Rupert Friend may currently be best know as being the boyfriend of actress Keira Knightely but over the last couple of years he has been establishing himself as one of the country's best young actors.
He broke through in 2004 in The Libertine and since then has mixed an matched his roles as he has slowly built a career for himself.
The Libertine saw him star alongside Johnny Depp as Billy Downs, a friend and lover of John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester.
But it was his role as Mr Wickham in Joe Wright's 2005 adaptation of Pride & Prejudice that shot the young actor to fame, as well as introducing him to a certain Miss Knightley.
The film was a critical and commercial success boosting the careers of all the young cast including Rosamund Pike, Friend and Knightley herself who was trying to shake off her Pirates of the Caribbean tag.
Friend stayed in the British film industry moving on to Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont alongside Joan Plowright.
Based on the novel by Elizabeth Taylor the film followed Mrs Palfrey who, after being all but abandoned by her family, strikes up a friendship with writer Ludovic Meyer.
He next appeared in sword and sandal drama The Last Legion before going on to star alongside Sean Bean and Danny Dyer in Outlaw, both receiving mixed reviews.
After this varying degrees of success it looks like 2009 could be the year for the twenty seven year old and he kicked this off at the end of last year with The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas when he took on the role of Lt Kotler.
This week sees him return to the big screen, and the period drama as he takes on the role of Prince Albert in The Young Victoria.
Starring Emily Blunt in the role of Queen Victoria the film follows the early years of her reign and her relationship with her husband.
And later this year he stars alongside Michelle Pfeiffer in Stephen Frears' Cheri. The film is a romantic drama set in 1920s Paris, where the son of a courtesan retreats into a fantasy world after being forced to end his relationship with the older woman who educated him in the ways of love.
The film enjoyed a warm reception from critics and audiences when it received it's world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival.
Coming up for the actor includes The Black Death, Buddha's Little Finger and an adaptation of Kevin Lewis' novel The Kid.
The Young Victoria is released 6th March
Helen Earnshaw
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