# Jonathan Firth
**Jonathan Firth** (full name Jonathan Stephen Firth) is an English actor known for roles in British television period drama, most notably Fred Vincy in the BBC's *Middlemarch* (1994), Sergeant Troy in *Far from the Madding Crowd* (1998), and Prince Albert in *Victoria & Albert* (2001).[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/109658/jonathan-firth) He was born in 1967 in [Brentwood, Essex](https://www.edgepedia.org/brentwood-essex), England, and is the younger brother of the actor [Colin Firth](https://www.edgepedia.org/colin-firth).[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0278746/bio/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name / birth | Jonathan Stephen Firth, born 1967 in Brentwood, Essex, England[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/109658/jonathan-firth) |
| Training | Graduated from the Central School of Speech and Drama, London, in 1989[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0278746/bio/) |
| Signature television roles | Fred Vincy in *Middlemarch* (1994); Sergeant Troy in *Far from the Madding Crowd* (1998); Prince Albert in *Victoria & Albert* (2001)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0278746/bio/) |
| Film franchise role | Created the role of Soren in *The Prince & Me* films (2006–2010)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0278746/bio/) |
| Stage work | RSC debut as Henry VI (1994); Sir Wilfrid Robarts QC in *Witness for the Prosecution* at London County Hall from 2021[3](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1994/10/31/jonathan-firth) • [4](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Jonathan-Firth/) |
| Family | Brother of actor Colin Firth and of Katie Firth, a voice coach[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0278746/bio/) |
## Early life and training
Firth was born into an academic family: his father, David Norman Lewis Firth, lectured in history, and his mother, Shirley Jean Firth, taught comparative religion.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000147/?showAllCredits=true) He is the youngest of three children; his elder brother Colin became an Academy Award-winning actor and his sister Kate a voice coach.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0278746/bio/) In a 2021 interview with Official London Theatre, he described his route into the profession simply: he did school plays, decided he would like acting for a living, applied to drama school, moved to London, and had been an actor ever since.[6](https://officiallondontheatre.com/performance-by-rankin/witness-for-the-prosecution/) He graduated from the Central School of Speech and Drama in 1989.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0278746/bio/) During this period he shared a flat with the actor [Rufus Sewell](https://www.edgepedia.org/rufus-sewell), with whom he later appeared in the 1994 BBC *Middlemarch*.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0278746/bio/) • [3](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1994/10/31/jonathan-firth)
## Television career
**1990s literary adaptations.** Firth's early career was built on classic adaptations. He played Linton Heathcliff in *Wuthering Heights* (1992), then Fred Vincy, the charming but flawed brother of Rosamond Vincy, in the BBC's landmark adaptation of [George Eliot](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-eliot)'s *Middlemarch* (1994).[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0278746/bio/) • [7](https://magazinecelebs.co.uk/jonathan-firth/) In 1998 he played the complex Sergeant Troy in the television remake of [Thomas Hardy](https://www.edgepedia.org/thomas-hardy)'s *Far from the Madding Crowd*.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0278746/bio/) Guest roles from the same period include Nigel Chapman in *Agatha Christie's Poirot* (1995), [Lord Byron](https://www.edgepedia.org/lord-byron) in *Highlander: The Series* (1997), and Michael Lacey in *Midsomer Murders* (1997).[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/109658/jonathan-firth)
**Prince Albert and later work.** In 2001 he played Prince Albert, the Prince Consort to [Queen Victoria](https://www.edgepedia.org/queen-victoria), in the BBC mini-series *Victoria & Albert*.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0278746/bio/) He and his brother Colin have both played a Prince Albert of the [British royal family](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-royal-family): Jonathan played the Prince Consort, while Colin played the later Prince Albert who became King George VI in *The King's Speech* (2010).[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0278746/bio/) His other television credits include a guest appearance on the American series *Ghost Whisperer* (2006), *New Tricks*, *Jericho*, *Father Brown* (as Rex Bishop), *Holby City* (as Miles Richardson), and Richard in four episodes of *Anatomy of a Scandal* (2022).[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0278746/bio/) • [1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/109658/jonathan-firth)
## Film
Firth's film work includes *American Friends* (1991), *An Ideal Husband* (1998, as Lord Arthur Goring), *Six-Pack* (2000), the 2003 film *Luther* (as Girolamo Aleander, the papal counselor who worked for Luther's excommunication), and the BBC dramatized documentary *Pompeii: The Last Day* (2003, as Stephanus).[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jonathan_firth) He created the role of Soren in *The Prince & Me* romantic-comedy franchise, appearing in the sequels released between 2006 and 2010.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0278746/bio/)
