Samantha Bond Biography
Samantha Jane Bond is an English actress known for her dynamic and versatile performances on stage, television, and film. Born on November 27, 1961, she was raised in London and was exposed to the world of acting at an early age.
Bond studied at the Godolphin and Latymer School, where she studied with her predecessor in the Miss Moneypenny role Caroline Bliss, and later honed her acting skills at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
She made her acting debut in 1983, appearing in the original stage production of Daisy Pulls It Off. She also made her television debut that year, playing Maria Rushworth in the BBC mini-series adaptation of Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, and Rumpole’s pupil in the fourth series of Rumpole of the Bailey.
Samantha Bond’s career took a major leap in 1995 when she was cast as Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond series, alongside Pierce Brosnan as Agent 007. She played the role of M’s secretary at MI6 in four Bond films: GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, and Die Another Day. She later reprised the role in an advertisement for the London 2012 Olympics, alongside former Bond actor Roger Moore.
In addition to her film work, Samantha Bond is well-known for her stage performances. She is a prominent member of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), and her work with the company began in 1987, when she performed in three productions: Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Hero and Leander, and Lorca’s Women. She went on to perform in numerous stage productions, including The Memory of Water, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Macbeth among many others. Bond also made her directorial debut in 2000 with a short touring production of The Memory of Water.
Samantha Bond’s work on television has also been widely praised. She appeared as Auntie Angela in the BBC’s semi-improvised comedy series Outnumbered from 2007 to 2014 and as Lady Rosamund Painswick in ITV’s period drama series Downton Abbey from 2010 to 2015. She has also lent her voice to audiobooks including including Mary Norton’s The Borrowers, Joanna Trollope’s An Unsuitable Match, and has received an Earphones Award for her narration of Anthony Horowitz’s Magpie Murders.
Outside of acting, Samantha Bond has been married to Alexander Hanson since 1989, and the couple has two children. She received an honorary doctorate from the University of Northampton in 2014, and continues to work in television, film and theatre.
A Full list of Samantha Bond’s Movie and Television Work
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