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To many Jane Austen lovers, Colin Firth is Mr. Darcy. Though he had been acting for years before, Firth became famous "overnight," when he starred in the BBC television mini-series Pride and Prejudice.
Born September 10, 1960, in Grayshott, Hampshire, UK, Firth lived in Nigeria with his parents until he was four years old. He studied drama in London, and made his professional stage debut in 1983 replacing Rupert Everett as Guy Bennett in Another Country. He went on to make the film of that play, this time playing Tommy Judd opposite Everett's Bennett. In 1989, Firth had his first starring film role, in Valmont, and that same year, he received rave reviews for his portrayal of real-life Scottish soldier Robert Lawrence who had been left paralyzed in Tumbledown.
He was in the film production of Maeve Binchy's Circle of Friends in 1995, and later that year he came to the screen as Mr. Darcy. Among his other films are The English Patient (1996), Fever Pitch (1997), A Thousand Acres (1997), Shakespeare in Love (1998), Relative Values (2000), Bridget Jones' Diary (2001), The Importance of Being Earnest (2002), What a Girl Wants (2003), Love Actually (2003), Hope Springs (2003), Girl With a Pearl Earring (2003), Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004), Nanny McPhee (2005), The Last Legion (2007), Mamma Mia! (2008) and Easy Virtue (2008).
In 2009, Firth received critical acclaim for his portrayal of a college professor struggling with the loss of his longtime partner in Tom Ford's A Single Man. He won a BAFTA and a Volpi Cup for the part, and was nominated for an Academy Award.
Firth has garnered rave reviews on the stage for his performance in the London premiere of Three Days of Rain (1999) and in a production of Shakespeare's Hamlet (2001).
In 2011, Firth added to his cache of awards for his turn in The King's Speech as George VI, the reluctant king of England, who overcame a serious stutter with the help of his speech therapist Lionel Logue. He won the Oscar for Best Actor, a Golden Globe, a SAG award, and a Bafta, among others.
Firth and his wife, Livia Giuggioli, have two sons. Firth also has a son from a former relationship with actress Meg Tilly.
Last updated: March 08, 2010.
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