Tony Earnshaw: Career best by Firth deserves recognition with well-earned Oscar

Over the years, I've bumped into Colin Firth at sundry Press conferences, opening nights and junkets. Last year, I even spent a couple of days with him on a new film called The King's Speech. He was the star, playing the young King George VI. I was an extra.
By The Newsroom
Published 5th Mar 2010, 13:32 BST
Updated 5th Mar 2010, 13:33 BST

And while I can't claim to have been much of a fan, I've always admired Mr Firth and wondered why he's never made the jump into the upper echelons of British movie stars.

That's not to say he hasn't the talent, because, clearly, he has. I suggest it's because he's not had the right roles. Think about it; for more than 20 years, Firth has bumped around the industry making a career out of playing cuckolds, dupes and losers in big films for often genius directors.

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It's easy to forget the films in which he's provided sterling support – everything from Another Country and The English Patient to Shakespeare in Love and Mamma Mia! The reason we forget is because Firth doesn't do the barnstorming thing. He's just solid, reliable, grade-A and

wonderful.

He seems to have had more than a couple of moments where he appears to have been on the cusp of that all-important breakthrough. The first came with Pride and Prejudice in 1995. My wife is one of millions

of women who still experience a hot flush at the thought of Mr Darcy emerging, soaking wet, from his swim in the lake.

But that was 15 years ago. Firth will be 50 this year. The years since have witnessed him portray a succession of stuffy Brits, all of which he could have played in his sleep.

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So what a tonic to see him collect the gong for leading actor at the Baftas. What's more, he drily acknowledged what so many actors cannot: that it's all a lottery.

He bagged the award for his role as a grieving gay man in fashion designer-turned-filmmaker Tom Ford's adaptation of Christopher Isherwood's novel, A Single Man.

Firth openly admitted he was on the verge of refusing the role – his email was set to send – when he was distracted by the arrival of a fridge engineer. The email was never sent; he took the job and landed a clutch of nominations.

He got the Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival last year. The Bafta followed. This weekend he'll be at the Academy Awards, along with Morgan Freeman, George Clooney, Jeremy Renner and Jeff Bridges. He's the underdog, the only Brit among a gaggle of Yanks. Bridges is the front-runner and odds-on favourite to take the glory.

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Much as I admire Bridges, it's Firth I'll be rooting for. It's all very well to point to Bridges's 40-year run and claim "he deserves it".

What about legitimately rewarding an actor who has truly broken free of the shackles of typecasting to deliver what is arguably a career-best performance? That's what Colin Firth has done.

All sentiment aside, he deserves it more.