A thin film magnetic head comprise an MR laminated body composed of a first and second MR magnetic layers, first and second shield layers, and a bias magnetic field application layer provided on an opposite side of an air bearing surface (ABS) of the MR laminated body in order to apply a bias magnetic field orthogonal relative to the ABS. The first shield layer comprises a first exchange couplingmagnetic field application layer, a first antimagnetic layer, a second exchange coupling magnetic field application layer, and a second antimagnetic layer. The first antimagnetic layer is provided incontact with the first exchange coupling magnetic field application layer on the rear face of the first exchange coupling magnetic field application layer and which is antimagnetically coupled with the first exchange coupling magnetic field application layer. The second shield layer has the same configuration as that of the first shield layer.