Cast
Daniel Craig …… James Bond 007
Eva Green …… Vesper Lynd
Mads Mikkelsen …… Le Chiffre
Caterina Murino …… Solange
Judi Dench …… ‘M’
Jeffrey Wright …… Felix Leiter
Giancarlo Giannini …… Rene Mathis
Simon Abkarian …… Dimitrios
Ivana Milicevic …… Valenka
Isaach De Bankole …… Obanno
Jesper Christensen …… Mr. White
Claudio Santamaria …… Carlos
Tobias Menzies …… Villiers
Clemens Schick …… Kratt
Emmanuel Avena …… Leo
Sebastien Foucan …… Mollaka
Ludger Pistor …… Mendel
Joseph Millson …… Carter
Malcolm Sinclair …… Dryden
Daud Shah …… Fisher
Urbano Barberini …… Tomelli
Charlie Levi Leroy …… Gallardo
Tom So …… Fukuto
ADE …… Infante
Lazar Ristovski …… Kaminofski
Tsai Chin …… Madame Wu
Veruschka …… Grafin Manstein (Heiress)
Daniel Andreas …… Dealer (Salon Privee)
Carlos Leal …… Tournament Director
Con O’Neill …… John Bliss
Jurgen Tarrach …… Schultz
Christina Cole …… Club Receptionist

About The Cast

DANIEL CRAIG – JAMES BOND

Daniel Craig makes his first appearance as 007 agent James Bond of British Secret Service MI6 in CASINO ROYALE, the 21st film in the series, produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli and directed by Martin Campbell.

Craig was born in Chester, England, and brought up in Liverpool, leaving there to join the National Youth Theatre in London at the age of 17. He continued his training at the prestigious London Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating in 1991.

He made his film debut in 1992 in the South African boxing drama The Power of One, but came to the attention of critics and casting directors in the much lauded 1996 television drama serial “Our Friends in the North,” playing the role of Geordie Peacock. In 1998, Craig played the role of George Dyer, painter Francis Bacon’s working-class boyfriend, in John Maybury’s powerful biopic Love is the Devil. In 2000, he was recognized as one of European Films’ “Shooting Stars.” This was followed by roles in the Hollywood blockbuster Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, in which he played Lara Croft’s boyfriend; the ensemble black comedy Hotel Splendide; and The Trench, written and directed by acclaimed author William Boyd.

In 2002, Craig starred in Sam Mendes’ film, Road to Perdition, receiving critical acclaim for his portrayal of Connor Rooney, the troubled son of crime boss John Rooney, played by Paul Newman. The following year he starred in The Mother, a powerful drama directed by Roger Michell in which he played a young man who has an affair with a 60-year-old woman. This was followed by the role of Ted Hughes, starring opposite Gwyneth Paltrow, in Sylvia, the story of poets Hughes and Sylvia Plath.

In 2004, Craig took leading roles in Enduring Love directed by Roger Michell and adapted from Ian McEwan’s novel, and Layer Cake, Matthew Vaughn’s successful directorial debut about the contemporary criminal drug scene.

A role in John Maybury’s thriller The Jacket, starring alongside Adrien Brody and Keira Knightley, was followed by the lead in the television adaptation of Robert Harris’ bestselling novel “Archangel” and a leading role in Steven Spielberg’s Oscar®-nominated Munich. Craig played a South African mercenary, part of a team hand-picked by the Mossad to eliminate the terrorists whose attack at the 1972 Olympic Village resulted in the death of 11 Israeli athletes.

Recent film work includes Infamous, in which he played Perry Smith, opposite Toby Jones as Truman Capote (writer of the best-selling novel In Cold Blood based on the murders committed by Smith and Dick Hickock) and The Visiting, a horror thriller directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, in which Craig stars opposite Nicole Kidman.

