Biography for
Colin Firth

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Mini Biography

Born into an academic family - his father is a history lecturer at Winchester University College (formerly King Alfred's College) in Winchester and his mother is a comparative religions lecturer at the Open University - Colin Firth's first acting experience came in infant's school when he played "Jack Frost" in a Christmas pantomime. Three of his four grandparents were Methodist missionaries and he spent his early childhood in Nigeria, returning to England at age five where he entered a comprehensive school in Winchester. He spent two years at the Drama Centre in Chalk Farm where he was "discovered" while playing "Hamlet" during his final term. His first professional role was as "Bennet" in the West End production of "Another Country". From this performance, he was chosen to play the character of "Judd" in the movie of the play. He went on to play a variety of character parts in both film and television. For his portrayal of "Robert Lawrence" in the 1989 TV production Tumbledown (1988) (TV), he received the Royal Television Society Best Actor award and also a BAFTA nomination. He also received a BAFTA nomination for "Mr. Darcy" in the 1995 TV version of "Pride and Prejudice" (1995) (mini).

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Trivia

Relationship with Meg Tilly began while filming Milos Forman's Valmont (1989).

Had a relationship with Jennifer Ehle, whom he met while filming "Pride and Prejudice" (1995) (mini)

On People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" list (2001).

Has twice lost his screen wife to a member of the Fiennes family - to Ralph in The English Patient (1996) and to Joseph in Shakespeare in Love (1998).

Has one child with actress Meg Tilly, Will (born 1990) and 2 sons named Luca (born March 29, 2001, in Rome) and Mateo August 2003

Brother of Katie Firth (a vocal coach) and Jonathan Firth.

Co-starred as the character "Mark Darcy" in the film adaptation of Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), while appears himself as a character in writer Helen Fielding's sequel, which was adapted to the big screen as Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004).

Contributed a short story, "The Department of Nothing", to the collection "Speaking With the Angel", edited by Nick Hornby. Colin Firth starred in the film adaptation of Hornby's semi-autobiographical novel, Fever Pitch (1997).

Has played a Mr Darcy on three occasions. Once in "Pride and Prejudice" (1995) (mini), in Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) and again in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004).

Although he usually gets along quite well with other actors, he had a well-publicized verbal feud with Rupert Everett, although the source of this tension is not known.

A member of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in Stratford Upon Avon, England, during the early to mid 80s where his stage credits include such works as Hamlet and King Lear.

According to Colin Firth, when he was first offered the role of Darcy, his brother incredulously remarked, "Darcy? But isn't he supposed to be sexy?"

On the DVD audio commentary for "Love Actually," Hugh Grant continuously mocks the looks, age, acting abilities, and alleged vanity of Firth (his sometimes on-screen rival), eventually encouraging his fellow-commentators writer/director Richard Curtis, and co-stars Bill Nighy and Thomas Sangster to join in on the mocking. Firth appears to have taken these comments in good nature and said that he and Grant seem to have a "Bette Davis-Joan Crawford" kind of relationship.

Attended Kings' School, Winchester

Attended Barton Peveril College in Eastleigh. His Film teacher still teaches there.

Moved to Nigeria where his father taught when he was very young.

Lived in the US for a year when he was 12.

Personal Quotes

The English people, a lot of them, would not be able to understand a word of spoken Shakespeare. There are people who do and I'm not denying they exist. But it's a far more philistine country than people think.

"And I always thought the biggest failing of Americans was their lack of irony. They are very serious there! Naturally, there are exceptions...the Jewish, Italian, and Irish humor of the East Coast." (Italian Vogue)

[Talking about his success in playing the two Mr. Darcy roles] "I was delighted to become a popular-culture reference point. I'm still delighted about it actually, and I still find it to be weird."

Forget "trying" to be sexy. That's just gruesome.

"If I want my career to go on, I'm going to have to find some more Fiennes brothers! However, any similarity between them basically stops at their last name. I was in no way reminded of Ralph by working with Joe. I got on fantastically with both of them. I have huge admiration for them as actors but I couldn't compare them." (on losing the girl to both Ralph and Joe Fiennes)

"Well it doesn't exactly have a ring to it, does it? It's more the sort of name you'd give to your goldfish for a joke." [about his first name]

I have a kind of neutrality, physically, which has helped me. I have a face that can be made to look a lot better or a lot worse, depending on how I want it to look.

The first actor who really blew me away was Paul Scofield in [the movie] A Man for All Seasons (1966). I'd never seen such integrity in acting, and it struck me as a fascinating paradox because acting is artifice. It can be argued to be entirely false. I thought, how can an actor suggest such truth?

I like playing strange characters. Some people might say it has something to do with a hidden part of myself, but I think it's a lot simpler than that: normal people are just not very interesting.

Every single film since [Pride and Prejudice] there's been a scene where someone goes, 'Well I think you've just killed Mr Darcy'. But he is a figure that won't die. He is wandering somewhere. I can't control him. I tried to play with it in Bridget Jones. I've never resented it: if it wasn't for him I might be languishing, but part of me thinks I should do this postmodern thing, change my name by deed poll to Mr Darcy. Then people can come up to me and say, 'But you are not Mr Darcy' which would be different. I dare say it will be my saving grace when the only employment available to me is opening supermarkets dressed in breeches and a wig.

I feel quite strongly about anti-Americanism. I share people's grievances about the current Administration but I remember my father and I watching the Watergate hearings. Here was a country arraigning its own leaders. America has a fantastic history of dissent. (Sept. 2007)

[On the appeal he has to older female fans] I find I'm increasingly lusted after by people beyond pensionable age. I was told of a woman in hospital, diagnosed with high blood pressure, who was told not to watch any more 'Pride and Prejudice'. She was 103.

[Of the movie version of 'Mamma Mia' in which he stars] If you are the kind of person who always wanted to see middle aged men in tight spandex trying to sing, then this is the film for you.

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