British actor, born in Grayshott, Hampshire in 1960. Firth has been married to Livia Giuggioli since 1997. They have two children. He is also the brother of actor Jonathan Firth.

Colin Firth's first experience with acting was playing Jack Frost in a Christmas pantomime at school. Three of his grandparents were Methodist missionaries, and so Firth lived in Nigeria until the age of five, when his family returned to Britain. He spent two years at the Drama Centre in London's Chalk Farm, where he was discovered after being cast as Hamlet during his final term. Firth's first professional role was that of Guy Bennett in the West End production of Julian Mitchell's Another Country, replacing Rupert Everett. He was then chosen to play Judd in the movie version. He received the Royal Television Society Best Actor award and a BAFTA nomination for his portrayal of Robert Lawrence in the tv production Tumbledown (1989). Firth was also nominated for a BAFTA for his role as Mr. Darcy in the 1995 tv adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

Firth went on to play the husband of Kristin Scott Thomas in the surprisingly boring The English Patient and was also cast in the charming, but forgettable 1998 production Shakespeare in Love. However, he wouldn't be allowed to forget the role as Austen dreamboat Mr. Darcy quite yet. Helen Fielding insisted Firth play the role of Mark Darcy in the movie adaptation of Bridget Jones's Diary, alongside Renée Zellweger and Hugh Grant. (Apparently, whereas Zellwegger had to gain weight for her role, Firth and Grant both worked hard to lose weight and get fit for their performances as Bridget's romantic interests.)

Actually, Firth's relationship with Ms Jones is slightly more complicated, as the actor himself is a character in the second book about Bridget Jones. Bridget and her friends keep replaying a scene from Pride and Prejudice where Mr. Darcy dives into the lake. Bridget gets the opportunity to do a freelance interview with Firth about his role in the 1997 Nick Hornby adaptation Fever Pitch, but all she can talk about is the diving scene, how many takes were needed et cetera. I guess it's fair to assume this part will be left out if there is ever a film adaptation of the second book, lest Firth should get seriously schizofrenic, playing both himself and Bridget's boyfriend.

Firth has, however, been quoted as saying: "An entirely sane person, if there is such a thing, wouldn't make a very good actor. I have a certain amount of confidence in the sound of my own voice. I don't melt or blush easily."

Filmography from imdb.com:
Trauma (2004) - Ben
Girl With a Pearl Earring (2003) - Johannes Vermeer
Love Actually (2003) - Jamie
What a Girl Wants (2003) - Henry Dashwood
Hope Springs (2003) - Colin Ware
The Importance of Being Earnest (2002) - Jack Worthing
Judi Dench: A BAFTA Tribute (2002) (TV) - Himself
We Know Where You Live (2001) (TV) - Himself
Conspiracy (2001) (TV) - Dr. Wilhelm Stuckart, Interior Ministry
Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) - Mark Darcy
Londinium (2000) - Allen Portland
Relative Values (2000) - Peter
Donovan Quick (1999) (TV) .... Donovan Quick
The Turn of the Screw (1999) (TV) .... The Master
Blackadder Back and Forth (1999) .... William Shakespeare My Life So Far (1999) .... Edward The Secret Laughter of Women (1998) - Matthew Field
Shakespeare in Love (1998) - Lord Wessex
A Thousand Acres (1997) - Jess Clark
Fever Pitch (1997) - Paul Ashworth
"Nostromo" (1996) (mini) TV Series - Charles Gould
The English Patient (1996) - Geoffrey Clifton
"Pride and Prejudice" (1995) (mini) TV Series - Mr. Darcy
The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd (1995) (TV) - Charles Holroyd
Circle of Friends (1995) - Simon Westward
The Deep Blue Sea (1994) (TV) - Freddie Page
Master of the Moor (1994) (TV) - Stephen Whalby
Playmaker (1994) - Ross Talbert/Michael Condren
The Hour of the Pig (1993) - Richard Courtois
Hostages (1993) (TV) - John McCarthy
Out of the Blue (1991/I) - Alan
Femme Fatale (1991) - Joseph Prince
Tumbledown (1989) (TV) - Robert Lawrence
Wings of Fame (1989) - Brian Smith
Valmont (1989) - Valmont
Apartment Zero (1988) - Adrian LeDuc
A Month in the Country (1987) - Tom Birkin
Tales from the Hollywood Hills: Pat Hobby Teamed with Genius (1987) (TV) - Rene Wilcox
The Secret Garden (1987) (TV) - Adult Colin Craven
"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


Sources:
http://www.hollywood.com/celebs/detail/celeb/195157
http://hem.passagen.se/lmw/

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