In addition to his film work, Craig is acknowledged as a highly accomplished stage actor. His credits include leading roles in “Hurlyburly” with the Peter Hall Company at the Old Vic and “Angels in America” at the National Theatre. In 2002 he was nominated for a London Evening Standard Award for Best Actor for his performance in “A Number,” in which he played three roles and appeared opposite Michael Gambon.

EVA GREEN – VESPER LYND

French actress Eva Green is Vesper Lynd, sent by the Treasury to supervise James Bond’s access to the millions of dollars that are his stake in the poker game with Le Chiffre.

Described by Oscar®-winning director Bernardo Bertolucci as “so beautiful it’s indecent,” Green made her film debut in Bertolucci’s critically acclaimed The Dreamers, a triangular love story set against the Paris riots of 1968, starring opposite Michael Pitt and Louis Garrel.

Born in Paris, Green studied at the St. Paul Drama School. This was followed by a course at the London Weber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.

She began her acting career on stage, appearing in 2001 in two plays: “Turceret” directed by Gerard Descartes and “Jalousie En Trois Fax” directed by Didier Long. The latter was highly acclaimed and earned her a nomination for Les Molieres, France’s most prestigious theatre award, in the category of Best Female Newcomer.

In 2003, she starred alongside Kristin Scott Thomas and Romain Duris in Jean-Paul Salome’s French-language film Arsène Lupin and, in 2005, she made her Hollywood film debut as the female lead in Ridley’s Scott’s crusade epic Kingdom of Heaven with Orlando Bloom and Liam Neeson.

MADS MIKKELSEN - LE CHIFFRE

Mads Mikkelsen is Le Chiffre, “the Cipher,” international banker and money launderer to terrorist organizations, and James Bond’s opponent in the most important game of poker either of them will ever play.

The Copenhagen-born actor is the top male star in his native Denmark and is acclaimed throughout Scandinavia. As a child he trained as a gymnast, and then became a professional dancer before studying drama at the Arhus Theatre School. In Denmark, he became famous overnight as the star of the police series “Unit 1,” which won an International Emmy as Best Drama Series.

Among his many and varied film roles, he is best known for his starring role in Susanne Bier’s Open Hearts, for which he won a Zulu Award and was nominated for Best Actor for the Danish Academy’s Robert Award and the Danish Film Critics’ Bodil Award in 2003. Other leading roles include I Am Dina opposite Gerard Depardieu, Shake it All About directed by Hella Joof, Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself directed by Lone Scherfig and two comedies, Flickering Lights and The Green Butchers, both directed by Anders Thomas Jensen. The latter garnered Mikkelsen a nomination for Robert and Bodil Awards as Best Actor in 2005.

Mikkelsen made his Hollywood debut opposite Clive Owen and Keira Knightley in King Arthur directed by Antoine Fuqua. He played Tristan, the understated hawk-loving knight of the Round Table.

In Adam’s Apples, again directed by Anders Thomas Jensen, Mikkelsen starred as a delusional priest, a performance that won him a Best Actor Zulu Award. The film was the Danish selection as Best Foreign Film at the 2006 Academy Awards® and premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. Mikkelsen recently starred in Susann Bier’s new film After the Wedding and will next be seen in the Swedish thriller Exit directed by Peter Lindmark.

JUDI DENCH - M

Judi Dench is M, Bond’s boss and the Head of MI6, the British Secret Service. Dench reprises her role as M for the fifth time in CASINO ROYALE, having appeared in GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day. In a career spanning more than 40 years on stage, screen and television, Dench has won numerous awards, beginning with the BAFTA Most Promising Newcomer (1965) and, more recently, the Academy Award® for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Queen Elizabeth in Shakespeare in Love (1998). In addition, she has received Academy Award® nominations for Mrs. Brown (1997), Chocolat (2000) and Iris (2001). In 2005, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award® for her performance in the title role of Mrs. Henderson Presents. She has been nominated for no less than 12 BAFTA Awards, winning nine, and has more than 50 nominations and wins for other awards in the U.S. and U.K. for her work on screen.