## Theatre
In 1994, at twenty-seven, Firth made his debut with the [Royal Shakespeare Company](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-shakespeare-company) as Henry VI in Katie Mitchell's production, a role last played on the RSC stage by [Ralph Fiennes](https://www.edgepedia.org/ralph-fiennes). The director described him as having "a delicacy, a fragility, and an interesting inner life."[3](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1994/10/31/jonathan-firth) His theater credits also include *Gaslight* and *Eden End* (Royal & Derngate, Northampton), *The Winter's Tale* ([Crucible Theatre](https://www.edgepedia.org/crucible-theatre)), *Good Grief* (Bath Theatre Royal), *Henry VI* (Royal Shakespeare Company), *The Lulu Plays* (Almeida), and *Bad Company* (National Theatre Studio).[9](https://www.agathachristie.com/en/theatre/witness-for-the-prosecution/meet-the-cast/jonathan-firth-2)
From 2021 he played the defense barrister Sir Wilfrid Robarts QC in Lucy Bailey's immersive production of [Agatha Christie](https://www.edgepedia.org/agatha-christie)'s *Witness for the Prosecution* at London County Hall, joining the show's 2021 reopening cast and later returning in the thirteenth cast announced in 2025.[4](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Jonathan-Firth/) • [10](https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/witness-for-the-prosecution-releases-photos-of-new-cast_1671130/) A review of the production described him as commanding the stage throughout, "peacocking around the stage and gesticulating with theatrical splendour."[11](https://www.westendbestfriend.co.uk/news/review-witness-for-the-prosecution-london-county-hall)
## Public profile
Firth has worked steadily across television, film, theater, and radio drama, and has also narrated audiobooks.[9](https://www.agathachristie.com/en/theatre/witness-for-the-prosecution/meet-the-cast/jonathan-firth-2) • [7](https://magazinecelebs.co.uk/jonathan-firth/) His own summary of the profession, given to Official London Theatre, emphasized variety: every job brings different people, and in theater every night is different, so the work never goes stale.[6](https://officiallondontheatre.com/performance-by-rankin/witness-for-the-prosecution/) In a quote recorded by IMDb he put it more plainly: "I like acting and I want to be appreciated for it. But what I do is a job and it isn't rocket science. If you bear that in mind, then you probably avoid 90 per cent of the pitfalls of fame."[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0278746/bio/)
## References
1. [Jonathan Firth, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/109658/jonathan-firth)
2. [Jonathan Firth – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0278746/bio/)
3. [Jonathan Firth, The New Yorker (October 24, 1994)](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1994/10/31/jonathan-firth)
4. [Jonathan Firth – Broadway & Theatre Credits, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Jonathan-Firth/)
5. [Colin Firth, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000147/?showAllCredits=true)
6. [Cast & Creative Interviews – Witness For The Prosecution, Official London Theatre](https://officiallondontheatre.com/performance-by-rankin/witness-for-the-prosecution/)
7. [Jonathan Firth: The Complete Biography of Colin Firth's Talented Younger Brother, MagazineCelebs](https://magazinecelebs.co.uk/jonathan-firth/)
8. [Jonathan Firth Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jonathan_firth)
9. [Jonathan Firth – Meet the Cast, Agatha Christie (UK)](https://www.agathachristie.com/en/theatre/witness-for-the-prosecution/meet-the-cast/jonathan-firth-2)
10. [Witness for the Prosecution releases photos of new cast, WhatsOnStage](https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/witness-for-the-prosecution-releases-photos-of-new-cast_1671130/)
11. [Review: WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION, London County Hall, West End Best Friend](https://www.westendbestfriend.co.uk/news/review-witness-for-the-prosecution-london-county-hall)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames E to G*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license