Both British actors have taken the global stage; it is easy to confuse the two.
Despite their common surname, nationality and careers, Peter Firth and Colin Firth are not related. Peter was born in Bradford to publicans Mavis and Eric Macintosh Firth while Colin is the son of academics Shirley Jean and David Norman Firth in Hampshire.
Still, the two actors share a number of striking similarities. Find out what they are below.
Peter Firth
Peter Firth was born in 1953 in Bradford, England. Both of his parents, Mavis and Eric Macintosh Firth, were publicans.
His debut in film was in his early years, when he became a famous child actor in 1969 at just 16. He starred in several British television series’ including The Flaxton Boys and Here Come the Double Deckers.
In 1973, Peter Firth expanded to the National Theatre, starring in Broadway’s Equus for which he was nominated for the Tony Award.
He went on to act in BBC’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, an adaptation of the Oscar Wilde novel, which was largely successful.
From then onwards, he had several notable achievements, such as his role in the film adaptation of Equus in 1977, for which he was nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.
He is now perhaps best recognized for playing Sir Harry Pearce for 10 seasons in BBC One’s Spooks.
Colin Firth
Colin Firth was born in Hampshire, England, in 1960. His mother taught comparative religion at what is now known as the University of Westminster while his father was a history lecturer at the same college.
Colin, on the other hand, was always more inclined towards acting. He was bullied in school and did not enjoy conventional teaching, until Sixth Form in Eastleigh where he developed a love for English Literature.
In an interview with the BBC, he said, “I didn’t like school. I just thought it was boring and mediocre and nothing they taught me seemed to be of any interest at all.”
His sister, Kate, is also an actress and his brother Jonathon is an actor.
After sixth form, Colin Firth moved to London to pursue his acting career more seriously and joined the National Youth Theatre. He eventually attended the prestigious Drama Centre London.
Colin Firth first rose to fame in the mid-1980s for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in BBC’s adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.
He captured the hearts of the British public, and from then on, had the opportunity to act in several movies, both British and Hollywood, such as The English Patient and Love Actually.
He won an Academy Award for Best Actor in 2011, playing King George VI in The King’s Speech, and has since won several more awards including a Golden Globe Award and two BAFTA awards.
Watch his speech at the Oscars below.
In 2011, Colin Firth received a star on the Hollywood walk of fame, officially embedding him in history’s long line of outstanding actors.
Striking Similarities
When assessing both actors’ lives, some interesting similarities can be drawn, explaining why they are often confused.
Both actors are of British nationality, despite being from different parts of England. They also both joined the National Theatre early in their youth.
The two men also have striking similarities in the roles they play, both starring in several film adaptations of classic English novels and becoming well-known by the British public for them.
In fact, they have both acted in separate adaptations of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray.
The actors have both been nominated for Academy Awards as well as Golden Globe Awards, although Colin has broader experience in Hollywood.
Despite the similarities, both actors are not related, however, and are notably diverse in their resulting career paths. While Colin Firth immersed himself deeper into mainstream Hollywood, Peter preferred English television.