Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

Colin Firth

Highest Rated: 100% Conspiracy (2001)

Lowest Rated: 11% The Accidental Husband (2008)

Birthday: Sep 10, 1960

Birthday:

Birthplace: Grayshott, Hampshire, England, UK

British actor Colin Firth achieved international renown in 1995 with his arguably definitive screen portrayal of Fitzwilliam Darcy in the BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice." He began his career in West End dramas and on the big screen in period, often literary adaptations, before a number of successful romantic comedies including "Bridget Jones' Diary" (2001) and broader historic dramas like "The Girl with the Pearl Earring" (2003) turned him into "the thinking woman's heartthrob." While the moniker stuck throughout his career, Firth continued to showcase untapped facets of his talent in independent films, family-friendly hits, and gutsy cable movies. With noted turns in "Love, Actually" (2003), "Nanny McPhee" (2006) and "Mamma Mia!" (2008), Firth displayed both serious acting chops and an easygoing screen presence that continually pleased audiences. But the actor took his career to a new level with "A Single Man" (2009) and "The King's Speech" (2010). The roles were tour-de-force performances that earned Firth several award nominations and wins and elevated his career to new heights. Colin Firth was born on Sept. 10, 1960, the son of academic lecturers who raised their young family in Nigeria for four years before settling in England. Firth seemed unlikely to follow in his family's footsteps and by his early teens, had developed a keen interest in acting, partially inspired by British great Paul Scofield and his performance in "A Man for All Seasons" (1966). Firth began dramatic studies with the National Youth Theatre at 18 and went on to make a significant impression at The Drama Centre London. Fresh out of that program, Firth was surprised to find himself cast as the lead in a West End production of Julian Mitchell's "Another Country," replacing Daniel Day-Lewis in the role of upper class spy-in-the-making, Guy Bennett. Over the next decade, Firth enjoyed a steady if low-profile living as an actor, making his screen debut in the 1984 film version of "Another Country" and sticking close to his stage roots in George Bernard Shaw's "The Doctor's Dilemma" and "The Lonely Road," a psychological family drama that earned Firth critical notice. Dipping his t in romantic lead territory, he co-starred opposite Greta Scacchi in a small screen remake of George Cukor's "Camille" (CBS, 1984), and anchored the 1986 British miniseries "Lost Empires," playing a touring entertainer in early 20th century England. He solidified his standing as an actor of substance and heady range with a return to the London stage in Eugene O'Neill's "Desire Under the Elms." Firth showcased his darker side in "A Month in the Country"(1987), where he essayed a haunted World War I veteran who romances a vicar's wife, and "Apartment Zero" (1988), a rare contemporary role where he made an impression as a lonely and sheltered film lover whose life is changed when he takes in a mysterious American boarder. In 1989, he earned his first acting awards, including one from the Royal Television Society, for his portrayal of paralyzed soldier Robert Lawrence in the TV biopic, "Tumbledown." Later in the year Milos Forman's "Valmont" (1989) marked Firth's entry into the American studio film world, and he was both appealing and appalling as the rich and too clever 18th century count in the adaptation of the classic French novel Les Liasons Dangereuses. Unfortunately, the film was overshadowed by the previous year's lavish take on the same material, "Dangerous Liaisons" (1988). Following appearances in a number of European-produced films that were little-seen across the pond, as well as London stage runs in a pair of comedies, Firth truly made his international breakthrough in 1995. The Dublin University-set romance "Circle of Friends" (1995) was moderately popular, but the BBC production of "Pride and Prejudice" (1995) was wildly popular in Britain and exported to the U.S. (A&E, 1996). Suddenly, Firth found himself dubbed a "heartthrob" for his take on the aloof, arrogant, but ultimately redeemable 18th century suitor Fitzwilliam Darcy in the adaptation of what was considered literary history's first romantic comedy. He was recognized by the BAFTA and National Television awards with a Best Actor nomination. The following year, Firth offered a stoic turn as the cuckold husband of Kristin Scott Thomas' in "The English Patient" (1996), the Oscar winner of Best Picture of the Year among other countless accolades. Firth's starring role in Nick Hornby's football-themed story "Fever Pitch" (1997) was little seen in the States, but "Shakespeare in Love" (1998) was a certified blockbuster that swept the Oscars and BAFTAs. In the fictionalized fable of the Bard's off-book romance, Firth cut a dashing figure in doublet and hose in the comic, slightly villainous role of the Earl of Wessex. He excelled as an eccentric inventor in the 