Rupert Friend was born on 1 October 1981 in a Stonesfield, England. He received higher acting education in London.
Friend’s acting career began in 2002, when he was still in drama school. He played three small parts in The Laramie Project. The stellar performance of these three roles helped Rupert land a much bigger part 2 years later. His first successful appearance was in the movie The Libertine. The leading role belonged to Jonny Depp. Rupert portrayed Billie Downs. This role brought Friend a prize at Ischia Film Festival for "Best International Newcomer" and a nomination for British Independent Film Awards as "Most Promising Newcomer".
In 2005, Rupert landed his first leading role in a comedy-drama Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont. The performance brought Friend a nomination for Satellite Award as "Outstanding New Talent". The same year he played in a movie based on the famous Jane Austen’s novel Pride & Prejudice. Kiera Knightley had the leading role. Friend portrayed Mr. Wickham. The movie earned four Academy Awards and two Golden Globe nominations as well as many other prizes. On the movie set, Kiera Knightley and Rupert Friend began a romantic relationship, which lasted until 2010.
In 2007, Friend appeared in four movies. He was becoming very popular, and the constant filming kept him from attending important private events.
