Donohoe first came to attention of the worldwide audience in 1986 when she was cast opposite Oliver Reed as Lucy Irvine in Nicolas Roeg's Castaway (where she appeared nude in some sequences of the movie). She followed this up with roles in two Ken Russell films The Lair of the White Worm, based on a Bram Stoker novel, and The Rainbow, based on a D.H. Lawrence novel. In 1981, Amanda appeared in the music video for the song, "Stand & Deliver" by Adam & the Ants.
In 1993 she ranked 16th in Celebrity Sleuths 25 Sexiest and in 1995 she ranked 16th in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women.
Amanda Donohoe won a Golden Globe for her role in LA Law and was nominated for an Outer Circle Critics Award for her Broadway debut in Uncle Vanya.