1930s-set "My Life So Far" (1999) before taking on a bit of post-modern casting by playing Mark Darcy - a character inspired by his glowering interpretation of the Austen hero - in the film version of "Bridget Jones's Diary" (2001). His performance in the hugely successful chick flick fueled Firth's growing cult of female admirers, earned the actor a BAFTA nomination, and also shifted the tide towards more contemporary and romantic comedy roles. An Emmy-nominated performance as a Nazi secretary of state in HBO's "Conspiracy" (2001) and a remake of "The Importance of Being Earnest" (2002) maintained Firth's close ties with headier, more literary material, while a 2003 appearance as Amanda Bynes' unknowing English father in the light-as-feather teen comedy "What a Girl Wants" (2003) and a role in the romantic ensemble "Love Actually" (2003) proved that the popular actor had mainstream crossover appeal. He returned to period dramas but cemented his romantic lead status with his portrayal of 17th Century artist Johannes Vermeer in "Girl With a Pearl Earring" (2003) - a tale that projected an intimate relationship between the famed painter and the young subject (Scarlett Johansson) of his most renowned work of art. Firth reprised Mark Darcy for the sequel blockbuster "Bridget Jones and the Edge of Reason" (2004), which found his character in a series of ups and downs and misunderstandings with neurotic Jones, despite finally having become her official boyfriend. The solid mid-forties actor entered the family film fray in 2005 as a harried widower with seven unruly kids in the critically-lauded fable "Nanny McPhee." In a pair of very different family tales, Firth starred as an author coming to terms with the troubled relationship with his dying father in the limited release "When Did You Last See Your Father?" (2007), and played a single father and ill-chosen love interest of Helen Hunt in "Then She Found Me" (2007). Firth carried on in the romantic comedy vein, co-starring alongside Uma Thurman in the critically reviled "The Accidental Husband" (2007) and in the big screen adaptation of the Abba-inspired stage musical "Mamma Mia" (2008), as one of Meryl Streep's character's former lovers and the possible father of her daughter. In a rare appearance in a dark thriller, Firth also starred in "Genova" (2008), playing a widowed father who attempts to make a fresh start with his young daughters in Italy, only to find the past coming back to haunt him. Following a starring turn in the British remake "St. Trinian's" (2009) and a co-starring role in the romantic comedy "Easy Virtue" (2009), Firth played Fred, the nephew and only living relative to Ebenezer Scrooge (Jim Carrey), in Disney's take on the Charles Dickens classic, "A Christmas Carol" (2009). Firth turned to more challenging dramatic fare when he starred in "A Single Man" (2009), playing a gay British college professor in 1962 who struggles to find meaning in his life after the death of his long-time partner (Matthew Goode). Working for first-time feature director, fashion designer Tom Ford on "The Single Man," Firth gave a conflicted, layered performance which garnered the actor several award nominations at year's end, including nods from the Independent Spirit, Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild and Academy for Best Actor. He next delivered another exemplary dramatic performance in "The King's Speech" (2010), playing King George VI, who struggles to overcome a debilitating speech impediment during a time of national crisis. The king enlists the help of unorthodox speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), a relationship that begins discordantly, only to grow into an unbreakable bond. "The King's Speech" received widespread critical acclaim and found its way onto many year-end Top Ten lists. While the film had exceptional supporting performances from Rush and Helena Bonham Carter, it was Firth who earned the most adulation, including Academy Award, Golden Globe and SAG wins for Best Actor. Firth followed that with an acclaimed performance in an adaptation of John le Carre's spy novel "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" (2011) and a remake of the thriller "Gambit" (2012) with a script by Joel and Ethan Coen. Starring rolesin the comedy-drama "ArthurNewman" (2013), war film "The Railway Man" (2014), crime drama "Devil's Knot" (2014), Woody Allen-directed romantic comedy "Magic in the Moonlight" (2014), psychological thriller "Before I Go To Sleep" (2014) and action blockbuster "Kingsman: The Secret Service" (2015). After starring as literary editor Maxwell Perkinsin "Genius" (2016), Firth returned to one of his best-loved roles in "Bridget Jones's Baby" (2016) and co-starred in another sequel,"Kingsman: The Golden Circle" (2017). Firth next starred in Rupert Everett's "The Happy Prince" (2018), musical comedy sequel "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again" (2018) and the much-anticipated "Mary Poppins Returns" (2018). His sole release the following year was a starring role in Sam Mendes'war drama "1917" (2019).