Her recent stage performances include “Amy’s View” in London and on Broadway, “All’s Well That Ends Well” for The Royal Shakespeare Company and, most recently, Noel Coward’s “Hay Fever” in the West End directed by Peter Hall.

Other recent film credits include Tea with Mussolini, The Importance of Being Earnest and Pride and Prejudice. She recently appeared alongside Dame Maggie Smith in Charles Dance’s well-received directorial debut, Ladies in Lavender, and in the title role of Stephen Frears’ Mrs. Henderson Presents, starring alongside Bob Hoskins, Will Young and Kelly Reilly. She will next be seen in Notes on a Scandal with Cate Blanchett, which was directed by Richard Eyre.

In 1970 Judi Dench was awarded the Order of the British Empire, and in 1988 she became a Dame of the British Empire. In the 2005 Queen’s Birthday Honors, Judi was made a Companion of Honor. She was recently awarded the prestigious BAFTA Fellowship, the British entertainment industry’s highest accolade.

JEFFREY WRIGHT – FELIX LEITER

Jeffrey Wright plays Felix Leiter, a CIA agent who offers to help Bond buy back into the game.

Wright won international acclaim for his haunting performance in the title role of Basquiat, Julian Schnabel’s film about the unknown street artist who took the New York art world by storm but ultimately paid the price of fame with his life.

In 1994, he won the Tony Award for his performance in the stage version of “Angels in America: Perestroika” and, in 2003, won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his supporting role in the TV miniseries of “Angels in America.”

For his performance as Martin Luther King in the television biopic “Boycott,” he won the American Film Institute Actor of the Year Award, and on stage he recently received a Tony Award nomination in the critically acclaimed “Top Dog, Underdog.”

Recent films include the Academy Award® winner Syriana directed by Stephen Gaghan, Jim Jarmusch’s Broken Flowers and Jonathan Demme’s The Manchurian Candidate. Earlier this year he starred in M. Night Shyamalan’s Lady in the Water and will next be seen in The Visiting for director Oliver Hirschbiegel, in which he stars opposite Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig.

GIANCARLO GIANNINI - MATHIS

Since his screen debut in 1965 in Fango Sulla Metropoli, Giancarlo Giannini has starred in more than 100 international film productions, working with acclaimed directors including Luchino Visconti (The Innocent), Rainer Werner Fassbinder (Lili Marleen), Lina Wertmüller (Love & Anarchy, The Seduction of Mimi, Swept Away, Seven Beauties), Francis Ford Coppola (New York Stories), Ridley Scott (Hannibal) and Tony Scott (Man on Fire).

In 1977 he was nominated for an Oscar® for his role in Seven Beauties. Other awards include five David Awards (Italian Oscars) for Ti Voglio Bene Eugenio in 2002, Celluloide in 1996, Come Due Coccodrilli in 1994, Mi Manda Picone in 1984, and Mimì Metallurgico Ferito Nell’onore in 1972; four Silver Ribbon Awards from the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists for Hannibal in 2001, La Cena in 1998 and Mimi Metallurgico Ferito Nell’onore in 1972; Best Actor at Cannes Film Festival in 1973 for Love & Anarchy, and Best Actor at San Sebastián Film Festival in 1973 for Sono Stato Io! His talent has also been acknowledged by the Los Angeles Italian Film Awards, where he was honored with the 1999 Outstanding Achievement Film Award. In 2002 the Milan Film Festival gave him a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Giannini was recently seen in Tirante el Blanco directed by Vicente Aranda and will soon appear in The Gems Merchant directed by Renzo Martinelli.

CATERINA MURINO – SOLANGE

Caterina Murino plays Solange, the beautiful but discontented wife of Dimitrios, one of Le Chiffre’s associates.

