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.
Peter Firth’s first major role was as the title character in the BBC Television production of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. It became a great success with the critics, and also starred Jeremy Brett and John Gielgud. Firth worked once again with Gielgud on the World War I film Aces High, which also featured Malcolm McDowell. Firth’s early film career was marked with roles in Lifeforce, When You Comin’ Back, Red Ryder? in 1979, Letter to Brezhnev, Northanger Abbey and The Hunt for Red October. In 2001, he landed a role in the blockbuster film Pearl Harbor, and was later seen in The Greatest Game Ever Played in 2005. Firth has also appeared on numerous TV productions. His credits include the role of a time-traveler in the BBC’s sci-fi play The Flipside of Dominick Hide. He was given roles in That’s Life, The Vice, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Firth became known for joining the cast of the spy drama series MI-5, playing the officer Harry Pearce. He was also in Hawking, a BBC drama about the early life of Stephen Hawking.
(Photo courtesy of A&E)