From very early on in her life, the British actress Rosamund Pike was immersed in the art of performance. Both of her parents were involved in the arts; her mother was an Opera singer, and her father was a professor of music and operatic studies at the acclaimed Birmingham Conservatory. Due to this, Pike's performance-based career seems as though it was destined to be. The actress made her film debut in the 2002 James Bond film Die Another Day, where she played Bond girl Miranda Frost alongside Halle Berry, who played Jinx, and Pierce Brosnan, who starred as James Bond himself. This role was a huge stepping stone in Pike’s career that led her to create some of the iconic work she’s done since.
Update September 20, 2023: Fans of Rosamund Pike will be happy to know this list has recently been updated by Robin Reynolds with additional entries and information regarding her best performances.
One of her most acclaimed and fan-favorite roles is that of Amy Dunne in David Fincher’s 2014 thriller/mystery Gone Girl. Produced by Reese Witherspoon, Gone Girl gave Pike the chance to prove to the world that she does creepy well and has the capability to completely captivate and manipulate an audience with her subtle and terrifying portrayal. The role earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. The amount of great work Pike has put out over the course of her career is immense. Most recently, Pike appeared in Amazon's high-fantasy series The Wheel of Time as the all-powerful Moiraine. Here are Rosamund Pike's best performances, ranked.
12 Die Another Day
James Bond is one of the most iconic characters in all of cinema and Pierce Brosnan's portrayal of 007 is legendary. In 2002, Die Another Day, the final movie Brosnan would star in as James Bond, was released. In addition to the film's lead, Halle Berry and Rosamund Pike give great performances as Jinx and Miranda Frost, respectively. This role was a huge milestone in Pike's career, as it was the first feature film the British actress ever appeared in at the age of 21. During the audition for the film, Pike stood her ground and decided not to drop her dress despite the fact that the scene originally called for it — and still managed to land the role.
11 Radioactive
One of Pike's more recent roles is that of Marie Curie in the 2019 drama/romance Radioactive. Directed by Marjane Satrapi and adapted from Lauren Redniss's 2010 novel, this film follows the true story of Marie Curie, the death of her husband, her research partner, and her devotion to science. In addition to Pike, Sam Riley, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Aneurin Barnard star in the film. What keeps the audience engaged throughout the course of the movie is how severe the information Marie Curie discovers is. Her innovations in science could either help or kill a countless number of people.
10 A Private War
Another very recent work from Rosamund Pike is A Private War. The 2018 drama directed by Matthew Heineman shows the actress as a strong successful woman, Marie Colvin, who's best known for her achievements as a war correspondent. Her fierce nature and desire to help others are constantly leading Marie into dangerous situations. Pike, Stanley Tucci, Jamie Dornan, and Tom Hollander all give great performances, but what makes the film so impressive is the fact that it's based on the true story of Marie Colvin, who was killed in Syria while covering the siege of Homs. Pike was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2019 for her portrayal.
9 The World's End
A strange mash-up of science fiction, satire, and comedy, The World's End, stars Simon Pegg as Gary, a 40-year-old alcoholic who decides to invite his friends from childhood on a massive pub crawl when they all return to their hometown for a visit. Pike portrays the sister, Pam, of one of the friend's named Oliver who embarks on this mission to get drunk. Throughout the film, the friends eventually notice something is very wrong in their small town –all the people have been replaced with robots from space. Rosamund Pike does a wonderful job of portraying the hilarious role given to her within the film, showcasing her acting range.
8 An Education
The 2009 coming-of-age drama An Education tells the story of Jenny Mellor (Carey Mulligan), a 16-year-old girl with a bright personality who hopes to attend the prestigious Oxford. Rosamund Pike portrays Helen an accomplice in a ruse to con people out of everything they have. Alongside her partner Danny, they meet Jenny after her orchestra practice and invite her along to a concert.
Danny eventually cons Jenny into becoming his fiancé, even though he is already married to Helen, and losing her virginity before leaving her high and dry. The film, which is based on the memoir by British journalist Lynn Barber, is a cautionary tale of why younger women shouldn't be so trusting of adults who come into their lives.
7 Beirut
Set in Lebanon, the spy thriller Beirut, sparked a bit of controversy upon release of its trailer for the way it portrayed Arabic and Muslim people. Actor Jon Hamm plays an American diplomat and alcoholic whose wife and fostered child, Karim, were captured ten years prior. Rosamund Pike plays the CIA agent who recruits the diplomat to help retrieve a kidnapped agent who was taken by a now adult Karim after he learned his brother was a part of the 1972 Munich massacre. Pike does a wonderful job of portraying the savvy street-smart CIA agent and keeps up with the legendary Hamm with ease, making Beirut one of her better performances.
6 Made in Dagenham
Sally Hawkins stars as the fictional Rita O’Grady in Made in Dagenham, which details the female workers responsible for sewing the seat covers for cars and their walkout after sexual discrimination a lack of equal pay, which became known as the Ford sewing machinist strike of 1968. The film is directed by British filmmaker Nicol Cole, known for his work on Calendar Girls.
Rosamund Pike portrays an uptight Cambridge graduate wife of one of the Ford bosses. Her role is mostly based on vanity and is meant to showcase the difference in status between the female workers and the wife of one of the leaders of the company. Pike does an amazing job of bringing this characterization to life and showing her talent as an actress.
5 I Care a Lot
The Netflix thriller/comedy I Care a Lot was released in February 2021 and received great reviews, earning a 78% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. Although the dramas and period pieces we often see Pike in are brilliant, it's refreshing to see her in a much more light-hearted role like this. It further proves her strength and versatility as an actress. Eiza González, Peter Dinklage, Dianne Wiest, Chris Messina, and Alicia Witt are amongst the talented cast that brought I Care a Lot to life.
4 Hostiles
This film is filled with such a talented and impressive cast: Rosamund Pike, Christian Bale, Wes Studi, Ben Foster, Jesse Plemons, and Adam Beach — at least half of the cast is an Oscar-nominated actor. Hostiles, directed by Scott Cooper, is an intense and dramatic movie that follows an army captain who is fulfilling a mission to return a dying Cheyenne War Chief to his tribal land and runs into obstacles along the way that make the harsh conditions he is entering even more treacherous.
3 Fracture
Another great film starring Rosamund Pike with an extremely high-profile cast is the 2007 crime/thriller Fracture. Anthony Hopkins, Pike, Ryan Gosling, Elizabeth Davidtz, David Strathairn, and Billy Burke star in the film directed by Gregory Hoblit. Gosling's character is an accomplished lawyer who finds himself in a courtroom with Hopkins' character, who is being tried for the attempted murder of his wife. Psychological thrillers are always interesting, and this one is a must-watch.
2 Pride & Prejudice
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The film Pride & Prejudice, adapted from the classic 1813 Jane Austen novel, is one of the most iconic and beloved movies to come out of the 2000s. Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Rosamund Pike, Simon Woods, and Carey Mulligan star in the film, which is centered around the relationship between Knightley's character, Elizabeth Bennet, and Macfayden's character Mr. Darcy. Pride & Prejudice was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Actress, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, and Best Costume Design.
1 Gone Girl
Coming in at number one on our list of Rosamund Pike's best performances is her portrayal of Amy Dunne in David Fincher's Gone Girl. This thriller/mystery starring Rosamund Pike and Ben Affleck is a fan favorite, and Pike's performance is beyond brilliant. She plays one of the most convincing, scary, and evil characters we've seen in a long time. The actress was so captivating the role earned her her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in 2015. The film as a whole was a huge success and one of director David Fincher's most beloved works.