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Colin Farrell
Colin FarrellColin Farrell (Courtesy Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Colin James Farrell (born 31 May 1976) is an Irish actor. After TV and film work in the UK, he was discovered by Joel Schumacher auditioning for Tigerland (2000). The string of American thrillers that followed, Phone Booth (2002), S.W.A.T. (2003), and The Recruit (2003) established his international box office bankability. During those same years, in the workaholic pattern that he would be known for in the industry, he also starred in Steven Spielberg"s Minority Report (2002) and as the villain in Daredevil (2003). After appearing in independent films Intermission (2003) and A Home at the End of the World (2004), he helmed the Oliver Stone"s biopic Alexander (2004) and the well-regarded Terrence Malick Pocahontas movie, The New World (2005). Work in Michael Mann"s Miami Vice (2006), Ask the Dust (2006), adpated from the John Fante novel, and Woody Allen"s Cassandra's Dream (2007) underscored Farrell"s continued popularity among Hollywood"s important writers and directors, but it was only his role in fellow Irishman Martin McDonagh"s In Bruges that he finally received a Golden Globe in 2008. He co-starred in Fright Night (2011) and Total Recall (2012) remakes as well as McDonagh's second feature, Seven Psychopaths (2012). As well as being a favorite among top film critics such as Roger Ebert, Peter Bradshaw, and Manohla Dargis, Farrell amassed in the 2000s a reputation as a lothario, dating a range of women from Angelina Jolie to former Playboy playmate Nicole Narain. He was named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" in 2003 and voted sixth World's "Sexiest Man" by Company magazine that same year. Early lifeFarrell born in Dublin, Ireland, the son of Rita (née Monaghan) and Eamon Farrell. His father played football for Shamrock Rovers F.C. and ran a health food shop. His uncle, Tommy Farrell, also played for Shamrock Rovers. Farrell was raised a Roman Catholic.Farrell has an older brother, Eamon, Jr., and two sisters, Claudine and Catherine. Claudine, Farrell's older sister, works as his personal assistant. When Colin was ten, the Farrells moved to Castleknock, a Dublin suburb. Farrell was educated at St. Brigid's National School, followed by Castleknock College and Gormanston College. Farrell unsuccessfully auditioned for the Irish music group Boyzone around this time. Farrell attended the Gaiety School of Acting and dropped out when he was cast in the part of Danny Byrne on Ballykissangel, a BBC television drama that centres around a young English priest who becomes a part of a rural community in Ireland. Farrell is reported to have been inspired to try acting after being brought to tears while watching E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. CareerEarly careerFarrell had small parts in television shows and films, including the BBC's Ballykissangel in 1998 and 1999, and his film debut in English actor Tim Roth's directorial debut The War Zone. In 2000, he was cast in the lead role of Private Roland Bozz in Tigerland, a "powerful but hardly released" film (according to movie critic Roger Ebert) directed by the American Joel Schumacher. Emanuel Levy of Variety felt the actor "shines as the subversive yet basically decent lad whose cynicism may be the only sane reaction to an insane situation." Michael Holden of The Guardian felt that he was "too much the hero" to fit the classic rebel archetype properly, but the film's shortcomings "don't lie with Farrell."First box office successes (2001-2003)Farrell's next American films, American Outlaws (2001) and Hart's War (2002), were not commercially successful, but his 2002-2003 films, including Phone Booth, S.W.A.T., and The Recruit, all thrillers of some kind or another, with the latter containing his first starring role, were well-received as well as box office successes. Of Phone Booth, Ebert wrote that it is "Farrell's to win or lose, since he's onscreen most of the time, and he shows energy and intensity" while Philip French of The Observer simply says the actor "shines". In S.W.A.T., for which the actor starred with Samuel L. Jackson in an ensemble cast that also included Michelle Rodriguez, Olivier Martinez and Jeremy Renner, Alan Morrison of Empire wrote, "Farrell can usually be relied upon to bring a spark to the bonfire. That's also true of [this movie]." Elvis Mitchell of the New York Times criticized Farrell's accent, writing that he "employ[ed] a wobbly American accent that makes him sound like an international criminal a step ahead of the authorities." And Ebert and the New York Times's A.O. Scott disagreed on the actor's effectiveness in The Recruit, the former noting that he was "extremely likable" whereas the latter wrote the actor "spends his time in a caffeinated frenzy, trying to maintain his leading-man sang-froid while registering panic, stress and confusion." Phone Booth garnered a total of $46.6 million, S.W.A.T. $116.9 million, and The Recruit $52.8 million total at the box office.Farrell roles as a supporting actor include his performances as an ambitious Justice Department agent opposite Tom Cruise, a potential criminal in Minority Report (2002), and as the skilled villain Bullseye in Daredevil (2003). Matt Damon was originally offered the Minority Report role but he turned it down