Colin Firth (born 10 September 1960) is a British actor.
Firth starred in the award-winning 1981 London stage production of Another Country. He reprised this role for his first film appearance in 1984. In 1987, he appeared alongside Kenneth Branagh in the film version of J. L. Carr's novel, A Month in the Country. In 1989, he took the lead in the film Valmont.
Firth as the Earl of Wessex, Shakespeare in Love
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Firth as the Earl of Wessex, Shakespeare in Love
Despite widespread admiration for his performances, it was only with the 1995 BBC television adaptation of Pride and Prejudice that Firth gained wider renown. The serial was a big success and Firth became known as a heart-throb because of his role as 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.
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), Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), The Importance of Being Earnest (2002), Love Actually (2003) and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004). He has also appeared in recent television productions, including Donovan Quick (an updated version of Don Quixote) (1999) and Conspiracy (2001).
Year Title Role Other notes
2006 The Last Legion Aurelius
2005 Nanny McPhee Cedric Brown
2005 Where the Truth Lies Vince Collins
2004 Trauma Ben
2004 Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason Mark Darcy
2003 Girl with a Pearl Earring Johannes Vermeer
2003 Love Actually Jamie Bennett
2003 What a Girl Wants Henry Dashwood
2002 The Importance of Being Earnest Jack
2001 Bridget Jones's Diary Mark Darcy
2000 Relative Values Peter Ingleton
1998 Shakespeare in Love Lord Wessex
1997 Fever Pitch Paul Ashworth
1996 The English Patient Geoffrey Clifton
1995 Circle of Friends Simon Westward
1995 Pride and Prejudice Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy television mini-series
1989 Valmont Valmont
1988 Apartment Zero Adrian LeDuc
1987 A Month in the Country Tom Birkin
1984 Another Country Tommy Judd