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To be deceived by actress Rosamund Pike's seemingly fragile beauty and theatrical background may indeed be a fatal mistake, especially if your name is James Bond. As the mysterious Miranda Frost, Pike proved a fierce fencing competitor to the screen's most beloved spy in her feature debut Die Another Day (2002). Though English television viewers may be familiar with Pike for her numerous small-screen roles during the millennial crossover, stateside filmgoers were blind-sided by her role as a Bond girl in the super-spy's 20th outing. Pike, born in London, England, in January 1979, is the child of professional opera singers. As a student studying English literature at Oxford, the bookish Pike began to discover her passion for theater and would subsequently appear in many of the school's plays. After refining her talents on-stage, the burgeoning actress would abandon her field of study upon graduation to appear in a series of BBC productions. Making her television debut in 1998 with A Rather English Marriage, Pike soon began accepting a steady stream of roles consisting mostly of period dramas before making the journey stateside as a prospective Bond girl. Though admittedly intimidated by appearing alongside such luminaries as Pierce Brosnan, Judi Dench, and Halle Berry in her mainstream debut, the confident actress seemed well fit for her role in one of the longest-running celluloid franchises in cinematic history. Though Pike raised a few eyebrows by remaining relatively silent during the press conference for Die Another Day, the actress' decision to let her well-known co-stars do most of the talking indicated that she is a smart actress who chooses her words, as well as her roles, with careful consideration. In the coming years, Pike would maintain a steady presence on screen, appearing in everything from Pride & Prejudice to Doom, from An Education to Surrogates. She would also find particular success in Wrath of the Titans. However, she had her true breakthrough with American audiences in 2014 when she was given the plum role of Amy Dunne in David Fincher's adaptation of the best-selling novel Gone Girl. The movie was a hit at the box office, and Pike earned a number of year-end accolades including an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.