to appear in Ocean's Eleven. Farrell said "he had no problem" that people knew he was the producer's fall back pick after Damon declined. The character of Bullseye is that of an assassin with perfect accuracy and deep-rooted pride of it. Farrell was attached to this role in December 2001, though initially he was considered for the lead role as Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, until Ben Affleck signed. Farrell was encouraged to keep his Irish accent as this version of Bullseye is from Ireland. Farrell had to read into Frank Miller's Daredevil comics to understand Bullseye "because the expression on the character's faces in the comic books, and just the way they move sometimes, and the exaggerations of the character I'm playing [...] he's so over-the-top that you do draw from that. But it's not exactly a character you can do method acting for... you know, running around New York killing people with paper clips." From independents to historic epics (2003-2008)In late 2003, Farrell starred as a criminal who plots a bank heist with Cillian Murphy in the dark comedy Intermission, which held the record as highest-grossing Irish independent film in Irish box office history for three years. In 2004, Farrell appeared in several independent films that received only a limited theatrical release in most countries, including A Home at the End of the World, adapted from Michael Cunningham's 1990 novel, for which Ebert once again praised Farrell, saying that he was "astonishing in the movie, not least because the character is such a departure from everything he has done before". Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle was of a different opinion, however, saying the actor "is keen on making good. His speech is tentative but true. His eyes are darting but soulful. The effort is there, but it's a performance you end up rooting for rather than enjoying, because there's no way to just relax and watch."Farrell appeared in the title role of Alexander the Great in Oliver Stone's 2004 biographical film Alexander, which, while receiving some favourable reviews internationally, was poorly received in the United States. It was marked by controversy for portraying the ancient conqueror as bisexual, and received criticism from some historians for its portrayal of the ancient Persians, though others praised it for its accuracy in these regards. For example, an ancient history scholar at the University of Nebraska wrote: The movie grossed a total of $167 million worldwide, just exceeding its budget of $155 million. Farrell's next film was 2005's Academy Award-nominated The New World, another historical epic. Farrell played the leading role of Captain John Smith, the founder of 17th century colonial Jamestown, Virginia who falls in love with a beautiful Native American princess, Pocahontas, played by Q'Orianka Kilcher. Director Terrence Malick, among other things, went out of his way to keep the two leads apart until it was time for them to be filmed together. Despite being released in only 811 theatres worldwide and having a relatively low box office gross, the film received a large number of positive reviews. Among the four reviews alone from The Guardian, John Patterson described it as a "bottomless movie, almost unspeakably beautiful and formally harmonious." The New World was followed by Ask the Dust, a romance film set in period Los Angeles based on a John Fante novel and co-starring Salma Hayek. The reviews were mixed with Manohla Dargis of the New York Times saying that Farrell "invests [his] character with both focus and tenderness" and Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian opining that there was "something a little forced in both lead performances." It received a very limited theatrical release and was not a financial success. 2006 nevertheless continued to bring further success to the actor's career, as he appeared opposite Jamie Foxx in Michael Mann's action-crime film Miami Vice. The film was a box office success grossing a total of US $164 million worldwide, and TimeOut New York ranked it among the top 50 movies of the decade. Farrell was next seen in Woody Allen's Cassandra's Dream, which premiered in 2007 and was distributed in the U.S. in early 2008. Reviews for the film were mixed, with Maitland McDonagh of TV Guide opining that the American director's work was "shallow and unconvincing from beginning to end." and Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle conceding that "It's not as good as 'Match Point' or 'Crimes and Misdemeanors,'" but that "taken on its own, it's a fairly impressive piece, a directorially vigorous, well-acted, tightly constructed movie." LaSalle reserves his highest praise for the film for Farrell, writing that it "stands out," continuing "Allen is notorious for not giving his actors explicit instructions, and yet somehow this worked wonders for Farrell, who has never seemed so naked, so clear and so unencumbered as he does here." Dargis concurred saying that Farrell's work in the movie "delivers force and feeling," that his "gentleness has rarely been used so effectively," and that he was well-matched with co-star Ewan McGregor. Farrell's next film, Martin McDonagh's first full-length feature In Bruges, which Time called "the prettiest bloodbath of 2008," opened the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. While the New Yorker and TimeOut London's