Rupert Friend | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Friend in 2025 | |
| Born | Rupert William Anthony Friend October 1981 (age 43) Cambridge, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Spouse | |
Rupert William Anthony Friend (born October 1981) is an English actor. He first gained recognition for his roles inThe Libertine (2004) andMrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (2005), both of which won him awards for best newcomer. He portrayedGeorge Wickham inPride & Prejudice (2005), Lieutenant Kurt Kotler inThe Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008),Albert, Prince Consort inThe Young Victoria (2009), psychologist Oliver Baumer inStarred Up (2013),CIA operativePeter Quinn in the political thriller seriesHomeland (2012–2017),Vasily Stalin inThe Death of Stalin (2017),Theo van Gogh inAt Eternity's Gate (2018), and Ernest Donovan in the seriesStrange Angel (2018–2019).
In the early 2020s, Friend began collaborating with directorWes Anderson, starting with acameo inThe French Dispatch (2021), followed by roles inAsteroid City (2023) and theNetflix short filmsThe Swan andThe Rat Catcher. In 2022, he starred as disgraced British politician James Whitehouse in the seriesAnatomy of a Scandal and featured in theDisney+ seriesObi-Wan Kenobi as theGrand Inquisitor.
Friend is director, screenwriter or producer of two award winningshort films:The Continuing and Lamentable Saga of the Suicide Brothers (2008) andSteve (2010). He wrote lyrics for theKairos 4Tet 2013 albumEverything We Hold.
Rupert William Anthony Friend was born in October 1981[1] inCambridge, England.[2][3][4][5][6] His mother is Caroline and his father David Oxton Friend,[7] anart historian, and he is the elder of two children. When he was two, his family moved to a small village inOxfordshire,[8][9] calledStonesfield.[7][10] He was a voracious reader from a young age and loved books byRoald Dahl.[8]
Friend attendedThe Marlborough C of E School inWoodstock, Oxfordshire.[citation needed]
Originally, Friend wanted to be anarchaeologist and travel around the world after seeingIndiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989, but scrapped the idea after realising that the occupation was perhaps not as exciting as Indiana Jones's adventures had led him to believe. Instead, he turned to acting, in which he was inspired byMarlon Brando who playedVito Corleone,[11] andDaniel Day-Lewis, whom he described as his childhood hero.[12]
After school Friend took agap year, in which he travelled to theCook Islands in the Pacific. There he had a motorcycle accident and had to be airlifted to hospital in New Zealand. His injuries were serious and he was in danger of having a foot amputated. By the time he returned to England to go to college, he was still having to use crutches.[8] Friend received his professional acting training at theWebber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art inLondon.[13][8]
Friend played three minor roles in a stage production ofThe Laramie Project when he was in his third year in drama school, and was spotted by a casting director.[14] He made his acting debut as Billy Downs oppositeJohnny Depp in the 2004 filmThe Libertine, for which he was named "outstanding new talent" at the 2005Satellite Awards. He later stated that working with Depp so early in his career was a great lesson in film-acting.[7][15] In 2005, Friend had his first starring role as Ludovic Meyer in the film adaption ofMrs Palfrey at the Claremont, in which he starred oppositeJoan Plowright. In the same year, he portrayedGeorge Wickham inJoe Wright's version ofPride & Prejudice.[16]
Aged 22, Friend was offered ascreen test for the part ofJames Bond afterPierce Brosnan stepped down from the role. Friend felt he lacked the life experience necessary to play the role of Bond.[17]Friend’s James Bond screen test subsequently leaked online to YouTube in 2025.
