British-born beauty Alice Eve waited until well into her twenties to seriously pursue a career in front of the camera. Eve appeared in little-seen independent gems like "Stage Beauty" (2004), "Starter for 10" (2006), and "Big Nothing" (2006), in addition to a handful of British television work. Eve was also featured in several British and American theatrical productions, most notably a role in Tom Stoppard's play, "Rock n' Roll," directed by Trevor Nunn.
Eve made qualified strides and gained a following with her turn in the Harrison Ford drama "Crossing Over" (2009) before stepping into her biggest role then to date as the lead object of desire in "She's Out of My League" (2010), ensuring her fair share of ink as Hollywood's next "It" girl. Although she did not immediately cross over into A-list status, the actress continued working steadily, appearing in hits ranging from "Star Trek Into Darkness" (2013), "Men In Black 3" (2012), and "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb" (2014), as well as appearances on TV series including cult favorite "Black Mirror" (Channel 4/Netflix 2012- ).
Alice Sophia Eve was born Feb. 6, 1982 in London, England to award-winning stage and screen actor Trevor Eve, and his wife, U.K. television fixture, Sharon Maughan. At age two, Eve began the recurrent commute between London and Los Angeles, as she and her family - which grew to include two younger brothers - resided in both locations. The actress recalled that at age three she used to stage ballet shows in the living room, but in years to come found herself more drawn to veterinary and archeological pursuits. That is until at age 13, she was cast as Olivia in a production of "Twelfth Night." Her parents approved, but emphasized putting her education first, leading to their daughter attending high school in London, studying in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hills Playhouse in between school gaps, and finally returning to study Literature at Oxford, where she earned her degree and fulfilled the promise made to her parents. While at Oxford, Eve appeared in several productions, toured to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, landed an agent, and began soliciting acting work to occupy her summer vacations.
Eve's first professional jobs arrived in the form of smaller roles, including in the U.K. television biopic of physicist Stephen Hawking in "Hawking" (BBC 2004), and in the gender-bending Claire Danes drama, "Stage Beauty" (2004), which was set in the world of 17th-century London theatre. After a string of British television appearances which included the movie "The Rotter's Club" (BBC, 2005) and the series "Agatha Christie: Poirot" (ITV1, 1989- ), Eve wowed 2006 theatergoers in Stoppard's "Rock n' Roll" at the Royal Court Theater - a role she reprised in the 2007 Broadway transfer. The actress also became romantically linked to her co-star in the play, Rufus Sewell. Audiences continued taking note of Eve in the charming British independent romantic-comedy "Starter for 10" (2006), playing a 1980s-era university student that flirts her way onto a TV quiz show, opposite James McAvoy. Next, Eve was one of the three leads in the crime caper comedy "Big Nothing" (2006), appearing as a sweet-faced but callous barmaid and former teenage beauty queen. The film united Eve with former "Friends" (NBC, 1994-2004) star David Schwimmer and British comic actor Simon Pegg, as a trio forced to regroup after their get-rich-quick blackmail plan goes bust.
Eve headed to India to film the dramatic two-part television movie, "Losing Gemma" (ITV, 2006), that followed a pair of girlfriends who travel overseas with seemingly convivial, but ultimately dangerous, companions. The actress - who was voted one of the "Most Eligible Women in Britain" by Tatler magazine - spent the next few years uncertain of her future career wishes, while she continued to work in the theater. The year 2009 would see Eve re-teamed with director Nunn - whom she had written and expressed an interest to work with again - as Roxanne to Joseph Fiennes Cyrano in "Cyrano de Bergerac." Eve also began work on two screenplays which focused on the idea of the modern woman - something she felt Hollywood had yet to accurately represent. Improving her standing in Hollywood, Eve appeared with no less than Harrison Ford and Ashley Judd in "Crossing Over" (2009), Wayne Kramer's tale of multi-cultural individuals who vie to achieve legal status in Los Angeles. Appearing as an Australian actress who trades sexual favors for a green card, the role took Eve to a darker place than she had been onscreen, as well as providing the comely actress with her first onscreen nude scene.
As the Hollywood buzz continued to build and male-oriented magazines and blogs began touting her obvious physical assets, Eve was cast as a stunning event planner who falls for a kind but gawky airport security guard (Jay Baruchel) in "She's Out of My League" (2010). Heavily promoted, the romantic comedy cast Eve in the familiar "object of desire" role, but one which she honored and understood. The movie also allowed the actress to work with some very familiar co-stars - her parents, in the role of her parents. Eve next spiced up the storyline in the sequel "Sex and the City 2" (2010), starring as the gorgeous Irish nanny to Kristin Davis' Charlotte. After co-starring with David Tennant in romantic comedy "The Decoy Bride" (2011) and John Cusack in psychological thriller "The Raven" (2012), Eve appeared in small roles in "Men In Black 3" (2012) and "Star Trek Into Darkness" (2013) before starring opposite Stanley Tucci in Neil LaBute's drama "Some Velvet Morning" (2013) and Bryan Cranston in crime thriller "Cold Comes the Night" (2013). A cameo in the family blockbuster "Night in the Museum: Secret of the Tomb" (2014) was followed by a starring role opposite Chris Evans in romantic drama "Before We Go" (2014). A supporting role in the science fiction thriller "Criminal" (2016) was followed by a co-starring role in "Nosedive," an episode of the cult series "Black Mirror" (Channel 4/Netflix 2012- ) starring Bryce Dallas Howard and co-written by Rashida Jones.