Table of Biography
Rupert Friend is a renowned British actor, screenwriter, filmmaker, director, and lyricist. Rupert Friend is widely recognized for playing the role of CIA operative Peter Quinn in the Showtime political thriller TV series “Homeland.”
Early Life
Rupert Friend was born in Cambridge, England, the United Kingdom, on the 1st of October 1981. His full name is Rupert William Anthony Friend and holds British nationality.
He comes under the birth sign of Libra and is currently 42 years old. In addition, he has his belief in Christianity and belongs to English ethnicity.
Caption: Rupert Friend with his mother (Source: Pride & Prejudice (2005) Blog)
He was born to his parents David Oxton Friend and Caroline Friend. By profession, his mother is a solicitor and his father is a cultural historian. Rupert is the eldest of his parent’s two kids.
When he was two years old, his family relocated to Stonesfield, a small village in Oxfordshire. Moreover, he was an enthusiastic reader from an early age and enjoyed reading books by Roald Dahl.
Rupert Friend – Education
Moving forward to his education, he attended The Marlborough C of E School in Woodstock, Oxfordshire. Later, he enrolled at the Cherwell School and d’Overbroeck’s College in Oxford to take A-levels. In addition, Rupert gained his professional acting training in London at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.
Professional Career
Rupert Friend made his acting debut as Billy Downs opposite Johnny Depp in the 2004 film “The Libertine,” for which he was named “Outstanding New Talent” at the 2005 Satellite Awards.
In 2005, he was cast as Ludovic Meyer in the adaptation of “Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont,” with Joan Plowright. In that same year, he played George Wickham in Joe Wright’s adaptation of Pride & Prejudice.
Further, he played the title character opposite Michelle Pfeiffer in the film “Chéri,” released in 2009. Moreover, he joined the cast of “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” as Kurt Kotler, a Nazi lieutenant. In 2010, Friend played Albert, Prince Consort, in the film “The Young Victoria.” For his role in the film, he received acclaim, especially for his attention to detail.
Stage debut and continued appearing in movies
Moreover, he made his stage debut as Mitchell in the UK premiere of ‘The Little Dog Laughed’ in 2010. During the same period, he starred in the film “The Kid,” based on the novel by Kevin Lewis.
In 2011, he played Thomas Anders, the protagonist of the film “5 Days of War,” which did not receive many positive reviews. In 2013, he portrayed prison psychologist Oliver Baumer in the film “Starred Up.” Critics praised his performance, earning him a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the BIFA Awards.
In 2015, he played Agent 47 in “Hitman: Agent 47,” a film based on the video game series. He replaced Paul Walker. In 2015, he narrated Nick Knight’s folk horror fashion film, “The Face of a Dying Dog.”
Rose to Fame
He garnered global notoriety as CIA operative and assassin Peter Quinn in the popular political thriller series “Homeland” (2012-2017). This was his first appearance in a television series. Further, his portrayal earned him three awards, including a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2013. However, his involvement in the series “Homeland” ended in 2017, and his departure was mourned by the press and fans.
Caption: The poster of Showtime political thriller TV series, Homeland (Source: Amazon)
In 2017, he played Stalin’s son Vasily in Armando Iannucci’s “The Death of Stalin.” From 2018 to 2019, he played the interesting Ernest Donovan in the series Strange Angel; his acting was regarded as “amusing weirdness and a creepy-crawly intensity.”
Recent Career
He played Peter Hardy on the 2019 Gimlet scripted podcast “Motherhacker.” In 2021, he had a brief appearance as a drill sergeant in “The French Dispatch,” followed by a larger role in “Asteroid City” in 2023. He has prominent parts in Anderson’s Netflix short films, “The Swan and The Rat Catcher” (2023).
Friend’s acting as a single parent in the 2021 horror thriller “Separation” earned praise for his role, despite the film receiving mostly unfavourable reviews. The following year, he portrayed network boss Wilson Sikorsy in Tim Kirkby’s film “Last Looks” (2022), which received favourable reviews.
In the Netflix mini-series “Anatomy of a Scandal,” he played James Whitehouse, a British politician on trial for rape, with Sienna Miller and Michelle Dockery. He was one of the major characters in the comedy series ‘High Desert,” alongside Patricia Arquette and Matt Dillon.
As a Director, screenwriter, producer, and lyricist
In 2008, Friend and Tom Mison wrote, produced, and appeared in a short film titled “The Continuing and Lamentable Saga of the Suicide Brothers.” Additionally, he formed a production company Beat Pictures and made his directorial debut with “Steve,” a short film, in 2010. Moreover, he wrote and produced the short, which was later featured in the 2012 anthology Stars in “Shorts.”
Adam Waldmann, the leader of the jazz band Kairos 4tet, requested Friend to write lyrics for a song on their 2011 album “Statement of Intent,” and he was then asked to contribute lyrics to their 2013 album “Everything We Hold,” which garnered favourable reviews. Marc O’Reilly, Emilia Martensson, and Omar Lye-Fook sang his lyrics.
Awards
Friend was nominated for the BIFA Award for Best Supporting Actor in ‘Starred Up.’ Moreover, he was also nominated for three other awards. In 2005, he received the “Outstanding New Talent” award at the Satellite Awards.
Net Worth 2024
As a talented English actor, writer, and director, his net worth is estimated at around $4 million. Meanwhile, he lives a lavishing lifestyle which is made possible through his profession.
Relationship Status
On the 1st of May 2016, Rupert Friend married American athlete and actress Aimee Mullins. The couple started dating in 2013 and got engaged in December 2014. There is not much information available regarding whether they share any kids or not. Previously, he dated actress Keira Knightley, from 2005 to 2010. The ex-couple met when filming ‘Pride & Prejudice.’
Caption: Rupert Friend with his wife (Source: People)
This actor has kept her personal life private from the public and has not been involved in any scandal or speculations about his professional life.
Body Measurements
Caption: Rupert Friend posing for a photo (Source: Pinterest)
This British actor stands 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs an average. In addition, he has a pair of dark brown eyes with black/brown hair colour.
Rupert Friend – Social Media
On his Instagram page ‘@rupertfriend’ there are over 103k followers. Likewise, there are 40.6k followers on his Twitter page ‘@rupertfriend’ and over 2.2k followers on his Facebook page.