Kevin Macdonald
Biography
Kevin Macdonald is a Scottish film director born in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, on October 28, 1967. His notable films include the 1999 documentary One Day in September, which covers the 1972 murder of eleven Israeli athletes and won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. His other directorial works include the climbing documentary Touching the Void in 2003, the drama The Last King of Scotland in 2006, the political thriller State of Play in 2009, and the Bob Marley documentary Marley in 2012. He also directed the post-apocalyptic drama How I Live Now in 2013, the thriller Black Sea in 2014, the Whitney Houston documentary Whitney in 2018, and the legal drama film The Mauritanian in 2021.
Career overview
Kevin Macdonald is a Scottish film director born on October 28, 1967, in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom. Known for his work in directing, he has built a diverse filmography spanning both documentary and dramatic features. Among his early and notable works is the 1999 documentary One Day in September, which focuses on the 1972 murder of eleven Israeli athletes and won him the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
His subsequent directing credits include the 2003 climbing documentary Touching the Void, the 2006 drama The Last King of Scotland, and the 2009 political thriller State of Play. Macdonald continued directing across various genres with the Bob Marley documentary Marley in 2012, the post-apocalyptic drama How I Live Now in 2013, and the thriller Black Sea in 2014. Later in his career, he directed the Whitney Houston documentary Whitney in 2018 and the legal drama film The Mauritanian in 2021.
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Career timeline
Full Filmography
70 titles- The Runner (2026) Director
- One to One: John & Yoko (2025) Director
- One to One: John & Yoko (2025) Producer
- Humphrey Jennings: The Man Who Listened to Britain (2025) Director
- Four Kings (2024) Executive Producer
- High & Low – John Galliano (2024) Producer
- High & Low – John Galliano (2024) Director
- Klitschko: More Than a Fight (2024) Director
- Klitschko: More Than a Fight (2024) Executive Producer
- Rebellion (2023) Executive Producer
- Last Song from Kabul (2023) Director
- Adrift (2023) Executive Producer
- The Mauritanian (2021) Director
- Strangest Things (2021) Presenter
- The Rescue (2021) Executive Producer
- Pelé (2021) Executive Producer
- Kipchoge: The Last Milestone (2021) Executive Producer
- Bruno v Tyson (2021) Director
- Life in a Day 2020 (2021) Director
- 2020: The Story Of Us (2021) Director
- 2020: The Story Of Us (2021) Creator
- It Takes a Flood (2021) Director
- 2020: The Story Of Us (2021) Director
- Whitney (2018) Director
- Whitney (2018) Writer
- Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché (2018) as Self
- Whitney (2018) Creator
- Return to Podor (2018) Director
- Oasis (2017) Director
- Oasis (2017) Director
- Oasis (2017) Executive Producer
- Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang (2017) Director
- 11.22.63 (2016) Executive Producer
- 11.22.63 (2016) Director
- 11.22.63 (2016) Creator
- Black Sea (2014) as Himself
- Black Sea (2014) Director
- Black Sea (2014) Producer
- How I Live Now (2013) Director
- Christmas in a Day (2013) Director
- Marley (2012) Director
- The Eagle (2011) Director
- Life in a Day (2011) Director
- Senna (2010) Executive Producer
- State of Play (2009) Director
- Capturing Reality (2008) as Self
- British Film Forever (2007)
- My Enemy's Enemy (2007) as Narrator / Interviewer (uncredited)
- My Enemy's Enemy (2007) Director
- My Enemy's Enemy (2007) Writer
- My Enemy's Enemy (2007) Producer
- The Last King of Scotland (2006) Director
- Touching the Void: What Happened Next (2004) Director
- Touching the Void: Return to Siula Grande (2004) as Narrator
- Touching the Void: Return to Siula Grande (2004) Director
- Touching the Void (2003) Director
- Being Mick (2001) Director
- A Profile of 'The Red Shoes' (2000) as Self
- A Profile of 'The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp' (2000) as Self
- One Day in September (1999) Director
- A Brief History of Errol Morris (1999) Director
- Donald Cammell: The Ultimate Performance (1998) Director
- Howard Hawks: American Artist (1997) Director
- Chaplin's Goliath (1996) Writer
- Chaplin's Goliath (1996) Director
- Digging Your Own Grave (1995) Director
- The Making of an Englishman (1995) Director
- I Know Where I'm Going! Revisited (1994) as Self - Interviewee
- A Spy by Nature Director
- The Moving World of George Rickey Director
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Kevin Macdonald best known for?
Kevin Macdonald is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including The Runner (2026), The Mauritanian (2021), The Rescue (2021), 11.22.63 (2016).
When and where was Kevin Macdonald born?
Kevin Macdonald was born on October 28, 1967 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK.
How many credits does Kevin Macdonald have?
Kevin Macdonald has accumulated over 70 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1994 to 2026.
What is Kevin Macdonald's background in cinema and television?
Kevin Macdonald is a Scottish film director born in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, on October 28, 1967. His notable films include the 1999 documentary One Day in September, which covers the 1972 murder of eleven Israeli athletes and won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. His other directorial works inc...