Samantha Bond
Samantha Bond
Samantha Bondis an English actress, best known for her role as Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond films during the Pierce Brosnan years. She is also known for her role as meddlesome wealthy Lady Rosamund Painswick in Downton Abbey, spanning from 2010–15, who appeared in a number of episodes including the final episode of the final series. Bond has also grown prominent from her role as the unreliable Auntie Angela in the BBC comedy Outnumbered, Bond appeared in the whole...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionMovie Actress
Date of Birth27 November 1961
I get so nervous before I go on stage that I can never eat very much, so I'm always completely starving afterwards and dying for a bowl of pasta.
I've always had this sneaking suspicion that I get a kick out of the insecurity.
It's one of the oldest theatrical adages: never work with children or animals.
The big thing that Moneypenny changed was the amount of charity work that I was able to be involved with.
I'm very shocked when I look at television and I see such an aggressive youth and image obsession in the representation of women on our screens.
Agatha Christie holds special personal memories for me because my mum, a television producer called Pat Sandys, had been the first person to persaude the Agatha Christie estate to put one of her stories on T.V.
If I pop off and do something drastic, everyone's going to realise because they know I'm 50. Anyway, middle-aged women are sensational.
My nickname is Bondy. But not because of the Bond films - it was my surname a long time before I did those.
As a child, I always remember our home, which was a flat just on the Barnes side of Hammersmith Bridge in London, buzzing with actors such as Patrick McGee and Peter Bowles. We were a family who were always on the go.
I grew up without the rose-tinted look at the profession many of my friends had, but I've been very lucky playing major roles in 'An Ideal Husband', 'Arcadia' and 'The Memory of Water'.
When I got on stage, I would have a rush of adrenaline; everybody gets it. Normally after the first night it becomes more controllable, and as long as I could ride the wave, I was still in charge.
Sometimes I'll work through the crossword sections of three separate papers.
Filming is quite exciting because every day is different, but it can involve long hours standing around in chilly locations. Theatre is a very different challenge because every night you're striving to keep it fresh, even though you might have been performing the same play for months.
The bravest thing I've ever done is fly to New York. I'm simply terrified of aeroplanes - I am the woman you see weeping at the airport.