Rupert Friend facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rupert Friend
Friend in 2025
Born	Rupert William Anthony Friend October 1981 (age 43) Cambridge, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2004–present
Spouse(s)	Aimee Mullins ​ (m. 2016)​

Rupert William Anthony Friend (born in October 1981) is an English actor. He became well-known for his roles in films like The Libertine (2004) and Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (2005). He even won awards for being a great new actor for these movies.

Rupert Friend has played many different characters. He was George Wickham in Pride & Prejudice (2005). He also played Lieutenant Kurt Kotler in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008). He took on the role of Albert, Prince Consort in The Young Victoria (2009).

Later, he became famous as CIA agent Peter Quinn in the TV series Homeland (2012–2017). More recently, he has worked with director Wes Anderson in films like Asteroid City (2023). He also appeared in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi as the Grand Inquisitor in 2022.

Besides acting, Rupert Friend has also directed and written short films. He even wrote song lyrics for a jazz band.

Early Life and Education

Rupert William Anthony Friend was born in October 1981 in Cambridge, England. His father, David Oxton Friend, is an art historian. Rupert is the older of two children. When he was two years old, his family moved to a small village called Stonesfield in Oxfordshire.

From a young age, Rupert loved to read. He especially enjoyed books by Roald Dahl. He went to The Marlborough C of E School in Woodstock, Oxfordshire.

Dream of Becoming an Archaeologist

Originally, Rupert wanted to be an archaeologist. He dreamed of traveling the world after watching the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989. However, he soon realized that being an archaeologist might not be as exciting as Indiana Jones's adventures.

So, he decided to try acting instead. He was inspired by actors like Marlon Brando and Daniel Day-Lewis. He called Daniel Day-Lewis his childhood hero.

Journey to Acting School

After finishing school, Rupert took a gap year. He traveled to the Cook Islands in the Pacific Ocean. While there, he had a motorcycle accident. He had serious injuries and had to be flown to a hospital in New Zealand. There was even a risk he might lose his foot.

When he returned to England for college, he was still using crutches. Rupert Friend received his acting training at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

Acting Career

Early Roles (2004–2009)

While in drama school, Rupert Friend played small parts in a play called The Laramie Project. A casting director noticed him there. His first movie role was in 2004. He played Billy Downs alongside Johnny Depp in The Libertine. For this role, he was named "outstanding new talent" at the 2005 Satellite Awards. He said working with Johnny Depp so early taught him a lot about film acting.

In 2005, Rupert got his first main role. He played Ludovic Meyer in Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont, acting opposite Joan Plowright. That same year, he played George Wickham in Joe Wright's film Pride & Prejudice.

Almost James Bond

When he was 22, Rupert Friend was asked to try out for the role of James Bond. This was after Pierce Brosnan stopped playing the part. However, Rupert felt he was too young and didn't have enough life experience to play Bond.

His screen test for James Bond was later shared online in 2025.

In 2009, Friend starred in the movie Chéri. He played the main character opposite Michelle Pfeiffer. He also joined the cast of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. In this film, he played Kurt Kotler, a lieutenant in Nazi Germany.

In 2010, Rupert Friend played Albert, Prince Consort in The Young Victoria. The producer, Graham King, asked him to try out for the role. He remembered Rupert's acting in Pride & Prejudice. Rupert's performance as Albert was highly praised. He paid great attention to details and prepared very well for the role. He said the hardest part was showing the darker sides of a good man like Albert. Around this time, critics called him one of Britain's best young actors.

Later Roles (2010–2019)

Friend at the BAFTA ceremony in 2010

In 2010, Rupert Friend acted on stage for the first time. He played Mitchell in The Little Dog Laughed. He also starred in the film The Kid. This movie was based on a book by Kevin Lewis. Since the film involved boxing, he trained hard to get in shape.

By 2012, Rupert felt he needed a change in his career. He decided to think differently about the projects he chose. He has said that reports about him wanting to quit acting were not true.

In 2013, he played Oliver Baumer, a prison psychologist, in the film Starred Up. His acting was praised by critics. He was even nominated for an award for Best Supporting Actor. In 2015, he starred as Agent 47 in Hitman: Agent 47. This film was based on the Hitman video game series. He had to shave his head for the role. He did most of his own stunts. The film got mixed reviews.

Becoming Peter Quinn in Homeland

Rupert Friend became known worldwide for his role as CIA operative Peter Quinn. This was in the popular TV series Homeland (2012–2017). It was his first role in a television series. He started as a supporting character in season two. His role became much bigger from season three onwards.

His performance received a lot of praise. He was nominated for three awards, including a Primetime Emmy Award in 2013. Many fans and news outlets were sad when his character left the series.

