Friend studied acting professionally at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London. He saw himself as a late bloomer: “I was about to set sail around the world when I found out I’d been accepted to the theatrical school. Everyone else had grown up singing and dancing, but I had not.”

After viewing Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989, he intended to be an archaeologist and explore the globe, but he abandoned the notion after discovering that the vocation is not as lucrative as he had thought. Instead, he resorted to acting, where he was influenced by Harrison Ford’s portrayal of Indiana Jones and Marlon Brando’s portrayal of Vito Corleone.

When he was in his second year of theater school, he played three tiny roles in the film The Laramie Project and was noticed by the film’s casting director, who subsequently introduced Friend to a larger role. He made his acting debut as Billy Downs in The Weinstein Company’s 2004 film The Libertine.

In 2005, he made his film debut as Ludovic Meyer in the film adaptation of Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont, in which he co-starred with Joan Plowright. He played Wickham in Joe Wright’s adaptation of Pride and Prejudice the same year. Friend and Tom Mison authored and acted in The Continuing and Lamentable Saga of the Suicide Brothers in 2008.

He also played the titular character in the film Chéri. In addition, he appeared in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas as Lieutenant Kurt Kotler in Nazi Germany. He played Albert, Prince Consort in Young Victoria in 2010. Young Victoria producer Graham King picked Friend to play the lead part because he recalled Friend’s great performance in Pride and Prejudice. His portrayal drew praise from historian Alex von Tunzelmann, who applauded him for putting forth the effort to grasp the character.

In the UK premiere of The Little Dog Laughed in 2010, Friend made his stage debut as Mitchell. He appears in the film The Kid, based on Kevin Lewis’ novel of the same name. Because the film contains boxing, he had to train himself to get in better physical and mental form. He also appeared as Sam, a singer, in the French film Lullaby for Pi. In 2011, he portrayed Thomas Anders in the film 5 Days of War.

Friend starred as Oliver Baumer in Fox Searchlight’s Starred Up in 2014.  In 2015, Friend replaced Paul Walker as Agent 47 in Hitman: Agent 47, a film based on the Hitman video game franchise. He had to remove all of his hair in order to portray the part. The development team also provided him copies of all Hitman games so he could become acquainted with the character.

He is presently starring as Peter Quinn in the award-winning political thriller series Homeland. He was introduced as a small supporting character in season two, but his position grew much greater in season three. His performance was praised, and he was nominated for three prizes. Friend resumed his role as Quinn in Homeland’s fifth season, which was shot completely in Berlin, Germany, and broadcast on October 4, 2015.

In an interview with BBC Radio 4’s The Film Programme, James Bond Casting Director Debbie McWilliams revealed that Friend was asked if he wanted to be considered for the part of James Bond, but declined.

Net Worth and Salary