film critics found co-star Brendan Gleeson's performance to be the stronger of the two, Bradshaw of The Guardian found his work playing hired hitman Ray "absolutely superb: moody and funny, lethally sexy, sometimes heartbreakingly sad and vulnerable like a little boy." Farrell received his first Golden Globe nomination and win. Shortly thereafter, he appeared in Kicking It, a documentary following six homeless men from countries such as Kenya, Russia, Afghanistan, Ireland, Spain and the US as they attempt to qualify for the Homeless World Cup. Farrell appeared on screen and provided narration. The film released simultaneously in theatres and television, airing on ESPN2 with a very short window to DVD release. Farrell received positive press for his involvement in the heartwarming true-life tale. Recent work (2009-2012)On 11 January 2009, he won the Golden Globe award for Best Actor: Musical or Comedy for his role in In Bruges, in which he co-starred with Brendan Gleeson. The same year, he starred in Terry Gilliam's film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, alongside Christopher Plummer. He was one of the actors, along with Johnny Depp and Jude Law, who helped complete the late Heath Ledger's role after he died before filming ended. They all played "Imaginarium" versions of Ledger's character Tony. He also took a supporting role as Tommy Sweet in Crazy Heart, alongside Academy Award-winning Jeff Bridges.2010 saw the release of Ondine, a fantasy-drama directed by Neil Jordan, which stars Farrell as a fisherman. Shot in the fishing village of Castletownbere on Ireland's southwest coast, it featured the cinematography of longtime Wong Kar-wai collaborator Christopher Doyle. Mary Pols of Time magazine called the role "tailor made for Farrell" and that the actor gave a "beautifully confident performance." Todd McCarthy of Variety called Farrell "first rate" and noted that he worked well as an ensemble actor "graciously allowing [child star Alison Barry] to steal every scene she's in." 2010 also saw the actor star opposite Keira Knightley in the crime/romance London Boulevard. The film, William Monahan's first foray into directing"Monahan had written the screenplays for The Departed and Body of Lies"was largely panned by critics. Bradshaw of the Guardian wrote that the film "uses up all its energy, wit and ideas in the first 20 or so minutes, before collapsing into a flurry of boring violence." Leslie Felperin of Variety described it "like a fancy, retro-styled pocket watch that someone accidentally broke and tried to reassemble with only a vague idea of clockwork." The latter called the two stars the "weak links" with Farrell being "mostly taciturn and vacuous." Farrell starred in the 2011 comedy movie Horrible Bosses, with Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman and Jason Sudeikis, directed by Seth Gordon. The film focuses on a trio of employees who plot to murder their titular tyrannical supervisors. The London Observer's Mark Kermode wrote that although the film would have benefited from a tighter script, both Jamie Foxx and Farrell were given "ripe" roles that they "riff with panache". Michael Phillips of the Los Angeles Times thought that Farrell brought "massive, slobby relish" to the role of the cocaine fiend boss. Later that year, the actor played the main antagonist in the Fright Night remake. Farrell joined Anton Yelchin, David Tennant, and Toni Collette in this story about a charismatic vampire who moves in next to a high school student and his single mother. The film was released by DreamWorks, with Craig Gillespie (of Lars and the Real Girl) having directed from a script by cult favorite Buffy the Vampire Slayer writer Marti Noxon. Sukhdev Sandhu of the Telegraph wrote that Farrell "proves his comedy credentials once more .... utterly seductive as the plushly-eyebrowed carpenter-cum-bloodsucker" while the New York Times's A.O. Scott thought that Farrell played his role with "a wink and a snarl and a feline purr." Logan Hill, of New York magazine, opined that "Farrell's always either radiating smoldering menace or gawking like a crazy person, and often both" but concedes "Sure, [it] may not make much sense, but neither do centuries-old vampires living in Nevadan subdivisions. So he goes for it." Farrell starred in Columbia Pictures' Total Recall (a 2012 remake of the 1990 film, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger), with Kate Beckinsale. Filmed from May to September 2011 in Toronto, Canada, and directed by Len Wiseman, the film was a new take on the sci-fi picture about a sleeper agent. Jordan Hoffman of Film.com thought that Farrell was "likeable" and both Ebert and the New York Times opined that though they believed Farrell was the better actor, that Schwarzenegger was "more of a movie presence and better suited for the role." Forthcoming films (2013-)As of December 2012, Farrell is involved in two film adaptions of novels: Flann O'Brien's metafictional novel At Swim-Two-Birds and Winter's Tale.In the film adaptation of Flann O'Brien's metafictional novel At Swim-Two-Birds, Farrell will star alongside Cillian Murphy and Gabriel Byrne. Friend actor Brendan Gleeson will direct the film. In October 2009, Gleeson expressed fear that, should the Irish Film Board be abolished as planned by the Irish State, the production may fall through, but in 2011 confirmed that he had secured