Colin Firth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Colin Firth
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Firth in 2017
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Colin Andrew Firth
10 September 1960 Grayshott, Hampshire, England
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| Citizenship |
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| Alma mater | National Youth Theatre Drama Centre London |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1983–present |
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Works
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Full list |
| Spouse(s) |
Livia Giuggioli
(m. 1997; div. 2021) |
| Partner(s) | Meg Tilly (1989–1994) |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives |
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| Awards | Full list |
Colin Andrew Firth (born 10 September 1960) is a famous English actor and producer. He has won many important awards for his acting. These include an Academy Award (also known as an Oscar), two BAFTA Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. He was also nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards for his TV work.
In 2011, Colin Firth was given a special honor called a CBE. This was for his great contributions to drama and acting. That same year, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Firth became well-known in the mid-1980s as part of the "Brit Pack" of talented young British actors. He played leading roles in films like A Month in the Country (1987) and Valmont (1989). His role as Mr. Darcy in the 1995 TV show Pride and Prejudice made him very popular.
After that, he starred in many big movies. These include The English Patient (1996) and Shakespeare in Love (1998). He also appeared in Love Actually (2003) and played Mark Darcy in the Bridget Jones movies. He even sang in the musical films Mamma Mia! (2008) and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018).
Colin Firth won an Academy Award for Best Actor for playing King George VI in The King's Speech (2010). Before that, he was nominated for an Oscar for his role in A Single Man (2009). He also played the cool secret agent Harry Hart in Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) and its sequel. His other films include Mary Poppins Returns (2018) and 1917 (2019). For TV, he was nominated for Emmy Awards for Conspiracy (2001) and The Staircase (2022).
In 2012, he started his own film company called Raindog Films. He helped produce movies like Eye in the Sky (2015). His movies have earned over $3 billion around the world. Colin Firth also supports important causes, like the rights of Indigenous people and refugees.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Colin Firth was born on September 10, 1960, in Grayshott, Hampshire, England. His parents were both teachers and academics. His mother, Shirley Jean, taught about different religions. His father, David Norman Lewis Firth, taught history.
Colin is the oldest of three children. His sister, Kate Firth, and his brother, Jonathan Firth, are also actors. His grandparents were also involved in religious work overseas. Both of his parents spent part of their childhood in India.
As a child, Colin moved around a lot because of his parents' jobs. He lived in Nigeria for a few years. When he was 11, he lived in St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States. He said this was a "difficult time" for him.
When he returned to England, he went to Montgomery of Alamein Secondary School. He felt like an outsider and was sometimes bullied. To fit in, he started to copy the local accent and act uninterested in school.
Colin began taking drama classes when he was 10 years old. By the time he was 14, he knew he wanted to be a professional actor. He didn't enjoy school much at first. He felt it was "boring and mediocre."
However, at Barton Peveril Sixth Form College, a teacher named Penny Edwards made him love English literature. He said his two years there were some of the happiest of his life. After college, Colin moved to London. He joined the National Youth Theatre and later studied at Drama Centre London.
Acting Career Highlights
Early Roles and Big Break
Colin Firth started his acting career playing Hamlet in a school play. A writer named Julian Mitchell saw him and cast him in a play called Another Country in 1983. In 1984, he made his first movie in the film version of the same play.
In 1987, Colin was part of a group of rising British actors called the 'Brit Pack'. He appeared in A Month in the Country. He also played a real soldier, Robert Lawrence, in the 1988 TV show Tumbledown. This role earned him an award and a nomination for a BAFTA TV Award.
His big breakthrough came in 1995. He played the proud and distant Mr. Darcy in the BBC TV show Pride and Prejudice. The show was a huge success around the world. It made Colin Firth a star.
Romantic and Ensemble Films
After playing Mr. Darcy, Colin Firth became known for romantic roles. He even played a character named Mark Darcy in the movie Bridget Jones's Diary. This movie was a modern version of Pride and Prejudice. He thought it was funny to play a similar character. The film was very popular.