Born in Sardinia, Murino is known to French audiences for her leading roles in Patrice Leconte’s comedy Les Bronzés 3: amis pour la vie; the crime caper L’Amour aux Trousses, directed by Philippe de Chauveron; and the comedy L’Enqûete Corse, costarring Jean Reno and directed by Alain Berbérian.

Murino began her acting career in commercials and studied at the acclaimed School of Cinema and Theatre, instructed by acclaimed actress Francesca de Sapio. She made her stage debut in a production of Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None” and appeared in several other Italian-language plays.

Her cinema debut, in 2001, was the international production of Nowhere by Chilean writer Luis Sepúlveda and starring Harvey Keitel.

European television credits include “Des Jours et Des Nuits” directed by Thierry Chabert, “Orgoglio” directed by Giorgio Serafini and “In Der Mitte Deines Lebens” directed by Bernd Fischerauer. In 2005, Murino starred in the Spanish/Argentinean television drama “Vientos de Agua” directed by Juan José Campanella, and the Italian film Eleonora D’Arborea for director Claver Salizzato.

SIMON ABKARIAN - DIMITRIOS

Simon Abkarian plays Dimitrios, an underworld associate of Le Chiffre based in the Bahamas. When he flies to Miami to undertake a mission for Le Chiffre, he is followed by James Bond.

Abkarian, based in Paris, was a member of the Theatre du Soleil from 1985 to 1993 and won a Molière Award for his performance in “Une Bête Sur La Lune” directed by Irina Brook. In summer 2006, he directed a production of Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labour’s Lost” for Tim Robbins’ Los Angeles theatre group, The Actor’s Gang.

While filming CASINO ROYALE, he was also working on the French thriller, The Snake, directed by Eric Barbier and co-starring Clovis Cornillac and Yvan Attal. For almost 20 years, Abkarian has been working in the European film industry, appearing in a wide range of films. Recent diverse roles include playing the villain in Not For or Against directed by Cédric Klapisch; the romantic lead opposite Joan Allen in Sally Potter’s Yes; and as Mehdi Ben Barka in the recent French thriller I Saw Ben Barka Killed, about the abduction and murder of the charismatic Moroccan opposition leader. His performance in Prendre Femme directed by Ronit Elkabetz gained him the Best Actor Prize at the Thessaloníki Film Festival and a Special Jury Accolade in the Nantes Festival of Three Continents. The film won the Critics Prize and the Public Prize at the Venice Film Festival in 2004.

Recently, Abkarian had a role in Robert Guediguian’s Le Voyage en Armenie and will next appear in Trivial directed by Sophie Marceau.

IVANA MILICEVIC - VALENKA

Ivana Milicevic plays Valenka, the cool and glamorous girlfriend of Le Chiffre. Milicevic was born in Sarajevo, and her family settled in Michigan when she was five years old. After leaving school, she combined an international modeling career with stand-up comedy in order to break into acting. She soon found an agent and landed supporting roles in the hit comedy Jerry Maguire starring Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Renee Zellweger; and Enemy of the State with Will Smith and Gene Hackman. This was followed by Head Over Heels opposite Freddie Prinze, Jr., and Richard Curtis’ ensemble comedy Love Actually.

Best known to American television audiences for her starring role in the HBO series “The Mind of the Married Man,” Milicevic has also made numerous television appearances, including guest starring roles, on “Felicity,” “Friends,” “Just Shoot Me!” and “Seinfeld.”

Milicevic’s most recent film roles have been in the romantic comedy Just Like Heaven with Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo and Running Scared with Paul Walker.

SÉBASTIEN FOUCAN - MOLLAKA

Sébastien Foucan plays Mollaka, a known terrorist, pursued by Bond in Madagascar. Foucan developed the discipline Parkour (also known as Free Running) with his friend, David Belle, to combat negative energy. He has created and named many of the trademark Parkour moves now used throughout the movement, which is becoming increasingly well known and respected as an extreme sport worldwide. However, for Foucan, Parkour is not a sport; it is primarily an art form.

