Colin Firth Brief Biography

Colin Andrew Firth, (born 10 September 1960) is an English film, television, and theatre actor. His films have earned more than $936 million from 42 releases worldwide. He has received an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA and the Screen Actors Guild Award, as well as the Volpi Cup. In 1987, Firth was labelled as one of the 'Brit Pack' of up and coming new young British actors, along with Gary Oldman and Tim Roth, however his route to stardom progressed at a slower pace than many of his contemporaries. It was not until his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice that Firth gained widespread public attention. The show was a hit in the UK and USA and established him as a romantic leading man. This led to roles in films such as The English Patient, Bridget Jones's Diary (for which he was nominated for a BAFTA), Shakespeare In Love and Love Actually. In 2010 he received widespread critical acclaim for his leading role in A Single Man, for which Firth gained his first Academy Award nomination, and won a BAFTA Award. The following year, Firth was awarded an Oscar for his portrayal of King George VI in The King's Speech, a performance that garnered many other worldwide best actor awards. It was Firth's highest grossing film to date, making back 51 times its £8 million budget.

In 2011, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was also selected as one of The Time 100. He was awarded an honorary degree from the University of Winchester in 2007, and was made a Freeman of the City of London in 2012. Firth has campaigned for the rights of indigenous tribal peoples and is a member of Survival International. He has also campaigned on issues of asylum and refugees' rights and the environment and in 2011 launched a political activism website. He was involved with Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign. Firth comissioned and is credited as a co-author on a scientific paper on a study into the differences in brain structure between people of differing political orientations.

Colin Firth News

• Colin Firth, Emma Stone to star in new Woody Allen film
• Colin Firth and Emily Blunt deny roles in 'Murder Mystery'
• New 'Bridget Jones' novel to be published in November