Early Life
Pike was born in Hammersmith, London, the only child of concert musicians/opera singers Caroline (née Friend) and Julian Pike. Her father is now a professor at the Birmingham Conservatoire. The family travelled across Europe until she was seven, following wherever her parents' performing career took them; as a result, she speaks fluent French and German. Pike won a scholarship to Badminton School, and while appearing in a production of Romeo and Juliet at the National Youth Theatre, was noticed by an agent who helped her embark upon a professional career.
After being turned down by every stage school she applied to, she gained a place to read English Literature at Wadham College, Oxford. She graduated with a 2:1 degree. While there, she studied under both Bernard O'Donoghue, the Whitbread prize-winning poet, and Robert J. C. Young, the eminent post-colonial theorist. She starred opposite Simon Woods in Pride and Prejudice. After taking a year off to pursue her acting career, garnering stage experience in David Hare's Skylight, Arthur Miller's All My Sons, and several plays by Shakespeare; she achieved an Upper Second class degree in 2001.
Read more about this topic: Rosamund Pike
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