Shimanskaya was born on 27 October 1955 in the town of Saratov (Soviet Union, at that time), on the banks of the Volga in Russia.

Her father is Mechislav Iosifovich Shimansky, a descendant of Polish aristocrats who owned a family property near Zhitomir (Ukraine).

[2] Mechislav Iosifovich Shimansky was imprisoned in the Saratov forced labor camp accused of being an "enemy of the regime" of the USSR because his mother was of German origin and descendants of Polish aristocrats.

[5] Shimanskaya's debut in the cinema took place in 1977 playing Lydia Nikolaevna in the film "When I become a giant" (Когда я стану великаном).

[9][10][11] As a drama and acting teacher, hundreds of well-known actors and actresses have passed through Shimanskaya's hands, which she has trained following the classical Russian methodology, among others, Aitor Luna, Galder Pérez, Guillermo Altair, Richard Sahagún, David Valdelvira, Sandra Tejero, Estela Celdrán, Xabi Ortuzar, Ane Pikaza, Yannick Vergara, Ander Barinaga-Rementeria, Koldo Olabarri, Ainhoa Artetxe, Julen Jiménez, Nahikari Rodríguez, Nerea Elizalde, Carmen Climent, Erika Rodríguez, Andrea Monrocle, Lorea Lyons, Ane Inés Landeta, Miren Galán, Eriz Cerezo, Ander Rovira... "I consider Marina Shimanskaya not only a wonderful acting teacher, an expert in the theory and practice of Stanislavsky's method, but a teacher of theatrical art in a broad sense.

"In the year 2022, Shimanskaya played the role of Naina Yeltsina, First Lady of Russia, in the acclaimed Bristish TV series The Crown (Netflix).

In 2023, Shimanskaya joined the cast of the series You Can't Wait (Ne dozhdyotes), playing the role of Raisa (Раиса), a comedy series set in a nursing home, produced by the Russian streaming platform Premier,[12] alongside Yevgeniya Simonova, Svetlana Nemolyaeva and Tamara Syomina among other cast members.