Show Less Show More

Highest rated movies

100% 87% Conspiracy
Watchlist
100% Amá
Watchlist
96% Luther: Never Too Much Watchlist 95% 82% Eye in the Sky Watchlist
94% 92% The King's Speech
Watchlist
92% 80% Shakespeare in Love
Watchlist
92% 84% Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis)
Watchlist
89% 69% Supernova Watchlist 88% 88% 1917 Watchlist 88% 76% Loving Watchlist

Filmography

Movies

Credit
96% No Score Yet Luther: Never Too Much Executive Producer - 2024
92% 84% Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis) Producer $111.4K 2022
45% 74% Empire of Light Mr. Ellis (Character) $1.2M 2022
83% 66% Operation Mincemeat Ewen Montagu (Character) - 2021
77% 65% Mothering Sunday Mr. Niven (Character) $274.3K 2021
89% 69% Supernova Sam (Character) $232.3K 2020
66% 43% The Secret Garden Lord Archibald Craven (Character) - 2020
No Score Yet No Score Yet Supernova Sam (Character) - 2020
88% 88% 1917 General Erinmore (Character) $159.2M 2019
72% 62% The Command Commodore David Russell (Character) - 2018
73% 34% The Mercy Donald Crowhurst (Character) - 2018
79% 64% Mary Poppins Returns Wilkins/Wolf (Character) $172.0M 2018
71% 51% The Happy Prince Reggie Turner (Character) $464.5K 2018
80% 66% Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again Harry Bright (Character) $120.6M 2018
100% No Score Yet Amá Producer - 2018
51% 64% Kingsman: The Golden Circle Harry Hart/Former Agent Galahad (Character) $100.2M 2017
No Score Yet 61% Red Nose Day Actually Jamie (Character) - 2017
88% 76% Loving Producer $7.6M 2016
78% 65% Bridget Jones's Baby Mark (Character) $24.1M 2016
51% 46% Genius Max Perkins (Character) $1.4M 2016
95% 82% Eye in the Sky Producer $18.7M 2015
75% 84% Kingsman: The Secret Service Harry Hart (Character) $128.2M 2014
36% 40% Before I Go to Sleep Ben (Character) $3.2M 2014
52% 45% Magic in the Moonlight Stanley (Character) $10.5M 2014
26% 39% Devil's Knot Ron Lax (Character) - 2013
67% 68% The Railway Man Eric Lomax (Character) $4.4M 2013
60% 67% Stars in Shorts Steve (Character) - 2012
17% 23% Gambit Harry Deane (Character) - 2012
18% 25% Arthur Newman Wallace Avery/Arthur Newman. (Character) $207.7K 2012
84% 65% Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Bill Haydon (Character) $24.1M 2011
No Score Yet 79% King George VI: The Man Behind The King's Speech Unknown (Character) - 2011
13% 11% Main Street Gus Leroy (Character) $1.6K 2010
94% 92% The King's Speech King George VI (Character) $138.8M 2010
14% 45% St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold Geoffrey Thwaites (Character) - 2009
43% 39% Dorian Gray Lord Henry Wotton (Character) - 2009
86% 81% A Single Man George (Character) $9.2M 2009
52% 58% Disney's A Christmas Carol Fred (Voice) $137.9M 2009
77% 41% Genova Joe (Character) - 2008
11% 36% The Accidental Husband Richard (Character) - 2008
52% 47% Easy Virtue Jim Whittaker (Character) $2.7M 2008
55% 66% Mamma Mia! Harry (Character) $143.7M 2008
32% 55% St. Trinian's Geoffrey Thwaites (Character) - 2007
72% 64% And When Did You Last See Your Father? Blake Morrison (Character) $1.1M 2007
50% 43% Then She Found Me Frank (Character) $3.7M 2007
15% 34% The Last Legion Aurelius (Character) $5.9M 2007
43% 55% In Prison My Whole Life Executive Producer - 2007
No Score Yet 56% Celebration Unknown (Character) - 2007
No Score Yet 60% Born Equal Unknown (Character) - 2006
41% 46% Where the Truth Lies Vince Collins (Character) $871.5K 2005
