Bound to bait Bond

Russian-born American beauty Margarita Levieva has been tipped to become the next new Bond girl.

ґShe has it all - the looks, the charms and the skills. Levieva is a former gymnast who began training when she was three years-old, and was even member of the Olympic team.

When she turned 11, Levieva`s family emigrated from St. Petersburg to America, where Margarita eventually gave up her sporting career. She majored in economics at the prestigious NYU and worked as a fashion buyer.

The bright lights of Hollywood, however, tempted the attractive girl, once voted as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in New York.

She enrolled in one of the most respected professional actor training studios in America, the William Esper Studio, whose alumni include Sex and the City`s Kristin Davis, Aaron Eckhart and Jeff Goldblum, among others.

In 2005, the aspiring actress made a guest appearance on Law & Order: Trial by Jury, then she played in the TV-series Vanished. Among her feature credits are the lead role in the fantasy drama The Invisible and a smaller role in Noise, a comedy where one of her partners was Tim Robbins. Earlier this year Matthew McConaughey`s The Lincoln Lawyer thriller was released, in which Levieva appeared in a cameo role.

The 31-year-old Levieva has, according to Daily Mirror, recently been asked about her availability for the 23rd installment of the James Bond franchise, which is set to begin filming in just three months.

The coveted role of "Bond girl" could become a breakthrough turn for the former gymnast. She is expected to star opposite heartthrob Daniel Craig, who recently married Darren Aronofsky`s ex muse, actress Rachel Weisz.

It has been already confirmed that the line-up for the still unnamed 007 movie includes the Oscar-winning director of American Beauty Sam Mendes and Britain`s Dame Judi Dench, as well as Javier Bardem and Ralph Fiennes.

sections: Celebrities