Date of Birth : 31 May 1976, Castleknock, Dublin, Ireland
Birth Name :
Colin James FarrellHeight : 5' 10" (1.78 m)
Mini BiographyA native of Dublin, Ireland, Colin Farrell began turning heads in Hollywood when he starred in Joel Schumacher's Tigerland (2000), the story of American soldiers taken to the backwoods of Louisiana in 1971 to play war games in preparation for their first tour of duty in Vietnam.
He garnered a Best Actor Award from the Boston Society of Film Critics for his portrayal of Bozz, a roughneck Texan recruit who helps his boot-camp buddies avoid Vietnam combat. Farrell also starred alongside Kevin Spacey in Thaddeus O'Sullivan's Dublin gangster movie Ordinary Decent Criminal (2000). It was Spacey who suggested him for the part after catching Farrell's riveting performance in the play "In a Little World of Our Own" at the Donmar Warehouse in London.colin farrell soncolin farrell swatcolin farrell alicjacolin farrell tapecolin farrell skinny.
Born on May 31, 1976, Farrell studied acting at the Gaiety School of Drama in Dublin and had established himself as a recognizable talent back home with a starring role in the BBC series "Ballykissangel" (1996) and Deirdre Purcell's miniseries Falling for a Dancer (1998) (TV), in addition to a featured role in Tim Roth's directorial debut, The War Zone (1999). After "Tigerland", Farrell took on the role of Jesse James in American Outlaws (2001).
Farrell then had a starring role in Phone Booth (2002), reuniting him with director Schumacher. He also co-starred with Bruce Willis in Hart's War (2002), which was shot on location in Prague, Czech Republic. Along the way Farrell has managed to work with legendary directors such as Steven Spielberg in Minority Report (2002). All this has happened for Colin by the age of 25, making him one of Hollywood's A-list young actors.
Farrell struck gold when he was cast in the Steven Spielberg film Minority Report (2002) that same year. Set in a futuristic time period, Farrell played the character of Danny Witwer, a young member of the Justice Department who is sent after Tom Cruise's character. The film was a smash hit, and praised by critics. Farrell continued this success when he reunited with Joel Schumacher on the successful thriller Phone Booth (2002). Farrell played the role of the victim who is harassed by an unseen killer (Kiefer Sutherland) and is made to reveal his sins to the public.
2003 was a big year for Farrell. He starred in the crime thriller The Recruit (2003) as a young CIA man mentored by an older CIA veteran (Al Pacino). Pacino later stated that Farrell was the best actor of his generation. Farrell certainly continued to be busy that year with Daredevil (2003), which actually allowed him to keep his thick Irish accent. The film was another success for Farrell, as was the crime film S.W.A.T. (2003) where Farrell starred opposite Samuel L. Jackson and LL Cool J. Farrell also acted in the Irish black comedy film Intermission (2003) and appeared another Irish film Veronica Guerin (2003) which reunited him with Joel Schumacher once again. The following year, Farrell acted in what is his most infamous film role yet: the title role in the mighty Oliver Stone film epic Alexander (2004), which is a character study of Alexander the Great as he travels across new worlds and conquers all the known world before him. Farrell donned a blond wig and retained his Irish accent, and gave a fine performance as Alexander. However, both he and the film were criticized. Despite being one of the highest grossing films internationally and doing a good job at the DVD sales, Farrell did not come out of the experience without a few hurts.
Farrell attempted to rebound with his historical film The New World (2005). Reuniting with "Alexander" star Christopher Plummer, and also acting with Christian Bale, Farrell played the character of the brave explorer John Smith, who would make first contacts with the Native peoples. The film did not do well at the box office, though critics praised the film's stunning appearance and cinematography. Farrell returned to act in Michael Mann's film Miami Vice (2006) alongside Jamie Foxx. The film was a film adaptation of the famous television series, and did reasonably well at the box office. Farrell also acted in Ask the Dust (2006) with Salma Hayek and Donald Sutherland, though the film did not receive much distribution. The next year, Farrell acted alongside Ewan McGregor in the Woody Allen film Cassandra's Dream (2007) which received mixed reviews from critics.
Farrell followed up with the hilarious black comedy In Bruges (2008). Written and directed by Irish theatre director Martin McDonagh, the film stars Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as two Irish hit men whose latest assignment went wrong, leaving them to hide out in Bruges, Belgium. The film has been one of Farrell's most praised work, and he was nominated for a Golden Globe. As well as In Bruges (2008), Farrell acted alongside Edward Norton in the crime film Pride and Glory (2008) which was not as successful as the former film.
As well as working with charity, and speaking at the Special Olympics World Games in 2007, he has donated his salary for Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) to Heath Ledger's little daughter (who was left nothing in a will that had not been updated in time). Ledger had originally been cast in the film and was replaced by Farrell, Johnny Depp, and Jude Law. The film was critical and financial success, and Farrell also played a small role in Crazy Heart (2009) which had the Dubliner playing a country singer. Farrell even sang a few songs for the film's soundtrack.
As well as those small roles, Farrell took the lead role in the war film Triage (2009). Farrell incredibly lost forty-four pounds to play the role of a war photographer who must come to terms with what he has experienced in Kurdistan. While the film was finely made, with excellent performances from all involved, the film has received almost no distribution. Farrell's other leading role that year was in Neil Jordan's Irish film Ondine (2009), which had Farrell playing an imaginative fisherman who thinks he's caught a mermaid in his net.
Since the mid-2000's, Farrell has cleaned up his act, and far from being a Hollywood hell raiser and party animal, Farrell has shown himself to be a respectable and very talented actor.
