Rupert Friend facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rupert Friend
Friend in 2020
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 known for his roles in movies like The Libertine (2004) and Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (2005). He even won awards for being a great new actor for these films.

You might also know him as George Wickham in Pride & Prejudice (2005). He played Lieutenant Kurt Kotler in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008). He was also Albert, Prince Consort in The Young Victoria (2009).

Later, he became famous for playing CIA agent Peter Quinn in the TV show Homeland (2012–2017). In recent years, he has worked with director Wes Anderson in films like The French Dispatch (2021) and Asteroid City (2023). He also appeared in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi as the Grand Inquisitor in 2022.

Early Life and Education

Rupert Friend was born in Cambridge, England. He grew up in a place called Stonesfield in Oxfordshire. He went to The Marlborough School in Woodstock.

After school, Rupert studied acting at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London. He learned all about becoming a professional actor there.

When he was younger, Rupert wanted to be an archaeologist. He loved the idea of traveling the world, just like Indiana Jones in the movies! But he soon realized that being a real archaeologist might not be as exciting as the movies made it seem. So, he decided to try acting instead. He was inspired by famous actors like Marlon Brando and Daniel Day-Lewis.

Rupert Friend's Acting Journey

Starting Out: 2004–2009

Rupert got his first acting job in a play called The Laramie Project while he was still in drama school. A casting director saw him and thought he was talented.

His first movie role was in 2004, playing Billy Downs in The Libertine. He acted alongside Johnny Depp in this film. For this role, he was called an "outstanding new talent" in 2005. Rupert said that working with Johnny Depp so early on taught him a lot about acting in movies.

In 2005, Rupert got his first main role in the movie Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont. In the same year, he played George Wickham in the popular movie Pride & Prejudice.

When he was 22, Rupert was asked to try out for the role of James Bond. But he said no! He felt he was too young and didn't have enough life experience to play such a big role.

In 2009, Rupert starred in the film Chéri with Michelle Pfeiffer. He also joined the cast of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. In this movie, he played Kurt Kotler, a lieutenant in Nazi Germany. In 2010, Rupert played Albert, Prince Consort in The Young Victoria. He worked hard to prepare for this role, even learning to ride a horse and play the piano like Prince Albert. Critics praised his detailed performance.

Growing as an Actor: 2010–2019

Rupert Friend at the BAFTA awards in 2010

In 2010, Rupert acted on stage for the first time in a play called The Little Dog Laughed. He also starred in the movie The Kid, where he played a boxer. He trained a lot to get ready for this role.

By 2012, Rupert felt he needed a change in his acting career. He decided to think more carefully about the projects he chose.

In 2013, he played a prison psychologist named Oliver Baumer in the film Starred Up. His acting in this movie was highly praised. In 2015, he played Agent 47 in Hitman: Agent 47, a movie based on a video game. For this role, he had to shave his head! He did most of his own stunts. The movie team sent him the Hitman video games to help him understand the character. But Rupert, who says he's not good with technology, couldn't even make his character walk straight in the game!

Rupert became very well-known around the world for his role as CIA agent Peter Quinn in the TV series Homeland (2012–2017). This was his first big role in a TV show. His character became very important in the series. Fans and critics loved his performance. When his character died in the sixth season, many fans were sad to see him go.

After Homeland ended in 2017, Rupert acted in several comedies. He showed he was good at funny roles too! He played Vasily Stalin in the movie The Death of Stalin, where he showed off his "serious comedic chops."

He also played Theo van Gogh in the movie At Eternity's Gate (2018), which was about the famous painter Vincent van Gogh. From 2018 to 2019, he played the mysterious Ernest Donovan in the series Strange Angel.

Recent Work: 2020–Present

In the early 2020s, Rupert started working often with director Wes Anderson. He had a small role in The French Dispatch (2021). Then he had a bigger role in the 2023 film Asteroid City. He also starred in two short films for Netflix by Wes Anderson, The Swan and The Rat Catcher, which were based on stories by Roald Dahl. Rupert says Roald Dahl is one of his heroes!

