Colin Firth
| Colin Firth | |
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 Firth at 2009 Venice Film Festival |
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| Born | Colin Andrew Firth 10 September 1960 Grayshott, Hampshire, UK |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Spouse | Livia Giuggioli (1997-present) |
Colin Andrew Firth (born 10 September 1960) is a British film, television, and stage actor. Firth first gained wide public attention, especially in the United Kingdom, for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 television adaption of Pride and Prejudice. He subsequently achieved film stardom with the international box-office success of Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), where he co-starred with Renée Zellweger and Hugh Grant. On 2 February 2010, he received an Academy Award nomination for his work in A Single Man, for which he won the BAFTA for Best Actor.
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Early life
Firth was born in Grayshott, Hampshire, UK, the son of Shirley Jean (née Rolles), a comparative religion lecturer, and David Norman Lewis Firth, a history lecturer and education officer for the Nigerian Government.[1][2][3] Firth has a sister, Kate, and a younger brother, Jonathan, who is also an actor. Firth's parents were raised in India,[4] because his maternal grandparents, Congregationalist ministers, and his paternal grandfather, an Anglican priest, performed missionary work abroad.[5][6][7][8] Firth spent part of his childhood in Nigeria, where his father was teaching. He lived in St. Louis, Missouri when he was 11. He later attended the Montgomery of Alamein Secondary School, (now Kings' School), a state comprehensive school in Winchester, Hampshire, and then Barton Peveril College in Eastleigh, Hampshire. While in Kings' School, he wanted to play the guitar, but the school banned the guitar and saxophone, as they were "not serious instruments", and he was told to play the baritone euphonium instead.[9] His acting training took place at the Drama Centre London.
Film career
In 1983, Firth starred as Guy Bennett the award-winning London stage production of Another Country. In 1984, he made his film debut in the screen adaptation of the play, taking the role of Tommy Judd (opposite Rupert Everett as Bennett). In 1986 he starred with Sir Laurence Olivier in Lost Empires, a TV adaptation of J. B. Priestley's novel, then in 1987 he appeared alongside Kenneth Branagh in the film version of J. L. Carr's, A Month in the Country. In 1989, he played the title role in the film Valmont, and was co-lead in the film Apartment Zero. Firth and other young British actors who were becoming established film actors such as Tim Roth, Gary Oldman, Bruce Payne and Paul McGann were dubbed the 'Brit Pack'.[10]
It was through the 1995 BBC television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice that Firth gained wider renown. The serial was a major international success, and Firth gained heartthrob status because of his role as Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. This performance also made him the object of affection for fictional journalist 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. Continuing this in-joke there was a dog called Mr Darcy in the film St. Trinian's which Firth's character accidentally kills.
Firth 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), Relative Values (2000), Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), The Importance of Being Earnest (2002), Love Actually (2003), What a Girl Wants (2003), Hope Springs (2003), Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003), Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004), Nanny McPhee (2005), Then She Found Me (2007) with Helen Hunt, The Last Legion (2007) with Aishwarya Rai, When Did You Last See Your Father? (2008), the film adaptation of Mamma Mia! (2008), Easy Virtue which screened at the Rome Film Festival to excellent reviews[11] and most recently he starred in A Christmas Carol (2009), the 50th adaptation of Charles Dickens's novel A Christmas Carol using the performance capture procedure, playing Scrooge's optimistic nephew Fred.
He has also appeared in several television productions, including Donovan Quick (an updated version of Don Quixote) (1999) and Conspiracy (2001), for which he received an Emmy nomination. Colin Firth's most recent role is in the Toronto International Film Festival debuted film, Genova.[12]
At the 66th Venice International Film Festival in 2009, Colin Firth was awarded the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for his role in Tom Ford's A Single Man as a college professor grappling with solitude after his longtime partner dies. Fashion designer Tom Ford made his director's debut with this movie. This role has earned Firth career best reviews and Academy Award, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, BAFTA, and BFCA nominations; he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in February 2010.
