Ten Things You Never Knew About Colin Firth

Tag : fancy socks
Colin Firth made women go weak at the knees when he emergeddripping from a lake in the BBC's Pride And Prejudice . Despite trying his hand at all manner of other roles (includingten in the last two years alone), he remains etched in the nationalconsciousness as the dashing Mr. Darcy and his modern-day Bridget Jones equivalent. But the brooding hero is nowhere in sight in latestouting Mamma Mia! , which sees him camping it up to Abba in sequined spandex. As themusical extravaganza opens in cinemas across the UK, it's time tolearn more about the thinking woman's leading man.

1. Colin's parents were college lecturers who raised their youngfamily in Nigeria for four years before returning to Hampshire.They later moved across the pond to St Louis for a few months whenColin was 12.

2. Colin was never destined to follow his parents into academia andhas the school report cards to prove it. After he managed a paltry3% in one exam, his chemistry teacher wrote: "I originally awardedColin 2% for writing my name at the top and 2% for writing hisname. Im afraid I had to subtract one point for misspelling myname.

3. Talking of names, Colin doesn't think much of his own moniker."Well it doesn't exactly have a ring to it, does it?" he says."It's more the sort of name you'd give to your goldfish for ajoke."

4. Colin has 18-year-old son Will with actress Meg Tilly, who he meton the set of Valmont in 1988. He spent two years living in the wilds of Canada workingas a carpenter and "changing nappies", but says he wouldn't"recommend it as a career move" in retrospect.

5. Not everyone was convinced that Colin had the makings ofliterature's ultimate leading man. When he first landed the role,his brother incredulously remarked: "Darcy? But isn't he supposedto be sexy?" Charming!

6. When Colin met Italian producer's assistant Livia on the set of Nostrom , she didn't have a clue who he was. "I remember saying to herfamily in Italy 'You know, I'm a heartthrob'," he recalls. "Andthey all threw their hands up and said, 'Get outta here'." Thecouple wed in 1997 and have sons Luca and Matteo.

7. Colin is keen to shake off his leading man image and sink histeeth in to a more unsavoury character. The "stutteringmasturbatory village pervert" is a role that particularly takes hisfancy.

8. Despite his sex symbol status, Colin insists that women rarelysend him knickers through the post. "But I've been sent shoes," hesays. "I think that is even stranger than underwear. I have beensent socks and ties. And a carving of a bird." A carving of a bird?We're saying nothing.

9. Although Colin has struggled to shake off the Darcy tag over thelast 13 years, he acknowledges that the role has done wonders forhis career. "I dare say it will be my saving grace when the onlyemployment available to me is opening supermarkets dressed inbreeches and a wig," he concedes.

10. He may be all suave and sophisticated now, but Colin didn't alwayscut such a stylish figure. He admits: "I used to wear Ruperttrousers. Yes, big flared tartan trousers. Revolting. And, God, mySeventies hair's enough to spend my life apologising for. Vermeerhair. I burnt a lot of my photos from the time." Yikes!