In 2009, Friend starred in the filmChéri, playing the title character oppositeMichelle Pfeiffer. He joined the cast ofThe Boy in the Striped Pyjamas as Kurt Kotler, a lieutenant inNazi Germany.[18][19] In 2010, Friend playedAlbert, Prince Consort inThe Young Victoria.Graham King, producer ofYoung Victoria, invited Friend to test for the lead role because he remembered his performance inPride & Prejudice.[20] His portrayal of Albert received acclaim, especially for his attention to detail and thorough preparation for the role. Friend said that the real challenge had been to find a way to portray the darker sides of an essentially good man like Albert, in order to give depth to the character.[21][22][13] Around this time, a critic called Friend one of Britain's finest young actors.[22]
In 2010, Friend made his stage debut as Mitchell in the UK premiere ofThe Little Dog Laughed.[23] He followed this withDennis Potter'sBrimstone and Treacle, in which he played the lead character to good reviews.[24] He starred in the filmThe Kid, based on the novel by Kevin Lewis.[25] As the film involves boxing, he trained to improve his physical and psychological shape.[14] Critical reception ofThe Kid overall was less than favourable.[26][27] He also starred in a French film calledLullaby for Pi, playing a singer called Sam.[28] In 2011, he played Thomas Anders, the protagonist of the film5 Days of War, which did not receive great reviews .[29]
By 2012, Friend felt dissatisfied with his career and rethought his overall approach to his work and selecting his projects.[27] He has dismissed reports in the media that at that time he considered giving up acting entirely.[2]
In 2013, he played the prison psychologist Oliver Baumer in the filmStarred Up. His performance was applauded by critics and nominated for theBIFA for Best Supporting Actor.[30][27] In 2015, he starred asAgent 47 inHitman: Agent 47, a film based on theHitman video game franchise, replacingPaul Walker.[31] In order to play the role, he had to shave all his hair. He performed most of his own stunts. The production team sent him copies of all theHitman games to familiarize himself with the character. However, Friend who calls himself a technophobe, was only able to walk his avatar in circles and soon gave up.[27] The film received mixed reviews.[32][33] In 2015, Friend provided narration forNick Knight's folk horror fashion film,The Face of a Dying Dog.[34]
Friend gained worldwide recognition asCIA operative and assassinPeter Quinn in the acclaimed political thriller seriesHomeland (2012–2017), his first role in a television-series.[27] Introduced inseason two as a supporting character, his role became significantly more important as of season three.[35] His performance received widespread acclaim and he was nominated for three awards, including aPrimetime Emmy Award nomination forOutstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series in 2013.[36] Friend's departure from the series was mourned by the press and fans.[37][38]
After his involvement inHomeland ended in 2017, Friend acted in a number of comedies. In a 2014 interview he had already said that he also wanted to explore the 'farcical side' to his acting.[2] He was offered the lead role inPaul Feig'sA Simple Favor, but turned it down to play a funny smaller part in the film instead.[39][40] He was described as displaying "serious comedic chops"[41] inArmando Iannucci'sThe Death of Stalin, where he played Stalin's sonVasily.[42]
He was asked by director and painterJulian Schnabel to playTheo van Gogh inAt Eternity's Gate (2018), an award-winningbiopic aboutVincent van Gogh who was played byWillem Dafoe. Friend played the role of the mysterious Ernest Donovan in the seriesStrange Angel from 2018 to 2019; his performance was praised as being 'of amusing weirdness and a creepy-crawly intensity'.[43]
In 2018 Friend performed a new audio drama byJohn Patrick Shanley,Last Night in the Garden I Saw You, which featuredMichelle Williams. The following year, Friend was asked by screenwriterDavid Koepp to narrate the audiobook of his debut novelCold Storage.[44] He voiced the character of Peter Hardy in the 2019Gimlet scripted podcastMotherhacker.
