Sir Colin The Fourth

A Happy birthday to Colin Firth, the above is a nickname Kevin uses for him.

Colin was born in Grayshott Hampshire to Shirley Jean Rolles a lecturer in Winchester University, and David Norman Lewis Firth a History lecturer also at Winchester. Colin has a sister Kate an actress and voice coach and brother Jonathan who is an actor.  

Their early years where spent travelling over seas both sets of grandparents where over seas missionaries, and they spent time in Nigeria and St Louis.  When they came back to the UK he went to Alamein Secondary School in Winchester, he was an outside and was a target for bullies so he adopted the local accent and showed a disinterest to schoolwork.  At fourteen Colin wanted to become an actor, after attending acting workshops.  At sixteen he went to Barton Peveril Sixth Form College in Eastleigh, where he fell in love with English Literature. These two years where the happiest of his life.

Colin moved to London and joined the National Youth Theatre, where he got a job in the wardrobe department at the National Theatre, and studied at the Drama Centre London.

After leaving the Drama Centre Colin's first play was as Tommy Judd in Another Country, by playwright Julian Mitchell. His film debut was in 1984 he played Tommy Judd in the film adaptation playing opposite Rupert Everett.

In just under 30 years, Colin has starred in over 70 films, television films, and mini series not forgetting the wonderful Pride and Prejudice or PaP as my irreverent Kevin would call it.  I have many of his films, and have enjoyed Another  Country, Tumbledown, Trauma, Shakespeare in Love, Mama Mia, Relative Values, Easy Virtue, The English Patient, Fever Pitch, A Single Man and The Kings Speech Genoa and others.  Yes my favourite is and always will be Pride and Prejudice but then it is also my most favourite book and Jane Austin my favourite Authoress enough said.

Front cover of the 1997 Radio Times

Happy Birthday Colin