Foucan became known to a wide audience when the documentaries “Jump London” and “Jump Britain” began to be aired around the world, and he is now regarded as the ambassador for the Free Running movement. In late 2006, Discovery Channel will broadcast the French segment of their international series “HD Atlas,” which is entirely devoted to Parkour, with commentary by Foucan.

He has appeared in numerous television commercials for brands that include Nike and Toyota, as well as in the music video for Madonna’s hit single “Confessions on the Dancefloor.” He was then invited to accompany her on her 2006 international stage tour “Confessions.”

Foucan’s philosophy is “No violence, no competition, no groups, no chiefs.”

JESPER CHRISTENSEN – MR. WHITE

One of Scandinavia’s leading actors, Jesper Christensen has won four Bodil Awards, most recently for his work in 2005’s Drabet (Manslaughter) directed by Per Fly, and four Robert Awards, including one for Baenken (The Bench), also directed by Fly, in 2000.

His international career includes a starring role in Sydney Pollack’s The Interpreter opposite Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn and a lead role in the U.S. TV series “Revelations,” which starred Natascha McElhone and Bill Pullman.

Christensen began working in film in Denmark in 1976 and has since appeared regularly in a wide variety of Scandinavian and international films and television productions.

TOBIAS MENZIES - VILLIERS

Tobias Menzies is best known to international audiences for his starring role as Brutus, Julius Caesar’s assassin in the HBO/BBC epic series “Rome.” Menzies began his acting career in some of U.K. television’s most popular series, including “Foyle’s War” and “Casualty.” He recently appeared in the controversial drama “A Very Social Secretary,” directed by Jon Jones, which launched Channel 4’s More4.

On stage, his credits include Alan Bennett’s “The History Boys” directed at the Royal National Theatre by Nicholas Hyntner, the title role in “Hamlet” directed by Rupert Goold and Michael Blakemore’s West End production of “Three Sisters,” for which he was nominated for the Ian Charleson Award.

TSAI CHIN - MADAME WU

The role of Madame Wu, the impassive Chinese poker player, marks Tsai Chin's second appearance in the 007 series. In 1967, she appeared with Sean Connery in You Only Live Twice.

Daughter of Zhou Xinfang, China's most eminent traditional actor, Chin was trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and began her career playing the title role of "The World of Susie Wong" in the West End. She also appeared in Michelangelo Antonioni's seminal film Blow-Up, which starred fellow CASINO ROYALE poker player Veruschka. She has subsequently enjoyed an international career, appearing on stage, film and television. She recently starred in the Broadway production of "Golden Child" for which she won an Obie Award.

Film roles include The Joy Luck Club, Red Corner and, most recently, Memoirs of a Geisha directed by Rob Marshall from the bestselling novel by Arthur Golden.

LAZAR RISTOVSKI – KAMINOVSKI

The most celebrated Serbian actor of his generation, Lazar Ristovski also produces and directs in his native country. He began acting while studying at Belgrade University and went on to a career on stage, television and screen.

He became known to international audiences when he starred in Emir Kusturica’s 1995 epic Underground in the lead role of Blacky, which won many awards, including the Palme D’or at the Cannes Film Festival.

In 1999, Ristovski directed, produced, wrote and starred in The White Suit (Belo Odelo), a black comedy which was chosen as Yugoslavia’s Oscar® entry and invited to screen at the Cannes Film Festival before going on to other international film festivals where it won awards and critical acclaim. The film was made under the banner of Ristovski’s company, Zillion Films, which also produced Boomerang, which Ristovski also starred in and wrote. Directed by Dragan Marinkovic, the film was screened in the Panorama section of the Berlin Film Festival. Other films produced by Zillion and starring Ristovski include Midwinter Night’s Dream directed by Goran Paskaljevic, which screened at the Toronto and San Sebastián Film Festivals.

