Britain Friend went to Bradfield College where he became interested in acting. He began appearing in musical comedies in 1935, and was soon working on the West End. He was in a production of
French Without Tears that was on Broadway. He returned to London and was busy on the stage until war broke out after which he joined the
Royal Fusiliers. Friend had small roles in British films like
Inquest (1939),
The Midas Touch (1940), and
Old Bill and Son (1941). He was in
Dangerous Moonlight (1941), ''
'Pimpernel' Smith (1941), Sheepdog of the Hills (1941), Back-Room Boy (1942), The Day Will Dawn (1942), The Next of Kin (1942), In Which We Serve (1942), The Young Mr. Pitt (1942), and We Dive at Dawn'' (1943). Friend had bigger parts in
The Bells Go Down (1943) with
Tommy Trinder,
Warn That Man (1943) with
Gordon Harker and
The Flemish Farm (1943), and could be seen in
Two Thousand Women (1944). He had a decent sized role in
Great Day (1945). Friend returned to the stage with
Pink String and Sealing Wax and
The First Gentleman. Selznick wound up not using Friend in any of his films. Friend had a support part in
My Own True Love (1948) with
Phyllis Calvert. He could also be seen in
Enchantment (1948). Friend was a British soldier in
Sword in the Desert (1949) at Universal. They liked his work and signed him to a contract, casting him in the lead of ''
Buccaneer's Girl (1950) with Yvonne de Carlo. Friend was kept at Universal for Spy Hunt (1950), then the studio dropped him. They hired him back to play the villain in Smuggler's Island (1951). He was in Thunder on the Hill'' (1951). Friend had the star role in
The Highwayman (1952) for
Monogram Pictures. Friend began appearing on TV in such shows as
The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse and
Kraft Theatre. On Broadway he was meant to join the cast of
Faithfully Yours but Equity objected. Instead he starred in
Jane in 1952.
Return to Britain Friend returned home to be in
Desperate Moment (1953). He had support roles in
Background (1952),
The Diamond (1954),
Dick Turpin: Highwayman (1956),
Cloak Without Dagger (1956) and
The Betrayal (1956). He also appeared regularly on British TV shows such as
The Errol Flynn Theatre. Friend's later work included
Son of Robin Hood (1958),
The Solitary Child (1958),
Web of Suspicion (1959),
The Fur Collar (1962),
Stranglehold (1962), and
The Vulture (1966). One of his last appearances was in the TV movie
Suez 1956 (1979). ==Personal life==