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.

Argentine-British actress, Anya Taylor-Joy, first gained international fame with her role in the period horror film, The Witch. She is trained in ballet dancing and began her career as a model when she was just 16. Her modelling career paved the way for acting and soon she was playing significant roles in TV series and films.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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 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.

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.