In 2006, Zillion Films produced three feature films starring Ristovski: A Tailor’s Secret directed by Milos Avramovic, Tomorrow Morning directed by Oleg Novkovic (screened at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival) and Goran Paskaljevic’s The Optimists. Lazar Ristovski has written two novels, The White Suit, and How I Won Oscar®.

URBANO BARBERINI – TOMELLI

Urbano Barberini is renowned in Italy as a star of stage, screen and television and has worked in all three media since the 1980s. He also works in English and French languages, both of which he speaks fluently.

In 2004, he starred in John Irvin’s mystery drama Laughing Water (Mine-Ha-Ha) and Susanna Tamaro’s Nel Mio Amore. He appeared on stage in Rome in Goldoni’s “Il Giuocatore” the same year.

Other notable film roles include Dario Argento’s Terror at the Opera (1987), Signora directed by Franco Laudadio and Franco Zeffirelli’s Otello, starring opposite Placido Domingo. On U.K. television Barberini has appeared in the series “Strathblair” and “TECX.”

VERUSCHKA – GRAFIN VON WALLENSTEIN

Veruschka von Lehndorff is considered one of the world’s first supermodels and was described by Richard Avedon as “the most beautiful woman in the world” (Vogue 1972). Beginning her career in the 1960s, she was photographed by the leading photographers of the day, and appeared as herself in Michelangelo Antonioni’s Blow- Up in 1966.

Other film roles include a starring role in Ulrike Ottinger’s German production of The Image of Dorian Gray in the Yellow Press (1984), Milo-Milo (1978), Franc Roddam’s The Bride (1985), as well as directing and playing all the characters in Buddha Bum (1998).

Veruschka, a Prussian countess, recently returned to Berlin from New York, where she was working as an artist. In 2005, the documentary Veruschka: A Life for the Camera by Paul Morrissey was selected for screening at Venice Biennale. As an artist, Veruschka is perhaps best known for her intricate body-painting works (photographs published in a book entitled Veruschka Transfigurations). An exhibition of her photographs was recently shown in Berlin.

TOM SO - FUKUTU

Tom So needed a new occupation when the U.K. I.T. industry foundered a few years ago. Friends suggested modeling because of his distinctive look, and he joined several agencies. This led to work as an extra in film and television, and he has recently worked on such films as Harry Potter, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Stormbreaker, Children of Men, Notes on a Scandal and Stardust.

He has been a practicing Taoist for 10 years, seeking balance in all things.

ADE – INFANTE

Ade made his screen debut in Snatch (2000), Guy Ritchie’s follow-up to the hugely successful Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. His screen presence and comic timing brought him to the attention of audiences and filmmakers and, although he has had no formal training, he has since been in demand on screen and television.

A Londoner who has worked in marketing, publishing and property development, Ade appeared with Samuel L. Jackson in The 51st State, and recently appeared on U.K. television as a guest star in the popular series “Keen Eddie.”

CHARLIE LEVI LEROY – GALLARDO

Charlie Levi Leroy enjoys a career spanning literature, music, theatre, television and film.

He began acting and singing as a child in his native Argentina. As a member of Argentina’s top rock group, “The VIPs,” and as a soloist, he was awarded six gold discs.

Leroy trained at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in Los Angeles and the prestigious Oscar Cruz School of Drama in Buenos Aires. He began acting in a television comedy series before moving on to act and direct in theatre and film. He will soon direct his second motion picture, Four Women, following the success of his directorial debut, Pas de Deux.

As an author, Leroy has written the novels The Wrong Angel, The Last Journey and The Treaty of the Twin Souls. His recent acting work includes The Last Week (La Semana Que Viene), Water Winds (Vientos de Agua) and the TV sitcom “Divinos.”

Now a resident of Spain, he is a director at the Madrid Actors Laboratory and a professor of film direction at two cinema schools in Madrid.