From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Early life
Firth was born in Grayshott, Hampshire, England to David Firth (a history lecturer and the son of an Anglican priest) and Shirley (a comparative religion lecturer, whose own parents were Congregationalist ministers). Both of Firth's parents were born and raised in India, as their English-born parents were involved in missionary work.

Firth spent part of his childhood in Nigeria, where his father was teaching. He lived in St. Louis, Missouri when he was 11. Colin has a younger brother, Jonathan, who is also an actor.

[edit]
Film career
Firth starred in the award-winning 1981 London stage production of Another Country. He reprised this role for his first film appearance in 1984. In 1987, he appeared alongside Kenneth Branagh in the film version of J. L. Carr's novel, A Month in the Country. In 1989, he took the lead in the film Valmont.

As Earl of Wessex, Shakespeare in LoveDespite widespread admiration for his performances, it was only with the 1995 BBC television adaptation of Pride and Prejudice that Firth's career really took off. The serial was a big success and Firth became known as a heart-throb because of his role. This performance also made him the object of affection for fictional newspaper columnist Bridget Jones (created by Helen Fielding), an interest which carried on into the two novels featuring the Jones character. In the second novel, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, the character even meets Firth in Rome. As something of an in-joke, when the novels were adapted for the cinema, Firth was cast as Jones's love interest Mark Darcy.

Consequently, he had a supporting role in The English Patient (1996) and since then has starred in films such as Fever Pitch (1997), Shakespeare in Love (1998), Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), The Importance of Being Earnest (2002), Love Actually (2003) and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004). He has also appeared in recent TV productions, including Donovan Quick (an updated version of Don Quixote) (1999) and Conspiracy (2001).

Most critics consider him to be a talented and versatile actor, equally at home on stage or on screen.

[edit]
Personal Life

Colin Firth in Budapest, 15 November, 2005In 1989, Firth entered into a romantic relationship with actress Meg Tilly, his co-star in Valmont. In 1990, she gave birth to a son, Will Firth.

In 1994, Firth was involved with actress Jennifer Ehle, his co-star in Pride and Prejudice. In 1997, Firth married Livia Giuggioli. The couple has two sons, Luca Firth (born 2001) and Mateo Firth (born 2003).

  Fenice, La (2006) (announced)
Gambit (2006) (announced) .... Harry Dean
The Dead Wait (2005) (announced) .... Franz 'Papa' Louw
The Meat Trade (2006) (pre-production)
Toyer (2005) (pre-production) .... Toyer
The Last Legion (2006) (post-production) .... Aurelius

Nanny McPhee (2005) .... Cedric Brown
Where the Truth Lies (2005) .... Vince Collins
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004) .... Mark Darcy
... aka Bridget Jones 2 (UK: informal title)
... aka Bridget Jones: L'âge de raison (France)
Trauma (2004/I) .... Ben
Love Actually (2003) .... Jamie Bennett
Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003) .... Johannes Vermeer
What a Girl Wants (2003) .... Henry Dashwood
Hope Springs (2003) .... Colin Ware
The Importance of Being Earnest (2002) .... Jack
... aka Importance d'être constant, L' (France)
Londinium (2001) .... Allen Portland
... aka Four Play (Australia: Pay-TV title) (UK)
... aka Fourplay (UK) (USA)
Conspiracy (2001) (TV) .... Dr. Wilhelm Stuckart
Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) .... Mark Darcy
... aka Bridget Jones (UK: informal title)
... aka Journal de Bridget Jones, Le (France)
Relative Values (2000) .... Peter Ingleton

The Turn of the Screw (1999) (TV) .... The Master
Blackadder Back & Forth (1999) .... William Shakespeare
The Secret Laughter of Women (1999) .... Matthew Field
My Life So Far (1999) .... Edward Pettigrew
Donovan Quick (1999) (TV) .... Donovan Quick
Shakespeare in Love (1998) .... Lord Wessex
A Thousand Acres (1997) .... Jess Clark
Fever Pitch (1997) .... Paul Ashworth
"Nostromo" (1997) (mini) TV Series .... Charles Gould
... aka Joseph Conrad's Nostromo
... aka Nostromo - Der Schatz in den Bergen (Germany)
The English Patient (1996) .... Geoffrey Clifton
"Pride and Prejudice" (1995) (mini) TV Series .... Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy
Circle of Friends (1995) .... Simon Westward
The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd (1995) (TV) .... Charles Holroyd
Master of the Moor (1994) (TV) .... Stephen Whalby
Playmaker (1994) .... Ross Talbert/Michael Condren
... aka Private Teacher (Philippines: English title: video title)
The Deep Blue Sea (1994) (TV) .... Freddie Page
The Hour of the Pig (1993) .... Richard Courtois
... aka The Advocate
Hostages (1993) (TV) .... John McCarthy
Mad at the Moon (1992) (uncredited) .... Barber
Out of the Blue (1991/I) (TV) .... Alan
Femme Fatale (1991) .... Joseph Prince
... aka Fatal Woman
Wings of Fame (1990) .... Brian Smith

Valmont (1989) .... Valmont
Tumbledown (1989) (TV) .... Robert Lawrence
Apartment Zero (1988) .... Adrian LeDuc
... aka Conviviendo con la muerte (Argentina)
The Secret Garden (1987) (TV) .... Adult Colin Craven
A Month in the Country (1987) .... Tom Birkin
Tales from the Hollywood Hills: Pat Hobby Teamed with Genius (1987) (TV) .... Rene Wilcox
... aka Pat Hobby Teamed with Genius (USA: short title)
"Lost Empires" (1986) (mini) TV Series .... Richard Herncastle
1919 (1985) .... Young Alexander
Dutch Girls (1985) .... Neil Truelove
Camille (1984) (TV) .... Armand Duval
Another Country (1984) .... Tommy Judd