Peter Firth was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England in 1953. He grew up in a family that owned a pub, the Waterloo Inn, in Pudsey, Leeds, and attended Hanson Grammar School in Bradford. Firth's early passion for acting led him to take weekend classes at the Bradford Playhouse, where he began performing in plays by his mid-teens. His breakthrough role came when he played the title character in the National Theatre's production of "Camelot" at the Bradford Alhambra.
At the age of 16, Firth left school to pursue a career in acting, quickly becoming a major child star in television series such as "The DoubleDeckers." He made his film debut at 18 in Franco Zeffirelli's "Brother Sun, Sister Moon" (1972). However, it was his starring role as Alan Strang in Peter Shaffer's play "Equus" that brought him widespread recognition. The play opened on Broadway in 1974, with Firth receiving critical acclaim for his performance opposite Anthony Hopkins.
Firth's success in "Equus" led to a string of leading roles in films such as "Aces High" (1976) and "Joseph Andrews" (1977). He reprised his role as Alan Strang in the film adaptation of "Equus" (1977),directed by Sidney Lumet and co-starring with Richard Burton. His performance earned him a Bafta Award and an Academy Award nomination.
Firth continued to take on a wide range of roles, including Angel Clare in Roman Polanski's "Tess" (1979),Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Peter Shaffer's play "Amadeus" on Broadway (1981),and a Russian sailor in the kitchen sink drama "Letter to Brezhnev" (1985). He also appeared in films such as "The Hunt for Red October" (1990),"Shadowlands" (1993),and "An Awfully Big Adventure" (1995) with Hugh Grant.
In addition to his film work, Firth has continued to appear in television, including a major role in the popular series "Heartbeat" (1992). He has been married for many years and has four children. He is also close friends with his "Equus" co-star Jenny Agutter, with whom he has worked on several projects, including the television series "MI-5" (2002). Firth has continued to appear in major films, including "Amistad" (1997) and "Pearl Harbor" (2001).
