Douglas Henshall is married to Tena Štivičić, a Croatian playwright and screenwriter. They got married in Las Vegas in February 2010 and have a daughter named Anja Grace.

In autumn 2012, he appeared as Oliver Cromwell in the premiere of the new play 55 Days. In 2015, Henshall starred as Taran MacQuarrie in the TV series Outlander.

In 2012, Douglas Henshall starred as Augustus Cribben in The Secret of Crickley Hall, and the ITV television film of Ian Rankin’s novel Doors Open.

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 the 2000s, Douglas Henshall appeared in the films Lawless Heart (2001), Gentlemen’s Relish (2001), and Silent Cry (2002).