Famous Scottish Women

Mary, Queen of Scots was the ruler of Scotland till 24 July 1567. After an uprising against her, Mary sought protection from her first cousin, Queen Elizabeth I of England. However, the Queen perceived her as a threat and kept Mary in confinement for eighteen and a half years. Ultimately Mary was beheaded for plotting to assassinate the Queen.

Karen Gillan is one of the most popular and successful actresses from Scotland. She is best known for playing Nebula and Ruby Roundhouse in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films and Jumanji film series respectively. Also a filmmaker, she wrote and directed The Party's Just Beginning, apart from acting in the film. She is also a philanthropist.

Rose Leslie is a popular Scottish actress who gained international fame after portraying Ygritte in one of the most popular TV series of all time, Game of Thrones. Thanks to her popularity, she serves as an icon and inspiration to several aspiring Scottish actresses and models.

Kelly Macdonald is a Scottish actress known for playing Diane Coulston in the 1996 black comedy-drama film, Trainspotting. Kelly Macdonald received critical appreciation for portraying Gina in the made-for-television drama film, The Girl in the Café, for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award. Eastwood High School, where she studied, has a theatre and drama studio named in her honor.

Mary II of England was Queen of England, Ireland, and Scotland from 1689 to 1694. Although she co-reigned along with her husband William III of England, she also took major decisions by herself whenever William was abroad. Mary has been portrayed in films, such as Orlando and England, My England.

Known as Nikki Cross and Nikki A.S.H., Scottish wrestler Nicola Glencross had been a 3-time WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion. She is best known for her victory at the 2021 Money in the Bank Ladder Match. She has a master’s degree in history and is also a certified fitness trainer.

Nicola Sturgeon is a Scottish politician. Since 2014, Sturgeon has been serving as the leader of the Scottish National Party and first minister of Scotland. Being the first woman to serve in these positions, Nicola Sturgeon is seen as a major inspiration to women across Scotland.

Lauren Mayberry is a Scottish singer, songwriter, and musician. Mayberry, who possesses a soprano singing voice, is the lead vocalist of the popular Scottish synth-pop band Chvrches, where she also plays keyboards and drums. One-third of the band, Mayberry co-produces and co-writes the songs along with Martin Doherty and Iain Cook. A vocal feminist, Mayberry runs the feminist collective, TYCI.

Effie Gray was a Scottish painter. She was married to draughtsman and watercolorist, John Ruskin, before leaving him to marry John Everett Millais. This popular love triangle has been depicted in several plays and films, including the 1912 silent movie, The Love of John Ruskin. After marrying Millais, Effie Gray had a major influence on his works.

Elizabeth de Burgh was the wife of Robert the Bruce and the queen consort of Scotland. Born to an advisor of Edward I of England, she spent most of her childhood at the English court. After the Scots were defeated by the English at Methven, she spent her days under house arrest.

Lorraine Kelly is a Scottish journalist and TV presenter. She is also known for her charity work and has been a long-time supporter of the LGBT community. In the 2012 New Year Honours, Lorraine Kelly was appointed OBE for services to charity. In the 2020 Birthday Honours, she was promoted to CBE for services to journalism, broadcasting, and charity.

Kate Dickie is a Scottish actress known for playing important roles in television series like Tinsel Town and Game of Thrones. For her portrayal of Jackie in the 2006 thriller film Red Road, Dickie won a British Academy Scotland Award and a British Independent Film Award. She is also known for her association with the popular theatre company, Solar Bear.

Scottish actor Lindsay Duncan is known for her Tony- and Olivier Award-winning role in Private Lives. She came to be known as the star of many plays by playwright Harold Pinter. On TV, she has also played Barbara Douglas in G.B.H. and Servilia of the Junii in Rome.

Scottish singer Lena Zavaroni is an example of how harmful unregulated childhood stardom can be. At 10, she became the youngest singer with a Top 10 album on the UK Albums Chart. However, after a lifelong battle with anorexia nervosa and depression, she died at 34, following a psychosurgical operation.