In 2021, after his spy role in Homeland, Rupert was again talked about as a possible next James Bond.

In 2022, Rupert played James Whitehouse in the series Anatomy of a Scandal. He also appeared as the Grand Inquisitor in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi. This role was physically tough! His costume weighed 45 pounds, and it took four hours every day for makeup artists to get him ready with all the special makeup and prosthetics. Rupert said he really enjoyed this role and would love to do it again.

He also played a main character in the comedy series High Desert. In 2024, it was announced that he would appear in the 2025 film Jurassic World Rebirth.

How Rupert Friend Acts

Rupert has been praised for his acting on stage, but he prefers working in movies and TV shows. He says he doesn't like doing the "same thing over and over again every night." At first, he didn't even want to audition for Homeland because it was a long TV series.

Rupert believes that an actor's most important tool is their imagination. He does a lot of research for his characters. For example, when he played Prince Albert in The Young Victoria, he learned how Albert would have ridden a horse, walked, talked, played the piano, and even written! For his role as Peter Quinn in Homeland, who was recovering from a stroke, Rupert talked to veterans and medical experts. This helped him show these conditions in a realistic and respectful way.

Other Talents: Director, Writer, Producer, and Lyricist

Rupert Friend is not just an actor; he also directs, writes, and produces films! He started his own production company called Beat Pictures. In 2010, he directed a short film called Steve. Famous actors like Colin Firth and Keira Knightley starred in it. Rupert also wrote and produced this film. Steve won him an award at the Rhode Island International Film Festival.

Rupert has also written lyrics for a jazz band called Kairos 4Tet. He wrote songs for their albums in 2011 and 2013.

Personal Life

From 2005 to 2010, Rupert dated actress Keira Knightley. They met while filming Pride & Prejudice.

In 2013, he met American athlete and actress Aimee Mullins. They got engaged in December 2014 and were married on May 1, 2016.

Filmography

Films

Key

Denotes works that have not yet been released

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2004	The Libertine	Downs
2005	Pride & Prejudice	Mr. Wickham
	Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont	Ludovic Meyer
2007	The Moon and the Stars	Renzo Daverio / Spoletta
	Outlaw	Sandy Mardell
	The Last Legion	Demetrius
	Virgin Territory	Alessandro Felice
	Silk	Extra at the wedding	Uncredited
2008	Jolene	Coco Leger
	The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas	Lt. Kurt Kotler
2009	The Young Victoria	Prince Albert
	Chéri	Chéri
	The Continuing and Lamentable Saga of the ... Brothers	Bourbon	Short film; also co-writer
2010	The Kid	Kevin Lewis
	Lullaby for Pi	Sam
2011	5 Days of War	Thomas Anders
	Steve	N/A	Short film; director & writer
2012	To Write Love on Her Arms	David McKenna
2013	The Zero Theorem	Man in Street Commercial
	Starred Up	Oliver
2014	Meet Me in Montenegro	Stephen
2015	Stryka	Callen	Short film
	Hitman: Agent 47	Agent 47
2017	The Death of Stalin	Vasily Stalin
2018	At Eternity's Gate	Theo van Gogh
	A Simple Favor	Dennis Nylon
2021	Separation	Jeff Vahn
	Infinite	Bathurst 1985
	The French Dispatch	Drill-Sergeant
2022	Last Looks	Wilson Sikorsky
2023	Asteroid City	Montana/Asquith Eden
	The Swan	Narrator	Short film
	The Rat Catcher	Claud
2024	The American Society of Magical Negroes	Mick
	Canary Black	David Brooks
2025	Companion	Sergey	Post-production
	Dreams	TBA	Post-production
	Jurassic World Rebirth	Martin Krebs	Post-production
TBA	The Phoenician Scheme	TBA	Post-production

Television

Images for kids

• The Continuing and Lamentable Saga of the ... Brothers.jpg

  A scene from The Continuing and Lamentable Saga of the ... Brothers (2009)

See also

In Spanish: Rupert Friend para niños