Colin Firth Bio: From Bridget Jones' Diary to The King's Speech

Colin Firth Bio: From Bridget Jones’ Diary to The King’s Speech No lady can resist this Academy Award Winning Brit’s sensitivity and charm. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’re taking a look at the career of Colin Firth. Colin Andrew Firth was born September 10th, 1960 in Grayshott, England. Firth spent his early years living in Nigeria, due to his father’s job as an academic lecturer. Eventually, the family relocated to St. Louis, Missouri when he was eleven. This radical shift in lifestyle caused the young Firth to feel like an outsider: he soon became introverted and developed a rude and defensive attitude. Fortunately, his family returned to Britain after a year, and it was then that Firth became more friendly and outgoing. Firth’s passion for acting developed after he appeared in a number of school plays. After deciding he enjoyed this means of self-expression more than his other studies, he dropped out to join London’s National Group Theatre. Firth only secured sporadic bit parts as a professional, and so he decided to hone his craft by enrolling at the notoriously challenging London Drama Centre. That move paid off: by age 23, Firth was cast as the replacement for Daniel Day-Lewis in the stage play “Another Country,” and returned to star in its 1984 film adaptation. Meanwhile, the budding talent appeared in a string of ads, and continued to land countless stage, television and film parts. This quickly established him as a member of the “Brit Pack” alongside fellow actors Tim Roth and Gary Oldman. It also allowed him to meet his “Valmont” co-star Meg Tilly, whom he subsequently dated and had one child with. By this time, Firth was already a busy actor. He then made waves internationally when he brought the character of Fitzwilliam Darcy to life in 1995’s mini-series adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice.” This role widened his appeal so much he was then cast in films like “The English Patient,” “Shakespeare in Love” and “Bridget Jones’s Diary.” That well-received comedy earned him a European Film Award for Best Actor in addition to several other nominations. Despite the fact he made a name for himself in the romantic comedy genre, Firth then chose to take on a variety of dramatic roles in order to avoid being typecast. The most notable of these parts was his portrayal of German Wilhelm Stuckart in the 2001 World War II television drama, “Conspiracy.” In that BAFTA- and Satellite Award-nominated role, he played a hesitant Nazi Party lawyer who was charged with rationalizing Germany’s practice of eradicating the Jewish population. He followed that well-received role with more award-nominated performances in films like “Girl With a Pearl Earring,” “And When Did You Last See Your Father?”, and the musical “Mamma Mia!” He also continued to earn praise for his parts in romantic comedies like “Love Actually,” “What a Girl Wants,” and the Bridget Jones sequel “The Edge of Reason.” Firth was finally surrounded by Oscar buzz for 2009’s “A Single Man,” though that film did not win him the award. He eventually took home the Academy Award for Best Actor the next year for his depiction of the stuttering King George VI in “The King’s Speech.” As Firth joined the select few in Hollywood who have earned the golden statue and a spot on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, he continued to diversify his efforts. His more recent roles ranged from the contemporary drama “Main Street,” to a spot opposite Gary Oldman in the English espionage film “Tinker Tailor Solider Spy,” to a hilarious turn with Cameron Diaz in the 2012 comedy “Gambit.” Colin Firth has led a life as diverse as his portfolio: he has transcended continents and genres to both entertain and move audiences around the globe.