Shawkat was born in Daraa, Syria, to a family of Turkish origin.
[2][3] She gained her first film role in Egypt where she acted alongside Omar Sharif and Samia Gamal in the 1959 film Mao'ed Maa' Al Majhoul ("Date With The Unknown").
Shawkat also starred alongside other renowned Egyptian actors such as Salah Zulfikar, Mahmoud Yacine and Nadia Lutfi, such as her role with Salah Zulfikar in the 1973 film Zekra Lailat Hubb ("Memory of a Night of Love").
Upon returning to Syrian, she worked with a number of Syrian directors and participated in several plays, including the famous play Cheers Nation alongside Duraid Lahham.
In her later career she starred in numerous soap operas and radio programs.