Rupert Friend

Rupert William Anthony Friend (born 1 October 1981) is an English actor, director, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for his roles as Mr. Wickham in the 2005 film Pride and Prejudice, Lieutenant Kurt Kotler in the 2008 film The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Prince Albert in the 2009 film The Young Victoria, and Peter Quinn on the Showtime series Homeland. He also starred in the 2015 action film Hitman: Agent 47.

Early life and education

Friend was born and raised in Stonesfield, Oxfordshire, the son of Caroline, a solicitor, and a cultural historian father. He attended 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. 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."