* Relationship with Meg Tilly began while filming Milos Forman's Valmont (1989).

* Had a relationship with Jennifer Ehle, whom he met while filming "Pride and Prejudice" (1995)

* On People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" list (2001).

* Has twice lost his screen wife to a member of the Fiennes family - to Ralph Fiennes in The English Patient (1996) and to Joseph Fiennes in Shakespeare in Love (1998).

* Has one child with actress Meg Tilly, William Joseph Firth (born 1990) and 2 sons with Livia Giuggioli named Luca Firth (born March 29, 2001, in Rome) and Mateo Firth (born in August 2003).

* Brother of Katie Firth (a vocal coach) and Jonathan Firth (actor).

* Co-starred as the character "Mark Darcy" in the film adaptation of Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), while appears himself as a character in writer Helen Fielding's sequel, which was adapted to the big screen as Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004).

* Contributed a short story, "The Department of Nothing", to the collection "Speaking With the Angel", edited by Nick Hornby. Colin Firth starred in the film adaptation of Hornby's semi-autobiographical novel, Fever Pitch (1997).

* Has played a Mr Darcy on three occasions. Once in "Pride and Prejudice" (1995), in Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) and again in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004).

* Although he usually gets along quite well with other actors, he had a well-publicized verbal feud with Rupert Everett, although the source of this tension is not known.

* According to Colin Firth, when he was first offered the role of Darcy, his brother incredulously remarked, "Darcy? But isn't he supposed to be sexy?"

* On the DVD audio commentary for Love Actually (2003), Hugh Grant continuously mocks the looks, age, acting abilities, and alleged vanity of Firth (his sometimes on-screen rival), eventually encouraging his fellow-commentators writer/director Richard Curtis, and co-stars Bill Nighy and Thomas Sangster to join in on the mocking. Firth appears to have taken these comments in good nature and said that he and Grant seem to have a "Bette Davis-Joan Crawford" kind of relationship.

* Attended Kings' School, Winchester

* Attended Barton Peveril College in Eastleigh. His film teacher still teaches there (as of November 2008).

* Moved to Nigeria where his father taught when he was very young.

* Lived in the US for a year when he was 12.

* Considers former girlfriend Meg Tilly's children Emily and David (from her first marriage to Tim Zinnemann) to be his own.