Firth will appear in the 2012 adaptation of the John le Carré novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, directed by Tomas Alfredson, also starring Ralph Fiennes, Gary Oldman and Tom Hardy.[13]
Other work
Firth played William Shakespeare in a comedy special entitled Blackadder: Back & Forth. Edmund Blackadder runs into Firth's character while he is working on Macbeth, asks him to sign the script for him, and then punches him, saying "That is for every schoolboy and schoolgirl for the next 400 years!".
He was a guest host of Saturday Night Live in 2004 alongside musical guest Norah Jones.
Colin performed in theatre frequently between 1983 and 2000. He starred in Three Days of Rain as lead character Ned/Walker, as well as The Caretaker, Desire Under the Elms and Chatsky.
He served as executive producer for the 2007 documentary produced by his wife, Livia Giuggioli, In Prison My Whole Life. The film questions the trial proceedings and evidence used against political activist and former Black Panther member, Mumia Abu-Jamal, who is on death row for the 1981 killing of a Philadelphia police officer, Daniel Faulkner.
Firth is also a Jury Member for the digital studio Filmaka, a platform for undiscovered filmmakers to show their work to industry professionals.[14] On 2 February 2010, Firth was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in A Single Man. He lost to Jeff Bridges for his performance in Crazy Heart.
Writer
Firth's first published work, "The Department of Nothing", appeared in Speaking with the Angel (2000).[15] This collection of short stories was edited by Nick Hornby[16] and was published to benefit the TreeHouse Trust,[17] in aid of autistic children. Firth had previously met Hornby during the filming of the original Fever Pitch.[18][19] Colin Firth contributed with his writing for the book, We Are One: A Celebration of Tribal Peoples, released in 2009.[20] The book explores the culture of peoples around the world, portraying both its diversity and facing threats. It counts with the contributions of many western writers, such as Laurens van der Post, Noam Chomsky, Claude Lévi-Strauss; and also indigenous peoples, such as Davi Kopenawa Yanomami and Roy Sesana. The royalties from the sale of this book go to the indigenous rights organization, Survival International.
Personal life
Firth resides in Chiswick, London. In 1989, he entered into a romantic relationship with actress Meg Tilly his co-star in Valmont. In 1990, she gave birth to a son, William "Will" Joseph Firth, and they made their home in Canada. He still stays in contact with Will and with Tilly's other children for whom he was a step father. In 1994, after he and Tilly had separated, Firth became involved with actress Jennifer Ehle, his co-star in Pride and Prejudice, but the two broke up eventually. Firth is currently married to Italian film producer/director Livia Giuggioli and lives in both London and Italy.[21] They have two sons, Luca (born March 2001) and Matteo (born August 2003).
Firth has been involved in a campaign to stop the deportation of a group of asylum seekers, because he believed that they might be murdered on their return to the Democratic Republic of Congo.[22] Firth argued that "To me it's just basic civilization to help people. I find this incredibly painful to see how we dismiss the most desperate people in our society. It's easily done. It plays to the tabloids, to the Middle-England xenophobes. It just makes me furious. And all from a government we once had such high hopes for".[23] As a result of the campaign, a Congolese nurse was given a last-minute reprieve from deportation.[24]
Firth has been a long-standing supporter of Survival International, a non-governmental organization that defends the rights of tribal peoples.[25] Speaking in 2001, he said, "My interest in tribal peoples goes back many years... and I have supported [Survival] ever since."[26] In 2003, during the promotion of the movie Love Actually, he spoke in defense of the tribal people of Botswana, condemning the Botswana government's eviction of the Gana and Gwi Bushmen from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. He says of the Bushmen, "These people are not the remnants of a past era who need to be brought up to date. Those who are able to continue to live on the land that is rightfully theirs are facing the 21st century with a confidence that many of us in the so-called developed world can only envy."[25]
Firth has also been involved in the Oxfam global campaign Make Trade Fair,[27] in which several other celebrities participated as well in order to bring more attention to the issues involved.[28] The campaign has focused on several trade practices seen as unfair to third world producers especially, including dumping, high import tariffs, and labour rights such as fair wages. Firth remains deeply committed to this cause, making efforts such as supporting fair trade coffee in his daily life, as he believes "[i]f you're going to sustain commitment to any of this, ... [y]ou've got to get involved on an ordinary every day basis."[29] He has further contributed to this cause by opening (with a few collaborators) an eco-friendly shop in West London, Eco.[30] The shop offers fair trade and eco-friendly goods, as well as expert advice on making spaces more energy efficient.
