Rupert Friend
Rupert Friend | |
---|---|
![]() Friend at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival | |
Born | Rupert William Anthony Friend 9 October 1981 Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England |
Nationality | British |
Occupation(s) | Actor, director, screenwriter, producer, lyricist |
Years active | 2004–present |
Spouse |
Rupert William Anthony Friend (born 9 October 1981) is an English actor, director, screenwriter, producer and lyricist. He is known for his work in comedies and dramas, both in television and film. For his role as Peter Quinn on the Showtime series Homeland, he was nominated for an Emmy in 2013. He went on to collaborate with Armando Iannucci in the movie The Death of Stalin in which he played Vasily Stalin, son of Joseph Stalin, and he played Theo Van Gogh, Vincent Van Gogh's brother, in Julian Schnabel's movie At Eternity's Gate. He has also worked with Wes Anderson on The French Dispatch, and previous roles include Lieutenant Kurt Kotler in the 2008 film The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Prince Albert in The Young Victoria, and Agent 47 in the film Hitman: Agent 47.
Early life and education
Friend was born in Cambridge, UK and brought up in Stonesfield, Oxfordshire, the son of Caroline, a solicitor, and Nicholas Friend, a cultural historian.[1] He attended The Marlborough School in Woodstock. He moved to take A-levels at the Cherwell School and d'Overbroeck's College in Oxford. Friend received his professional acting training at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London.[2] He considered himself a late starter: "I was about to set off sailing around the world when I heard I'd got into drama school. Everyone else there had grown up singing and dancing, whereas I was the opposite."[2]
Career
Originally he wanted to be an archaeologist and travel around the world after seeing Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989, but he scrapped the idea after realizing 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 by Marlon Brando who played Vito Corleone,[3] and Daniel Day-Lewis, whom he described as "mind-boggling".[4]
He played three minor roles in a stage production of The Laramie Project when he was in his third year in drama school, and was spotted by a casting director[5] and 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.[1] In 2005, he had his first starring role as Ludovic Meyer in the film adaption of Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont, in which he starred opposite Joan Plowright. In the same year, he portrayed Wickham in Joe Wright's version of Pride and Prejudice.[6] In 2008, Friend and Tom Mison wrote and starred in a short film called The Continuing and Lamentable Saga of the Suicide Brothers.[7][8] He founded his own production company called Beat Pictures, and he made his directorial debut with a short film in 2010 called Steve, which starred Colin Firth, Keira Knightley and Tom Mison.[9] In addition to directing, he wrote and produced the film, which was later included in the 2012 compilation Stars in Shorts.[10] Steve won Friend the Rhode Island Film Festival Crystal Image Award,[11] and was nominated for the Santa Barbara Film Festival Bruce Corwin Award for Best Short Film.
He also starred in the film Chéri and played the titular character opposite Michelle Pfeiffer. In addition, he joined the cast of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and played Kurt Kotler, a lieutenant in Nazi Germany.[12][13] In 2010, he played Albert, Prince Consort in Young Victoria. Graham King, producer of Young Victoria, chose Friend to star in the lead role because he remembered Friend's strong performance in Pride and Prejudice.[14] His performance received acclaim, in particular, from historian Alex von Tunzelmann, who praised him for putting in effort in mastering the role.[15]
In 2010, Friend made his stage debut as Mitchell in the UK premiere of The Little Dog Laughed.[16] He followed this with Dennis Potter's Brimstone and Treacle, in which he played the lead character to rave reviews.[17] He stars in the film The Kid, based on the novel by Kevin Lewis.[18] As the film involves boxing, he trained himself so as to improve his physical and psychological shape.[5] He also starred in a French film called Lullaby for Pi, playing a singer called Sam.[19] In 2011, he played Thomas Anders, the protagonist of the film 5 Days of War.[20]
Friend was asked by Kairos 4tet leader Adam Waldmann to write the lyrics for a track on their 2011 album Statement of Intent, and was then asked to write all the lyrics for their 2013 album Everything We Hold, which received rave reviews.[21][22] His lyrics were sung by Marc O'Reilly, Omar Lye-Fook, and Emilia Martensson.
In 2014, Friend played Oliver Baumer in Fox Searchlight's film Starred Up. His performance was applauded by critics and was nominated for BIFA Award for Best Supporting Actor.[23] In 2015, Friend starred as Agent 47 in Hitman: Agent 47, a film based on the Hitman video game franchise, replacing Paul Walker.[24] In order to play the role, he had to shave all his hair.[25] He performed most of his own stunts. The production team also sent him copies of all the Hitman games for him to familiarize himself with the character.[26]
Friend played a major role as Peter Quinn in the political thriller series Homeland. Introduced in season two as a minor supporting character, his role became significantly larger after season three.[27] His performance received widespread acclaim and he was nominated for three different awards. Friend reprised his role as Quinn in the fifth season of Homeland, which was filmed entirely in Berlin, Germany and premiered on 4 October 2015[28][29] and was mourned by the press[30][31] after the sixth (his final) season.