funding. Winter's Tale co-stars Russell Crowe and Will Smith with a script by Akiva Goldsman. It was controversially shot days after Hurricane Sandy in an area in Brooklyn still recovering from the storm. Personal lifeColin Farrell dated English actress (now singer) Amelia Warner from July to November 2001. There was speculation that they married. However, in December 2011, Warner revealed to the British Sun the marriage ceremony was never legal. "We had a ceremony on a beach in Tahiti that was by no means legal and we knew it wasn't... It was just a thing we did on holiday. We went shark feeding and then we did that. We booked them both on the activities desk at the hotel."Colin and American-British writer Emma Forrest dated for over a year, an experience she touches upon in depth in her memoir Your Voice In My Head, which focuses on her relationship with her therapist who died unexpectedly. (The book is being made into a movie releasing in 2013 starring Emma Watson and Stanley Tucci.) According to Forrest, she and Farrell had planned to have a child together, before he ended the relationship. American writer and literary critic Maud Newton on reading the book wrote, "I was surprised, having only a vague negative impression of Farrell before reading Your Voice in My Head, at how charming, intelligent, and likeable he seems " before he calls things off and stops returning her texts, anyway." By the end of 2003, he'd been linked to Britney Spears, Angelina Jolie, model Josie Maran, Maeve Quinlan, and Demi Moore. Colin and US model Kim Bordenave became parents of James Padraig Farrell, born in 2003, in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles. In October 2007, Farrell revealed that his son has Angelman syndrome, a rare genetic disorder characterised by severe intellectual and developmental delay, lack of speech, and a very happy, excitable demeanor. Farrell and Ondine co-star Alicja Bachleda-Curu?, a Polish actress, have a son, Henry Tadeusz Farrell, born in October 2009. One year after the birth of their son, Alicja Bachleda Curus and Colin Farrell decided to end their relationship. Sex tapeIn July 2006, Farrell filed a lawsuit suing his former girlfriend, Playboy model Nicole Narain, and the Internet Commerce Group (ICG) over the unauthorised public distribution of a 14-minute sex tape that Farrell made with Narain in 2003. It was leaked to ICG, which tried to release it publicly. A Los Angeles judge issued an injunction barring the sale, distribution, or display of the tape.Narain claimed that she did not give the tape to anyone and was not sure if or how copies were taken from her. She originally said that she would work with Farrell to ensure that it remained private, but Farrell said that Narain was trying to release it in order to damage his acting career and "make money out of it", which Narain denies. A trial date for the Narain lawsuit was set for 17 July 2006, but the judge allowed Farrell and Nicole to mediate until 20 April. On 16 April, the two reached a settlement with confidential terms. However, Farrell's lawsuit against ICG continued with a trial date set for 21 July 2006. Friendship with Elizabeth TaylorFarrell had reportedly grown very close to Elizabeth Taylor shortly before her death (he had reportedly pursued her) and was one of the few non-family members to attend her private funeral. He recited the poem "The Leaden Echo and The Golden Echo" by Gerard Manley Hopkins at her funeral, requested by Taylor herself. Farrell said, "It was a tricky poem as well. Even in passing she had me under the thumb, sweating bricks".Drug addictionsIn December 2005, Farrell voluntarily checked into a rehabilitation treatment center for addictions to recreational drugs and painkillers. He spoke plainly about it on the Late Show with David Letterman after he came out of rehab.Stalker incident on Jay LenoOn 20 July 2006, as Farrell was being interviewed by Jay Leno on the set of The Tonight Show, telephone sex worker Dessarae Bradford evaded security, walked on stage as cameras were rolling, confronted Farrell, and threw her book on Leno's desk. Farrell escorted her off the stage himself, telling the camera crew to stop filming, and handed her over to security. As Bradford was led out of the studio, she shouted "I'll see you in court." Farrell's response was, "Darling, you're insane!" NBC security handed her to Burbank police, who eventually released her. After Farrell apologised to the audience, describing Bradford as "my first stalker", the show continued filming and the incident was edited out of the aired broadcast. The following day, Farrell obtained a restraining order against Bradford.Bradford had twice attempted to sue Farrell, alleging abusive messages, but the lawsuits were dismissed due to a lack of evidence provided by Bradford. Bradford also failed a lie detector test on an i TV program while attempting to support her claims and stories. Charity work and causesIn 2007, Farrell joined other celebrities to become an official games spokesman for the Special Olympics World Games in Shanghai, China. Farrell has also lent his support to the anti-bullying campaign Stand Up! organized by the Irish LGBT youth organization BeLonG To in March 2012. He appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2010 to raise awareness on the matter.FilmographyFilm
Television
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