In October 2009 at the London Film Festival, Firth launched a film and political activism website, Brightwide.com,[31] along with his wife Livia and a team headed by Paola De Leo, a former Director of Deutsche Bank and Head of the Global Major Donor Programme for Amnesty. In a 2006 interview with French magazine Madame Figaro,[32] Firth was asked "Quelles sont les femmes de votre vie?" (Who are the women of your life?). Firth replied: "Ma mère, ma femme et Jane Austen" (My mother, my wife and Jane Austen). He was awarded an honorary degree on 19 October 2007 from the University of Winchester.
In early 2010, Firth announced his support for the Liberal Democrats, having formerly been a Labour supporter, citing asylum and refugees' rights as a key reason for his change in affiliation. He said he had "been appalled by the abandonment of the values they advocated while in opposition, each Labour Home Secretary seeking to outdo the last in sheer viciousness. For me, their conduct on asylum alone is reason enough never to be able, with any conscience, to contemplate voting for them again".[33]
Singing career
Firth has performed songs in many of his films, the most recent being Mamma Mia! He performs the song "Lady Come Down" alongside Rupert Everett in The Importance of Being Earnest as well as one song in St. Trinian's with Everett which appeared in the credits, an adaptation of "Love Is in the Air".
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Another Country | Tommy Judd | |
| Camille | Armand Duval | Made for TV Movie | |
| 1985 | 1919 | (young) Alexander Scherbatov | |
| Dutch Girls | Neil Truelove | Made For TV Movie | |
| 1986 | Lost Empires | Richard Herncastle | TV mini-series with Laurence Olivier |
| 1987 | A Month in the Country | Tom Birkin | |
| Pat Hobby:Teamed With Genius | Rene Wilcox | PBS Shorts Special | |
| The Secret Garden | adult Colin Craven | Hallmark Hall of Fame | |
| 1988 | Tumbledown | Robert Lawrence | Made for TV Movie Royal Television Society Award for Best Actor Nominated — British Academy Television Award for Best Actor |
| 1989 | Apartment Zero | Adrian LeDuc | |
| Valmont | Valmont | ||
| 1990 | Femme Fatale | Joseph Prince | |
| Wings of Fame | Brian Smith | ||
| 1991 | Out of the Blue | Alan | Play for Television |
| 1993 | Hostages | John McCarthy | Television - HBO |
| The Hour of the Pig | Richard Courtois | aka The Advocate | |
| 1994 | Master of the Moor | Stephen Whalby | Made for Television - UK |
| Playmaker | Michael Condron/Ross Talbert | aka Death Date (Germany) | |
| The Deep Blue Sea | Freddie Page | Play for Television - UK | |
| 1995 | Circle of Friends | Simon Westward | |
| Pride and Prejudice | Fitzwilliam Darcy | Television mini-series Broadcasting Press Guild Award for Best Actor Nominated — British Academy Television Award for Best Actor Nominated — National Television Award for Most Popular Male |
|
| The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd | Charles Holroyd | Play for Television - UK | |
| 1996 | The English Patient | Geoffrey Clifton | Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |
| 1997 | A Thousand Acres | Jess Clark | |
| Fever Pitch | Paul Ashworth | ||
| Nostromo | Charles Gould | Television mini-series | |
| 1998 | Shakespeare in Love | Lord Wessex | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |
| 1999 | Blackadder: Back & Forth | William Shakespeare | short |
| Donovan Quick | Donovan Quick/Daniel Quinn | Made for Television - UK | |
| My Life So Far | Edward Pettigrew | ||
| The Secret Laughter of Women | Matthew Field | ||
| The Turn of the Screw | The Master | Masterpiece Theater | |
| 2000 | Relative Values | Peter Ingleton | |
| 2001 | Bridget Jones's Diary | Mark Darcy | European Film Awards Audience Award for Best Actor Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |
| Conspiracy | Wilhelm Stuckart | Television - HBO Nominated — Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor – Miniseries or a Movie Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film |
