Sharman Macdonald at Aldeburgh with music by Deirdre Gribbin, and "Lu Lah, Lu Lah" (2010) commissioned for a young all-female cast and performed at the Cheltenham Ladies' College in Cheltenham. Macdonald is married to the actor Will Knightley. They have two children, Caleb and actress Keira Knightley. Sharman Macdonald Sharman Macdonald (born 8 February 1951) is a Scottish playwright, screenwriter, and actress. Macdonald was born in Glasgow, 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, from which she graduated in 1972. She credits fellow
Lindsay Duncan child. Duncan attended King Edward VI High School for Girls in Birmingham through a scholarship. Despite her origins, she speaks with a received pronunciation accent. As of 2011, her only role with a Scottish accent is "AfterLife" (2003). Duncan's father died in a car accident when she was 15. Her mother was affected by Alzheimer's disease and died in 1994; she inspired Sharman Macdonald to write the play "The Winter Guest" (1995), which was later adapted as a film by Alan Rickman. Duncan's first contact with theatre was through school productions. She became friends with the future playwright Kevin Elyot,