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 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'.
My best friend is my husband.
Not a lot of people know this, but I'm very good at mathematics. When I was an angry teenager, I used to sit in my room and do quadratic equations to calm myself down.
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.
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.
The big thing that Moneypenny changed was the amount of charity work that I was able to be involved with.
I think that as you get older, you become aware of everything that could go wrong.
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'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.
I managed to slip two children out in the middle of my career and have been lucky with all the work.
I think one of the most important things I can give my children is the right to be themselves.