After Homeland ended in 2017, Rupert Friend acted in several comedies. He had mentioned in 2014 that he wanted to explore the funny side of acting. He was offered a main role in Paul Feig's A Simple Favor. But he chose to play a smaller, funnier part instead. He showed "serious comedic skills" in Armando Iannucci's The Death of Stalin. In this film, he played Stalin's son, Vasily.

In 2018, director and painter Julian Schnabel asked him to play Theo van Gogh. This was for the film At Eternity's Gate, a movie about Vincent van Gogh. Rupert also played the mysterious Ernest Donovan in the series Strange Angel from 2018 to 2019. His acting in this role was described as "amusingly weird" and "creepy".

In 2018, Rupert Friend performed in a new audio drama. It was called Last Night in the Garden I Saw You. The next year, he narrated the audiobook for David Koepp's first novel, Cold Storage. He also voiced Peter Hardy in the 2019 Gimlet podcast Motherhacker.

Recent Work (2020–Present)

Friend in 2020

In the early 2020s, Rupert Friend started working often with director Wes Anderson. Their work together began with a small role in The French Dispatch (2021). He played an actor pretending to be a drill-sergeant. He then had a bigger role in the 2023 film Asteroid City.

He also played main roles in Anderson's Netflix short films The Swan and The Rat Catcher (2023). These films were based on short stories by Roald Dahl, who Rupert has called his hero.

In 2021, after his success in Homeland, Rupert Friend was again mentioned as a possible next James Bond. This was when Daniel Craig stopped playing the role. He played a main role in the 2021 horror film Separation. While the film got mostly negative reviews, Rupert's acting as a single father was praised. The science fiction film Infinite (2021), where he acted with Mark Wahlberg, was listed as one of the worst films of 2021.

The next year, Friend played Wilson Sikorsy in Tim Kirkby's film Last Looks (2022). This movie received good reviews. He also starred as James Whitehouse in the Netflix mini-series Anatomy of a Scandal. James Whitehouse is a British politician on trial. Rupert first turned down the role twice. He didn't feel he understood the privileged character of Whitehouse enough. He only agreed to take the part when director S.J. Clarkson challenged him. She asked him to find a way to show the character's human side. His acting was generally praised, even though the series itself got mixed reviews.

In 2022, Friend appeared as the Grand Inquisitor in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi. He said he enjoyed this experience and would like to do it again. The role was physically tough. The Grand Inquisitor's armour weighed 45 pounds. Every day of filming, it took four hours for makeup artists to apply his makeup and prosthetics.

He also played one of the main characters in the comedy series High Desert. He acted with Patricia Arquette and Matt Dillon. In February 2022, it was announced that Friend would have a main role in Zack Snyder's science fiction film Rebel Moon. However, he later left the project due to scheduling conflicts. He is also part of the QCode musical podcast series Cupid, which was released in the summer of 2022. In May 2024, it was announced that he would appear in the 2025 film Jurassic World Rebirth.

On Acting

Rupert Friend's work as a stage actor has been praised. However, he prefers working in film and television. He has said he doesn't like doing the "same thing over and over again every night." At first, he was also hesitant to take on roles in long-running TV shows. He even turned down the chance to audition for Homeland at first.

Friend believes that imagination is the most important tool for an actor. He does a lot of research about his characters. For his role as Prince Albert in The Young Victoria, he studied history. This helped him understand the character better. He learned to ride a horse, walk, talk, play the piano, and even write like Albert.

In his last season of Homeland, his character Peter Quinn was recovering from a stroke. He was also suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. To prepare for this role, Rupert Friend spoke with veterans and medical experts. This helped him show these conditions realistically and respectfully.

Director, Screenwriter, Producer, and Lyricist

In 2008, Rupert Friend and Tom Mison wrote, produced, and starred in a short film. It was called The Continuing and Lamentable Saga of the ... Brothers. The film won Best Short at the Rhode Island International Horror Film Festival in 2010.

Rupert started his own production company called Beat Pictures. He made his first film as a director in 2010. It was a short film called Steve. It starred Colin Firth, Keira Knightley, and Tom Mison. Besides directing, he also wrote and produced the film. Steve won Rupert the Rhode Island Film Festival Crystal Image Award. It was also nominated for an award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Rupert Friend was asked by Adam Waldmann to write lyrics for a song. Adam Waldmann leads the jazz group Kairos 4tet. Rupert wrote lyrics for their 2011 album. He then wrote more lyrics for their 2013 album Everything We Hold. His lyrics were sung by different artists on the album.

Personal Life

From 2005 to 2010, Rupert Friend dated actress Keira Knightley. They met while filming Pride & Prejudice. He met American athlete and actress Aimee Mullins in 2013. They got engaged in December 2014 and were married on May 1, 2016.

Filmography

Films

Key

Denotes works that have not yet been released

Television

See also

In Spanish: Rupert Friend para niños