In the early 2020s, Friend joined the group of actors regularly working with directorWes Anderson. The collaboration started with a cameo appearance as an actor playing a drill-sergeant inThe French Dispatch (2021), and continued with a more substantial role in the 2023 filmAsteroid City.[45] He played leading roles in Anderson'sNetflix short filmsThe Swan andThe Rat Catcher (2023), based on short stories byRoald Dahl, whom Friend has described as a hero of his.[46][47][48]
In 2021, after his success portraying a spy inHomeland, Friend was once again mentioned as the possible next James Bond whenDaniel Craig gave up the role.[17] He played a lead role in the 2021 horror filmSeparation, which got largely negative reviews although Friend's performance as a single father did receive praise.[49][50] The science fiction filmInfinite (2021) in which he played the character Barton alongsideMark Wahlberg, was listed as one of the worst films of 2021.[51][52]
The following year, Friend played network boss Wilson Sikorsy inTim Kirkby's filmLast Looks (2022), which got positive reviews.[53][54] He starred oppositeSienna Miller andMichelle Dockery as James Whitehouse, a British politician on trial forrape, in the Netflix mini-seriesAnatomy of a Scandal. Friend initially turned down the role twice, because he did not feel enough affinity with the privileged Whitehouse. He was only persuaded to take on the part when directorS.J. Clarkson challenged him to find a way to portray the humanity of the character.[55] His acting was generally praised, with the series itself getting mixed reviews from critics.[56][57][58]
Friend featured as theGrand Inquisitor inDisney+'s seriesObi-Wan Kenobi (2022), an experience he said he enjoyed and would like to repeat. The role was physically demanding: the Grand Inquisitor'sarmour weighed 45 pounds and every day of shooting it took a team of makeup artists four hours to apply the makeup andprosthetics required for the role.[59]
He portrayed one of the main characters in the comedy seriesHigh Desert, withPatricia Arquette andMatt Dillon.[60] In February 2022, it was announced that Friend would play a lead role inZack Snyder's science fiction filmRebel Moon; he withdrew from the project because of scheduling problems.[61] He will be part of theQCode musical podcast seriesCupid, planned for release in the summer of 2022.[62] In May 2024, it was announced that he would appear in the 2025 filmJurassic World Rebirth.[63]
Friend's work as a stage actor has been praised but he prefers film and television. In his own words, he "would not like to do the same thing over and over again every night". Initially, he was also reluctant to take on roles in longer running television shows; at first, he turned down the chance to audition forHomeland.[27]
Friend has stated that he believes imagination is an actor's most important tool.[47][64] He does extensive background research on his characters. For his role as Prince Albert inThe Young Victoria he did historical research to get a better understanding of the character. He learned to ride a horse, walk, talk, play the piano and even write like Albert would have done.[65][22][13] In his finalHomeland season, his character Peter Quinn is recovering from astroke and suffering frompost-traumatic stress disorder. In preparation for the role, Friend spoke with veterans and medical specialists to help him portray these conditions realistically and with respect.[66]
In 2008, Friend andTom Mison wrote, produced and starred in a short film calledThe Continuing and Lamentable Saga of the Suicide Brothers.[67] The film won Best Short at the Rhode Island International Horror Film Festival (2010).[68] He founded his own production company called Beat Pictures, and he made his directorial debut with a short film in 2010 calledSteve, starringColin Firth,Keira Knightley andTom Mison.[69] In addition to directing, he wrote and produced the film, which was later included in the 2012 compilationStars in Shorts.[70]Steve won Friend theRhode Island Film Festival Crystal Image Award,[71] and was nominated for theSanta Barbara Film Festival Bruce Corwin Award for Best Short Film.
Plans for Friend to write, direct and star in a feature-lengthroad movie about confidence tricksters calledBarton & Charlie & Checco & Bill were mentioned in the media in 2014–2015, but the project did not materialise.[72][2] In 2018, plans were announced for the feature filmCornerman about boxing trainerCus D'Amato, with Friend to write and direct andBruce Willis playing D'Amato.[73]
Friend was asked byAdam Waldmann, the leader of the jazz ensembleKairos 4tet, to write the lyrics for a track on their 2011 albumStatement of Intent, and was then asked to contribute lyrics for their 2013 albumEverything We Hold, which received positive reviews.[74][75] His lyrics were sung by Marc O'Reilly,Omar Lye-Fook, and Emilia Martensson.[citation needed]
From 2005 to 2010, Friend dated actressKeira Knightley, whom he met when filmingPride & Prejudice.[76] He met American athlete and actressAimee Mullins in 2013,[77] and they became engaged in December 2014. Friend and Mullins were married on 1 May 2016.[78]
| † | Denotes works that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–2017 | Homeland | Peter Quinn | Main role, 55 episodes Nominated –PAAFTJ Television Awards for Best Guest Actor In A Drama Series(2013)[81] Nominated –Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series(2013) Nominated –Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series(2013, 2014, 2015, 2016) |
| 2018–2019 | Strange Angel | Ernest Donovan | Main role, 15 episodes |
| 2018–2020 | Dream Corp, LLC | Patient 62 | 2 episodes |
| 2022 | Anatomy of a Scandal | James Whitehouse | Miniseries, 6 episodes |
| Obi-Wan Kenobi | The Grand Inquisitor | Miniseries, 4 episodes | |
| 2023 | High Desert | Guru Bob | Miniseries, 8 episodes |
| International | |
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| National | |
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| People | |
| Other | |