|
| We Know Where You Live | Himself | Benefit for Amnesty International | |
| Londinium | Allen Portland | Television - HBO a.k.a. Fourplay |
|
| 2002 | The Importance of Being Earnest | Jack Worthing | |
| 2003 | Girl with a Pearl Earring | Johannes Vermeer | Nominated — European Film Awards Audience Award for Best Actor |
| Hope Springs | Colin Ware | ||
| Love Actually | Jamie Bennett | Nominated — Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast | |
| What a Girl Wants | Henry Dashwood | ||
| 2004 | Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason | Mark Darcy | |
| Trauma | Ben Slater | ||
| La Fenice | Guido Brunetti | in development | |
| 2005 | Nanny McPhee | Cedric Brown | |
| Where the Truth Lies | Vince Collins | ||
| 2006 | Born Equal | Mark Armitage | Television movie - UK |
| 2007 | The Last Legion | Aurelius | |
| And When Did You Last See Your Father? | Blake Morrison | Nominated — British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actor | |
| Then She Found Me | Frank | ||
| St. Trinian's | Geoffrey Thwaites | ||
| 2007 | In Prison My Whole Life | Himself | |
| 2008 | The Accidental Husband | Richard Bratton | |
| Mamma Mia! | Harry Bright | Nominated — National Movie Award for Best Performance Male | |
| Easy Virtue | Jim Whittaker | ||
| Genova | Joe | ||
| 2009 | A Christmas Carol | Fred | |
| Dorian Gray | Lord Henry Wotton | ||
| A Single Man | George Falconer | Austin Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor Venice Film Festival - Volpi Cup Santa Barbara International Film Festival - Outstanding Performance of the Year Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actor Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Male Nominated — Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Nominated — Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated — Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association for Best Actor |
|
| Main Street | Tom Phillips | in post-production | |
| St. Trinian's II: The Legend of Fritton's Gold | Geoffrey Thwaites | ||
| Catalonia | George Orwell | in pre-production | |
| 2010 | The King's Speech | King George VI | in post-production |
| 2012 | Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy | pre-production |
Further reading
- Teeman, Tim (20 September 2007). "Colin Firth's Darcy Dilemma". London: The Times. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article2490180.ece. Retrieved 23 September 2007.!
References
- ↑ "Actor Colin Firth is perhaps bes". Firthessence.net. http://www.firthessence.net/family.htm. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
- ↑ "Colin Firth's Lineage". Firthessence.net. http://www.firthessence.net/firthfile.html. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
- ↑ "Colin Firth Biography (1979-)". Filmreference.com. http://www.filmreference.com/film/33/Colin-Firth.html. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
- ↑ Karen. "Real Magazine interview with Colin Firth (Aug 2002)". Firth.com. http://www.firth.com/articles/02realmag_816.html. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
- ↑ lmw (2001-05-07). "Colin Firth - Fresh Air interview 2001". Hem.passagen.se. http://hem.passagen.se/lmw/freshair01.html. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
- ↑ Karen. "Colin Firth: Bridget Jones' Sweetie Would Rather Play Bad Guys". Spring.net. http://www.spring.net/karenr/articles/entnewsdaily50401.html. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
- ↑ Fresh Air from WHYY. "British Actor Colin Firth". NPR. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1506175. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
- ↑ Karen (2002-05-18). "Globe and Mail - The Other Face of Colin Firth (May 18, 2002)". Firth.com. http://www.firth.com/articles/globeandmail51802.html. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
- ↑ "16 February 2010". The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. 2010-02-16.
