Colin Firth is an actor, a writer and a philanthropist. He was born on 10 September, 1960, in Grayshott Hampshire, England. His parents, Shirley Jean and David Norman Lewis Firth, have been lecturers of Comparative Religion and History respectively. Firth’s acting skills were discovered quite early in life, when at primary school he acted in a Christmas pantomime as Jack Frost. After school, he spent two years at the Drama Centre in Chalk Farm and was picked for his first professional role in a West End Production of Another Country as Bennet. He later won the role of Judd for the film version of the same play, which was also his first film appearance in 1983.
Colin Firth gained worldwide popularity in 1995 after the BBC broadcast their adaptation of Pride and Prejudice in which he played the role of Fitzwilliam Darcy. Colin Firth was also secretly admired by fictional journalist Bridget Jones in Helen Fielding’s novels – Bridget Jones’s Diary and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. Firth went on to star in the film adaptations of the novels.
Colin Firth’s other films include The English Patient (1996), Fever Pitch (1997), Shakespeare in Love (1998), The Importance of Being Earnest (2002), Love Actually (2003) and What a Girl Wants (2003). He has also featured in the updated television series of Don Quixote, Donovan Quick and another television series, Conspiracy.
As a writer, Firth’s work includes a short story called “The Department of Nothing” which appeared in Speaking with the Angel in 2001. Nick Hornby edited this work, which was published for TreeHouse Trust in order to benefit autistic children. Firth is also actively involved in a campaign to curb the extradition of a group of asylum seekers. He feels that it is basic human nature to
help fellow humans who are in need and frequently expresses his displeasure about people’s biased attitude towards such issues.
Colin Firth has a son with actress Meg Tilly with whom he co-starred in Valmont (1989). Firth was also romantically linked with his co-star from Pride and Prejudice, Jennifer Ehle. Hee is now married to Italian film producer-director, Livia Giuoggioli. The couple have two sons.
When asked who were the women in his life in an interview for a magazine, Firth is quoted as saying, “My mum, my wife and Jane Austen.”
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