- Born
- Birth nameColin Andrew Firth
- Height6′ 1½″ (1.87 m)
- Colin Andrew Firth was born into an academic family in Grayshott, Hampshire, England. His mother, Shirley Jean (Rolles), was a comparative religion lecturer at the Open University, and his father, David Norman Lewis Firth, lectured on history at Winchester University College (formerly King Alfred's College) in Winchester, and worked on education for the Nigerian government. His grandparents were missionaries. His siblings Katie Firth and Jonathan Firth are also actors.
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, then in Chalk Farm, where he was "discovered" whist 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), 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). In 2011, he won the Oscar for Best Actor for his commanding leading role, playing British King George VI in The King's Speech (2010).
- IMDb mini biography by: Anonymous
- SpouseLivia Giuggioli(June 21, 1997 - 2021) (divorced, 2 children)
- ChildrenLuca FirthMatteo Firth
- ParentsShirley JeanDavid Norman Lewis Firth
- RelativesJonathan Firth(Sibling)
- Was originally cast as the voice of Paddington Bear in Paddington (2014), but was replaced by Ben Whishaw during post-production of the film. According to director Paul King he decision was done since "It slowly just became clear that Paddington does not have the voice of a very handsome older man, who has the most beautiful voice on the planet".
- Considers former girlfriend Meg Tilly's children Emily and David (from her first marriage to Tim Zinnemann) to be his own.
- He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6714 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on January 13, 2011.
- 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?"
- He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2011 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to drama.
- 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)
- [on 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.
- [on losing the girl to both Ralph and Joseph Fiennes] 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.
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