Peter Firth was born October 27, 1953 in Bradford, Yorkshire in England where his parents owned and operated a pub. His initial interest in acting as a teenager was the result of a crush on a girl who was a member of a local theater group. He attended weekend classes at the Bradford Playhouse near his home and began appearing in Camelot at the Bradford Alhambra. He left school at age 16 to pursue acting full time and became a child star on the hit children’s show Here Come the Double Deckers. His biggest break came when he landed the lead role of Allan Strang in Peter Shaffer’s play Equus. The play opened on Broadway to critical reviews in October 1974, with Firth acting opposite Anthony Hopkins who played Dr. Dysart. He was nominated for a Tony award for his portrayal. Firth reprised his role for the film adaptation which earned for him an Academy nomination and a Golden Globe award.

Harry Pearce, played by Peter Firth in BBC’s MI5, is the agency’s head of the counter-terrorism department. Formerly with the military prior to joining MI5, he has since become the face of the agency’s war against terrorism. Now divorced, Harry’s marriage had to take a back seat to his passion for the agency and his work.



(Photo courtesy of A&E)