Once described as “the voice of God,” Scottish singer Elizabeth Fraser gained fame as part of the dream pop band Cocteau Twins, known for its obscure lyrics and foreign words which were inserted in the songs because they sounded good. Sexually abused by her family members, she left home at 16

While she initially presented family and children’s shows, Gail Porter stunned everyone when a nude photo of her, which was part of an FHM campaign, was projected on the British Houses of Parliament. She was later diagnosed with alopecia and worked with charities to raise awareness about the condition.

Scottish actress Chloe Pirrie rose to fame with her role in the miniseries, The Game. Since then, she has appeared in several TV shows and films, playing versatile roles. She began acting in school and graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She won the Most Promising Newcomer at the British Independent Film Awards 2013.

Scottish MMA fighter and Muay Thai champion Joanne Calderwood now competes for the UFC Women's Flyweight division. She was placed sixth on the UFC women's flyweight rankings in January 2021 and second on the World Professional Muaythai Federation rankings. She has also fought in India's Super Fight League.

Scottish-born Marianna Palka is best known for her towering frame and her award-winning direction in the film Good Dick, which she also wrote and starred in. She has also gained fame with her critically acclaimed films TriBeCa Neds and Bitch. She inspired the Academy Award-shortlisted documentary The Lion's Mouth Opens.

Apart from being the mother of tennis players Andy and Jamie Murray, Judy Murray is also a celebrated tennis coach and had initially coached both her sons. A talented tennis player in her youth, she now owns a charity, too. She was also seen in the dance reality show Strictly Come Dancing.

Born in Scotland, Andrea McLean was raised in the Caribbean. She later established herself as an award-winning journalist and broadcaster, known for her 13-year stint on Loose Women. She is also the bestselling author of books such as This Girl Is on Fire and Confessions of a Good Girl.

TV star and author Gillian McKeith is known for her pseudo-scientific theories, her sex pills, and her diet plans. The host of shows such as Eat Yourself Sexy, McKeith was warned by the ASA to not call herself a “doctor” in her ads. She campaigned against the vaccine during the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the two pioneering female honorary members of the Royal Astronomical Society, Mary Somerville was a 19th-century polymath and science writer. Though she specialized in math and astronomy, she was also well-versed in botany and geology. The Connection of the Physical Sciences remains her most notable work.

WWE wrestler Kimberly Benson, better known by her multiple ring names, such as Piper Niven, Doudrop, and Viper, initially hid her passion for wrestling, afraid that her friends would judge her for liking a “manly” sport. She later won many titles and has been the ICW Women's Champion twice.

Scottish runner Laura Muir scripted history by becoming the first athlete to earn 2 golds at 2 consecutive events at any European Indoor Championship. Not known to many, she is also a trained vet. She also won a silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Surprisingly, her clean diet bars coffee.

Eilish McColgan is a British middle-distance athlete. She competes in the 3000 meters steeplechase and 5000 meters. She represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympic Games and the 2016 Olympic Games. She won the Great South Run in Portsmouth in 2018. She has a degree in mathematics and accountancy from the University of Dundee. 

Born in Scotland, Williamina Fleming moved to the U.S. with her husband, where she began working as a housekeeper for Harvard Observatory director Edward C. Pickering. Pickering secured her a job at the observatory, and Fleming went on to establish a classification and cataloguing system for stars.

Olympic silver medalist Liz McColgan had apparently started training at age 12. The former British track and field athlete secured her first major win representing the University of Alabama at the NCAA Indoor Mile Championship. She is also two-time Commonwealth winner, apart from being a one-time world champion.

Born to working-class parents in Scotland, Ali Smith grew up to earn a PhD from the University of Cambridge. While teaching at the University of Strathclyde, she developed chronic fatigue and took a break to write. Known for books such as Autumn, she often collaborates with her partner Sarah Wood.