Rosamund Pike Biography




Rosamund Pike
extracted from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, distributed under the GNU Free Documentation License

Rosamund Pike

Pike at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival
Born 27 January 1979 (1979-01-27) (age 30)
London, England, UK
Years active 1998–

Rosamund Pike (born 27 January 1979) is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for her portrayals of Bond villainess Miranda Frost in Die Another Day and Jane Bennet in Pride and Prejudice.

Contents

Early life

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Pike was born in London, England, the only child of concert musicians Caroline and Julian Pike.1 She attended Badminton School in Bristol before studying English Literature at Wadham College, Oxford. While there, she studied under both Bernard O'Donoghue, the Whitbread prize-winning poet, and Robert J.C. Young, the eminent post-colonial theorist. An able student, she achieved a First Class in her first year examinations (known as Moderations) and, after taking a year off to pursue her career, returned to complete her degree in 2001, gaining an Upper Second.

She garnered stage experience in student productions, including David Hare's Skylight, Arthur Miller's All My Sons, and several plays by Shakespeare. While appearing in a production of Romeo and Juliet at the National Youth Theatre, she was noticed by an agent who helped her embark upon a professional career.

Career

Pike's British television roles appearances include A Rather English Marriage (1998), Wives and Daughters (1999), and Love in a Cold Climate (2001), a mini-series based on the Nancy Mitford novels The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate. She appeared as "Sarah Beaumont" in an episode of the series Foyle's War.

Pike became known to a wider audience in Die Another Day as a rogue MI6 agent originally assigned to aid James Bond. During the film's release she appeared in the special show Bond Girls Are Forever and, shortly thereafter, the BAFTA tribute to the James Bond series.

Pike played Elizabeth Malet in The Libertine (2005) co-starring Johnny Depp, which won her the Best Supporting Actress award at the British Independent Film Awards. In the same year, she portrayed Rose in The Promised Land (a film about Israel), as well as starring as scientist Samantha Grimm in the cinematic adaptation of the computer game Doom. And she appeared as Jane, the elder sister of Elizabeth (played by Keira Knightley), in Pride & Prejudice.

Pike has a role in the film adaptation of Anne Michaels' novel Fugitive Pieces, and also starred as a successful attorney in the movie Fracture, opposite Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling. It was her first experience shooting a movie in Los Angeles.2

Her stage credits include Hitchcock Blonde by Terry Johnson (in a role requiring her to appear completely nude on stage with only a pair of high heels)3 and Tennessee Williams' Summer and Smoke, both in London's West End, and Gaslight at London's Old Vic Theatre. Pike has said that she would be happy to do at least one play every year.4 In 2009, she played the title character in Madame De Sade during the Donmar's West End season.5

Pike is recording voicework for a lead role in the forthcoming film Jackboots on Whitehall

She appears in the forthcoming British film We Want Sex. In 2010 she stars in a production of Hedda Gabler on UK tour.6

Personal life

She is a skilled cellist and speaks fluent German and French. She currently lives in the West End, London. While at Oxford she was in a relationship with Simon Woods, who coincidentally portrayed the romantic interest of her character Jane Bennet in 2005's Pride and Prejudice. She was engaged in 2007 to said film's director Joe Wright, but they called off the wedding they had been planning to hold in 2008.7

Filmography

Year Film Role Director Notes
1998 A Rather English Marriage Celia Paul Seed (TV)
1999 Wives and Daughters Lady Harriet Cumnor Nicholas Renton (miniseries)
2000 Trial & Retribution IV Lucy Michael Whyte (TV)
2001 Love in a Cold Climate Fanny Tom Hooper (miniseries)
2002 Foyle's War: “The German Woman” Sarah Beaumont Jeremy Silberston (TV episode)
Die Another Day Miranda Frost Lee Tamahori
Bond Girls Are Forever Herself (TV documentary)
Hitchcock Blonde The Blonde (play)
2004 Promised Land Rose Amos Gitai
The Libertine Elizabeth Malet Laurence Dunmore
2005 Pride & Prejudice Jane Bennet Joe Wright
Doom Samantha Grimm Andrzej Bartkowiak
2006 Summer and Smoke Alma Winemiller (play)
2007 Fracture Nikki Gardner Gregory Hoblit
Fugitive Pieces Alex Jeremy Podeswa
2009 An Education Helen Lone Scherfig
Devil You Know Zoe Hughes James Oakley
Surrogates Maggie Greer Jonathan Mostow
Burning Palms Dedra Davenport Christopher B. Landon
2010 Barney's Version Miriam Richard J. Lewis
Jackboots on Whitehall Daisy Edward McHenry (voice)

References

  1. ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/4987005/Rosamund-Pike-interview.html
  2. ^ Lee, Michael J., A Radio Free Entertainment Exclusive Interview, http://movies.radiofree.com/interviews/fracture_rosamund_pike.shtml, retrieved 2007-04-01 
  3. ^ Mail on Sunday, 18 October 2009
  4. ^ Bamigboye, Baz (13 September 2007). "Rosamund Pike: A theatre girl at heart". Daily Mail. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/columnists/article-481665/Rosamund-Pike-A-theatre-girl-heart.html. Retrieved 2009-05-26. 
  5. ^ Jury, Louise (19 August 2008). "The man with the Midas touch". Evening Standard. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/theatre/article-23541568-details/The+man+with+the+Midas+touch/article.do. Retrieved 2009-05-26. 
  6. ^ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1212702/BAZ-BAMIGBOYE-With-little-luck-Keira-Knightly-sharpened-My-Fair-Lady.html
  7. ^ Bamigboye, Baz (7 September 2007). "Rosamund Pike gets a ring from Mr Wright". Daily Mail. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/bazbamigboye.html?in_article_id=478895&in_page_id=1794. Retrieved 2009-05-26. 

External links