- ↑ "The Brit Pack". Brucepayne.de. http://www.brucepayne.de/press/articles/facearticle1987.html. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
- ↑ "Easy Virtue brings British humour to Rome Film Festival". www.reuters.com. http://easyvirtuereview.blogspot.com/. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
- ↑ Colin Firth, Genova Interview. AOL Entertainment Canada
- ↑ "Benedict Cumberbatch Joins 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'". 16 August 2010. http://www.cinematical.com/2010/08/16/benedict-cumberbatch-joins-tinker-tailor-soldier-spy/. Retrieved 2010-09-4.
- ↑ Filmaka Jury Member Colin Firth, Filmaka.com.
- ↑ lmw. "Colin Firth Career Timeline: Department of Nothing". Hem.passagen.se. http://hem.passagen.se/lmw/department_of_nothing.html. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
- ↑ "Nick Hornby". Penguin.co.uk. http://www.penguin.co.uk/static/cs/uk/0/minisites/nickhornby/books/swta_synopsis.html#swta. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
- ↑ "Nick Hornby". Penguin.co.uk. http://www.penguin.co.uk/static/cs/uk/0/minisites/nickhornby/treehouse/index.html. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
- ↑ "Colin Firth Biography". Tiscali.co.uk. http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biographies/colin_firth_biog/9. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
- ↑ Fever Pitch (1997)
- ↑ "We Are One". Survival International. http://www.survivalinternational.org/weareone. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
- ↑ Steiner, Susie (31 March 2001). "Twice Shy". The Guardian (London). http://film.guardian.co.uk/interview/interviewpages/0,,465976,00.html. Retrieved 20 May 2008.
- ↑ Firth, Colin (26 February 2007). "We must stop a deportation that is likely to end in murder". The Independent (London). http://comment.independent.co.uk/letters/article2305539.ece. Retrieved 27 February 2007.
- ↑ Johnson, Andrew (26 February 2007). "Colin Firth makes plea for nurse 'facing murder' in Congo". The Independent (London). http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article2305575.ece. Retrieved 27 February 2007.
- ↑ "Firth's intervention saves nurse from deportation". The Independent (London). 27 February 2007. http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/legal/article2308458.ece. Retrieved 27 February 2007.
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 "'Love Actually' star Colin Firth condemns Bushman evictions". Survival International. http://www.survival-international.org/news/24. Retrieved 27 February 2007.
- ↑ "Audio". Survival International. http://www.survival-international.org/news/audio.
- ↑ "Make Trade Fair - Oxfam International". maketradefair.com. http://www.maketradefair.com/en/index.php?file=dumped_colin.htm.
- ↑ "Celebrities present 18 million-strong Make Trade Fair petition to World Trade boss in Hong Kong - Oxfam International". Oxfam International. http://www.oxfam.org/en/news/pressreleases2005/pr051212_bignoise.
- ↑ "Colin Firth Profile in the Independent". firth.com. http://www.firth.com/articles/05indep_716.html.
- ↑ Grainger, Lisa (17 November 2007). "Colin Firth's New Eco-Store". London: timesonline.co.uk. http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/the_way_we_live/article2856825.ece. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
- ↑ "The Rebirth of Colin Firth". London: guardian.co.uk. 22 September 2009. http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2009/sep/22/colin-firth-oscars. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
- ↑ "In Private with Colin Firth". Firth.com. http://www.firth.com/articles/06figaro_204.html.
- ↑ Backers, Celebrity (2010-03-16). "Colin Firth on why he’s stopped voting Labour and now supports the Lib Dems". Libdemvoice.org. http://www.libdemvoice.org/colin-firth-18389.html. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
External links
- Colin Firth at the Internet Movie Database
- Colin Firth at Allmovie
- Colin Firth Interview Part One and Part Two New Statesman - June 2010
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