Friend has become known as a "sneaky MVP when it comes to comedic supporting performances",[32] appearing in Paul Feig's A Simple Favor,[33] starring Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively in which he was offered the lead role, but turned it down to play a funny cameo instead.[34] He also displayed "serious comedic chops"[35] in Armando Iannucci's five-star reviewed The Death of Stalin.[36]
Friend played the role of rebellious wildman Ernest Donovan in Strange Angel from 2018 to 2019, and his performance was praised as being "an open book in a language no-one can read".[37]
Friend was asked by internationally renowned screenwriter David Koepp to narrate his debut novel Cold Storage for HarperCollins AudioBooks.[38] He voiced the character of Peter Hardy in the 2019 Gimlet scripted podcast Motherhacker.
In an interview on BBC Radio 4's The Film Programme, James Bond casting director Debbie McWilliams stated that Friend was asked if he'd like to be considered for the role of James Bond but he turned the screentest down.[39] After his worldwide success with Homeland, however, there was renewed speculation that he is on the shortlist to succeed Daniel Craig as 007.[40]
Personal life
From 2005 to 2010, Friend dated English actress Keira Knightley, whom he met when filming Pride & Prejudice.[41][42] He met American athlete and actress Aimee Mullins in 2013,[43] and they became engaged in December 2014.[44] Friend and Mullins were married on 1 May 2016.[45]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2004 | The Libertine | Downs | Ischia Film Festival Award for Best International Newcomer Nominated – British Independent Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer |
2005 | Pride & Prejudice | Mr. Wickham | |
2005 | Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont | Ludovic Meyer | Satellite Award for Outstanding New Talent |
2007 | The Moon and the Stars | Renzo Daverio / Spoletta | |
2007 | Outlaw | Sandy Mardell | |
2007 | The Last Legion | Demetrius | |
2007 | Virgin Territory | Alessandro Felice | |
2008 | Jolene | Coco Leger | |
2008 | The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas | Lt. Kurt Kotler | |
2009 | The Young Victoria | Prince Albert | |
2009 | Chéri | Chéri | |
2009 | The Continuing and Lamentable Saga of the Suicide Brothers | Bourbon | Short film |
2010 | The Kid | Kevin Lewis | |
2010 | Lullaby for Pi | Sam | |
2011 | Steve | Writer/Director Won - Rhode Island International Film Festival Crystal Image Award 2011 Nominated - Santa Barbara International Film Festival Bruce Corwin Award Best Live Action Short Film | |
2011 | 5 Days of War | Thomas Anders | |
2012 | To Write Love on Her Arms | David McKenna | |
2013 | The Zero Theorem | Man in Street Commercial | |
2014 | Starred Up | Oliver | Nominated – British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actor |
2014 | Meet Me in Montenegro | Stephen | |
2015 | Stryka | Callen | Short film |
2015 | Hitman: Agent 47 | Agent 47 | |
2017 | The Death of Stalin | Vasily Stalin | Nominated for BAFTA - Outstanding British Film of the Year |
2018 | At Eternity's Gate | Theo van Gogh | Nominated for Best Film - Venice Film Festival |
2018 | A Simple Favor | Dennis Nylon | |
2020 | Separation | Jeff | Post-production |
2020 | The French Dispatch | Post-production | |
2020 | Infinite | Filming | |
TBA | Waldo | Wilson Sikorsky | Post-production |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2012–2017 | Homeland | Peter Quinn | 55 episodes Nominated – PAAFTJ Television Awards for Best Guest Actor In A Drama Series (2013)[46] 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) |
2018–2020 | Dream Corp, LLC | Patient 62 | |
2018–2019 | Strange Angel | Ernest Donovan |
Stage
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | The Little Dog Laughed | Mitchell | London |
2012 | Brimstone and Treacle | Martin | London |
References
- ^ a b Ornos, Riza (24 February 2015). "'Agent 47' News Update: Paul Walker Replacement Rupert Friend First Images Released, Five Things to Know About the 'Homeland' Actor". International Business Times. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- ^ a b "Right on cue: the new breed of screen stars". Daily Mail. UK. 31 January 2009. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
- ^ "Interview: Rupert Friend". Interview. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- ^ Hirschberg, Lynn. "Homeland's Rupert Friend Is Still Obsessed With Daniel Day-Lewis, His Childhood Hero". W Magazine. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ a b Harrod, Horatia (14 September 2010). "Rupert Friend on his new film The Kid". The Telegraph. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- ^ Schaeffer, Brittany (20 November 2005). "FRIEND, INDEED. Actor Rupert launches his film career with a triple threat". New York Times. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- ^ Smith, Lizzie (30 June 2009). "Keira Knightley stars as fairy godmother in rookie writer's film... well, he is her boyfriend". Daily Mail. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- ^ "A Rupert Friend indeed". The Independent. 27 February 2009. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
- ^ Ambler, Eric (19 September 2012). "Interview: STEVE Writer-Director Rupert Friend". Screen Invasion. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- ^ MacFarlane, Steve (27 September 2012). "Film Review: Star In Shots". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- ^ "Awards at RIIFF". www.film-festival.org. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ Smith, Anna. "Cheri review: Dangerous Liaisons 2: Satin Boogaloo". Empire. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- ^ "Review: The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas (12a, 94mins)". Mirror.co.uk. 7 September 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- ^ "The Young Victoria production notes" (PDF). Cinematic Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
- ^ von Tunzelmann, Alex (5 March 2009). "The Young Victoria: less chess, more Hungry Hungry Hippos". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- ^ Billington, Michael (21 January 2010). "The Little Dog Laughed". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- ^ Cavendish, Dominic (4 May 2012). "Brimstone and Treacle, Arcola Theatre, review". Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ Jaafar, Ali (2 February 2009). "'The Kid' unveils key cast". Variety.