74% 64% Nanny McPhee Mr. Brown (Character) $47.1M 2005
25% 25% Trauma Ben (Character) - 2004
26% 60% Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason Mark Darcy (Character) $40.2M 2004
73% 68% Girl With a Pearl Earring Johannes Vermeer (Character) $11.6M 2003
64% 72% Love Actually Jamie Bennett (Character) $60.1M 2003
25% 27% Hope Springs Colin Ware (Character) - 2003
36% 62% What a Girl Wants Lord Henry Dashwood (Character) $36.0M 2003
57% 72% The Importance of Being Earnest Jack (Character) $8.4M 2002
100% 87% Conspiracy Dr. Wilhelm Stuckart (Character) - 2001
80% 81% Bridget Jones's Diary Mark Darcy (Character) $71.5M 2001
No Score Yet 21% Londinium Allen Portland (Character) - 2000
No Score Yet 64% Relative Values Peter Ingleton (Character) - 2000
No Score Yet No Score Yet Donovan Quick Donovan Quick (Character) - 2000
No Score Yet 38% The Turn of the Screw Master (Character) - 1999
70% 53% My Life So Far Edward Pettigrew (Character) $616.3K 1999
No Score Yet 39% The Secret Laughter of Women Matthew Field (Character) - 1999
No Score Yet 81% Blackadder Back & Forth Unknown (Character) - 1999
92% 80% Shakespeare in Love Lord Wessex (Character) $100.2M 1998
56% 59% Fever Pitch Paul Ashworth (Character) $113.4K 1997
22% 42% A Thousand Acres Jess Clark (Character) $7.9M 1997
86% 83% The English Patient Geoffrey Clifton (Character) $78.7M 1996
78% 73% Circle of Friends Simon Westward (Character) $21.7M 1995
No Score Yet 29% Playmaker Ross Talbert/Michael Condren (Character) - 1994
80% 52% The Advocate Richard Courtois (Character) $231.0K 1993
No Score Yet 67% Hostages John McCarthy (Character) - 1993
No Score Yet 14% Mad at the Moon Unknown (Character) - 1992
No Score Yet 38% Femme Fatale Joseph Prince (Character) - 1991
No Score Yet No Score Yet Fatal Woman Joseph Prince (Character) - 1991
No Score Yet 76% Wings of Fame Brian Smith (Character) - 1990
48% 69% Valmont Valmont (Character) $572.9K 1989
75% 74% Apartment Zero Adrian LeDuc (Character) - 1989
No Score Yet 82% Tumbledown Robert Lawrence (Character) - 1988
86% 72% A Month in the Country Tom Birkin (Character) - 1987
No Score Yet 39% Dutch Girls Truelove (Character) - 1987
No Score Yet 36% Camille Armand Duval (Character) - 1984
60% 74% Another Country Tommy Judd (Character) - 1984
No Score Yet No Score Yet 1919 Young Alexander (Character) - 1983

TV

Credit
92% 59% The Staircase Michael Peterson (Character) 2022
No Score Yet 49% The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Guest 2021
No Score Yet No Score Yet Conan Guest 2017
No Score Yet 44% The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Guest 2014-2015
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Daily Show Guest 2002-2003 2008 2010-2011 2014-2015
100% 78% Late Show With David Letterman Guest 2014
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Ellen DeGeneres Show Guest 2012
No Score Yet No Score Yet Inside the Actors Studio Guest 2011
No Score Yet No Score Yet Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Guest 2010
31% No Score Yet The Jay Leno Show Guest 2009
No Score Yet No Score Yet Late Night With Conan O'Brien Guest 2008
No Score Yet No Score Yet Masterpiece Classic Unknown (Character) 2008
No Score Yet 57% Saturday Night Live Host 2004
No Score Yet No Score Yet Masterpiece Theatre Unknown (Character) 1997 2000
88% 96% Pride and Prejudice Mr. Darcy (Character) 1995