute in Stella Does Tricks in 1996 before scoring a minor role in Elizabeth (1998), the film made famous by Cate Blanchett's acclaimed lead performance.
In the early 2000s Macdonald starred in a number of British films, including Some Voices (2000) alongside Daniel Craig. She also starred in the British TV series State of Play (2003).
Macdonald appeared in the films The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy (2005) and Nanny McPhee (2005), and earned an Emmy for her performance in The Girl In The Cafe (2005).
Her career got another boost when she scored a role in the Oscar-winning No Country For Old Men (2007).
Three years later she began a stint as the leading lady in HBO series Boardwalk Empire. She also played Helena Ravenclaw in the final Harry Potter film (2011).
In 2012 she voiced Pixar animation's first female lead character, Princess Merida, in Brave.
This year Macdonald will appear in the final season of Boardwalk Empire.
Macdonald married musician Dougie Payne in 2003. They have two children, Freddie and Theodore.
