Douglas Henshall stands at 5 feet 10 inches. Douglas Henshall attended Barrhead High School and trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London. In 2010, Douglas starred in a BBC1 drama called The Silence.

In 2013, Douglas Henshall starred as Detective Inspector Jimmy Pérez in the BBC drama Shetland. Henshall won the Bafta Scotland Best Television Actor award in 2016 for his work in the series and the show won the best television drama.

In 2019, Douglas Henshall appeared as antiquarian book dealer Adam Snow in Susan Hill’s Ghost Story – The Small Hand (Channel 5 TV).

Douglas Henshall made his television debut in the 1989 television series The Bill. In 1993, he appeared in Dennis Potter’s television adaptation of Lipstick on Your Collar.

Douglas Henshall also portrayed T. E. Lawrence in a recurring role in the American television series Young Indiana Jones (1992–1996).

Douglas Henshall starred in Dorian Gray (2009) as the doctor Alan Campbell. His other roles on television include Konstantin Levin in Anna Karenina (2000), and Dan in Loving You (2003).