Colin Firth

Colin Firth (born 10.9.1960)

Colin Firth is a British actor. In 2010, he received his first Oscar nomination, for his role in A Single Man.

Colin Firth: Childhood

Colin Firth was born in Grayshott, in Hampshire, to Shirley and David Firth. His mother was a lecturer in Religious Studies and his father was a history lecturer as well as an education officer for the Nigerian Government. Both of his parents were raised in India as both sets of grandparents were missionaries there.

Having traveled with his family as a child, Colin trained as an actor at the Drama Centre, London.

Colin Firth: Acting Career

Colin Firth landed the role of Guy Bennett in the 1983 stage production of Another Country. The following year, his big screen debut came, when the play was adapted into a film and he starred opposite Rupert Everett.

This would be the first of many fortunate on-screen pairings for Colin Firth. Two years later, he would star in Lost Empires, along with Laurence Olivier and the year after that he and Kenneth Branagh shared screen-time in A Month In the Country.

In 1989, Firth starred in two films. The first was the Milos Forman-directed Valmont and the second, Apartment Zero.

It was not until 1995, however, that Colin Firth became a household name, with an appearance in a BBC production of Pride and Prejudice. The show also starred Jennifer Ehle. As a result of his performance, he appeared as Bridget Jones' love interest, Mark Darcy in the film of Helen Fielding's novel, Bridget Jones' Diary (Bridget Jones was played by the actress Renee Zellweger). This cinematic in-joke continued when Firth appeared in St. Trinians and accidentally kills a dog named Mr. Darcy.

After playing a supporting role to Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche in The English Patient, Colin Firth starred in Fever Pitch, the adaptation of the Nick Hornby novel and Shakespeare in Love, with Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow.

In 2002, Firth starred in The Importance of Being Earnest, alongside an all-star cast, featuring Judi Dench, Rupert Everett and Reese Witherspoon. The following year, came the hit film Love Actually, starring Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy and Emma Thompson.

The same year, Firth appeared in What A Girl Wants and Girl With A Pearl Earring (with Scarlett Johansson). Then, in 2005, he appeared in Emma Thompson's hit, Nanny McPhee, which starred Thompson and Firth, as well as Imelda Staunton, Angela Lansbury and Kelly Macdonald.

In 2007, Colin Firth made a departure from his usual lightweight dramas and comedies, to appear in The Last Legion, a film inspired by the events of 5th century Roman Empire. Directed by Doug Lefker, the film also starred Ben Kingsley and Thomas Sangster.

2008 became a successful year for Colin Firth, with a performance in the acclaimed When Did You Last See Your Father? which also starred Juliet Stevenson and Jim Broadbent. It was also the year that he starred in the smash hot musical Mamma Mia! The film was based on the music of Abba and also starred Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan.

In 2010, Colin Firth received his debut Oscar nomination, for his performance in A Single Man. The film was directed by first-time director Tom Ford (best known as a fashion designer for Gucci) and starred Nicholas Hoult, Julianne Moore and Matthew Goode. Firth was also awarded the Volpi Cup for his performance in the film.

Colin Firth: Personal Life

Colin Firth has a son with the actress Meg Tilly, though he and Tilly separated in 1994. He was also briefly involved with another co-star, Jennifer Ehle.

Colin Firth went on to marry Livia Giuggioli. They have two sons, Luca (b.2001) and Matteo (b. 2003).