He also had a big role in The English Patient (1996). He appeared in romantic period films like Shakespeare in Love (1998) and The Importance of Being Earnest (2002). He also played a serious role as Dr. Wilhelm Stuckart in the TV film Conspiracy (2001). This role earned him an Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
Colin Firth was part of the large cast in the popular movie Love Actually (2003). He also played painter Johannes Vermeer in Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003). This film received good reviews and won several awards.
In 2005, he appeared in the fantasy film Nanny McPhee with Emma Thompson. He played a father struggling to raise his children. In 2008, he starred in Mamma Mia!, his first musical movie. He found it a bit scary but enjoyed it. Mamma Mia! became one of the highest-earning British films ever.
Award-Winning Performances
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In 2009, Colin Firth won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor. This was for his role in A Single Man, where he played a college professor dealing with loneliness. His performance earned him many nominations, and he won the BAFTA Award in 2010.
Firth then starred in the 2010 film The King's Speech. He played Prince Albert, Duke of York, who later became King George VI. The movie showed his struggle to overcome a speech problem as he became king. The film was a huge success and received a standing ovation at the Toronto International Film Festival.
For his role in The King's Speech, Colin Firth won a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and his second BAFTA award. On February 27, 2011, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor (Oscar). The movie earned over $414 million worldwide.
In 2011, Firth also appeared in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. He played a British secret agent. Critics praised his performance and the film.
Later Career and Producing
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In 2011, Colin Firth received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2012, he started his own film production company, Raindog Films. One of the first movies he co-produced was Eye in the Sky, released in 2016.
In 2014, he played Harry Hart in the spy action film Kingsman: The Secret Service. This movie was very successful. He returned for the sequel, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, in 2017.
He also reprised his role as Mark Darcy in Bridget Jones's Baby (2016). In 2018, he appeared in Mary Poppins Returns as William Weatherall Wilkins. He also returned as Harry Bright in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
In 2019, he had a small role in the World War I film 1917. More recently, he starred in Supernova (2020) and Operation Mincemeat (2022). In 2022, he returned to TV in the HBO series The Staircase.
Writing and Activism
Colin Firth has also done some writing. His first published story, "The Department of Nothing," appeared in a book called Speaking with the Angel (2000). This book helped raise money for a school for autistic children.
He also contributed to a book called We Are One: A Celebration of Tribal Peoples (2009). This book explores the lives and challenges of Indigenous peoples around the world. The money from the book helps the organization Survival International, which supports Indigenous rights.
Firth has been a strong supporter of Survival International for many years. He speaks out for the rights of tribal people. In 2003, he spoke against the government's actions towards the Gana and Gwi people in Botswana. He believes these communities should be allowed to live on their own land.
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He also supports the Refugee Council. He has campaigned to stop the deportation of asylum seekers, especially those who might face danger if they return to their home countries. He believes it's important to help people in desperate situations.
Colin Firth has also been involved in the Oxfam campaign Make Trade Fair. This campaign works to make trade practices fairer for producers in poorer countries. He even helped open an eco-friendly shop in London that sells fair-trade goods.
In 2009, Firth joined the 10:10 project. This project encourages people to reduce their carbon footprints to help the environment. He also supports "Roots & Shoots," an education program by the Jane Goodall Institute.
Personal Life
In 1989, Colin Firth started a relationship with actress Meg Tilly. They had a son named William Joseph Firth in 1990. William is also an actor and appeared with his father in Bridget Jones's Baby. Colin and Meg separated in 1994.
In 1997, Colin Firth married Italian activist Livia Giuggioli. They have two sons, Luca and Matteo. Colin speaks fluent Italian. The family used to live in both London and Italy. They announced their separation in 2019.
Colin Firth was against the Brexit initiative, which was for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union. After Brexit happened, he applied for dual citizenship (British and Italian) in 2017. He wanted to have the same passports as his wife and children. His application was approved. He said he would "always be extremely British."
Awards and Recognition
Colin Firth has won many awards for his acting. These include an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. He won these for his role as King George VI in The King's Speech (2010).
He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Winchester in 2007. On January 13, 2011, he was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In April 2011, Time magazine included him in its list of the World's 100 Most Influential People.
Colin Firth was also appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2011. This was for his great contributions to drama.
See also
In Spanish: Colin Firth para niños
- List of British actors
- List of British Academy Award nominees and winners
- List of actors with Academy Award nominations