- ^ Mintzer, Jordan (1 December 2013). "Review: 'Lullaby for Pi'". Variety. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- ^ DeFore, John (25 August 2011). "5 Days of War: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- ^ Everything We Hold by Kairos Quartet, retrieved 13 August 2019
- ^ Fordham, John (6 June 2013). "Kairos 4tet: Everything We Hold – review". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ "2013 Nominations Announced for the 16th Annual British Independent Film Awards". British Independent Film Awards. 13 November 2013. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- ^ Vejvoda, Jim (18 February 2014). "Exclusive First Look at Rupert Friend As Agent 47 In The Hitman Sequel". IGN. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
- ^ Whiteman, Bobby (12 March 2015). "That's a close shave! Rupert Friend debuts new buzz cut as he and fiancée Aimee Mullins enjoy some retail therapy in London". Daily Mail. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- ^ "Hitman: Agent 47 Interview - Comic-Con 2015". IGN. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- ^ Blyth, Antonia (17 June 2015). "Rupert Friend Q&A: 'Homeland' Season 5 Is "Very Much A Do-Over"". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- ^ Hibberd, James (27 April 2015). "Homeland going to Germany for season 5". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
- ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (23 July 2015). "Homeland Season 5, Affair Season 2 Get October Premiere Date". TVLine. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
- ^ Warner, Judith (10 April 2017). "'Homeland', Season 6, Episode 12: In the Finale, Carrie Deals With Death and Betrayal". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ Travers, Ben; Travers, Ben (10 April 2017). "'Homeland': An Ode to Rupert Friend's Quinn After a Divisive Finale". IndieWire. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ "Movie Review: 'A SIMPLE FAVOR' is deliciously diabolical & wickedly warped". FreshFiction.tv. 13 September 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ "'A Simple Favor': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ Soloski, Alexis (14 June 2018). "Rupert Friend Is Tired of Killing". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ Carbone, Gina. "Hilarious 'The Death of Stalin' Trailer Reveals Rupert Friend's Comedic Chops". www.moviefone.com. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (8 September 2017). "The Death of Stalin review – Armando Iannucci has us tremblin' in the Kremlin". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ Shoemaker, Allison. "SpongeBob turns 20 and heads for dry land, plus Rupert Friend on this week's eventful Strange Angel". TV Club. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ David Koepp – Audio Books, Best Sellers, Author Bio | Audible.com.
- ^ "Mad Max, Jaws, Cartel Land, Casting James Bond". BBC Radio 4. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
- ^ Maher, Kevin (29 March 2019). "Rupert Friend — from Homeland hunk to Van Gogh's brother in At Eternity's Gate". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ White, Richard (13 January 2010). "Keira's Not Getting It Knightley". The Sun. London. Retrieved 13 January 2010.
- ^ Hough, Andrew (13 January 2011). "Keira Knightley and Rupert Friend split after five years". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
- ^ Radnor, Abigail (15 February 2014). "What I've Learnt: Rupert Friend". The Times. London. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
- ^ Shakespeare, Sebastian (2 October 2014). "Keira's-Ex-Engaged-to-Paralympics-Star". Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- ^ Petit, Stephanie. "Surprise! Rupert Friend and Aimee Mullins Secretly Got Married One Month Ago". People.
- ^ "2nd PAAFTJ Television Awards nominations announced; "Arrested Development" leads" (Press release). Pan-American Association of Film & Television Journalists. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Rupert Friend at IMDb
- Rupert Friend on the British Film Institute
- 1981 births
- 21st-century English male actors
- Alumni of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art
- English male film actors
- English screenwriters
- English male screenwriters
- Living people
- People from Oxfordshire
- 21st-century British male actors
- 21st-century British actors
- British screenwriters
- British film directors