(Photo: Getty Images)
Colin Firth has a birthday Saturday (September 10), then he's up for an Emmy Monday for his creepy performance as a suspected murderer in The Staircase. With this in mind, it seems like an ideal time to make him our British Icon of the Week, and celebrate 10 things we appreciate about him. Many happy returns, Mr. Firth!
1. He's an Oscar-winning actor.
Firth won his Oscar (as well as BAFTA, Golden Globe, and SAG Awards) for portraying King George VI in The King's Speech. This stirring historical drama follows the British monarch, a man who never expected to become King, as he attempts to overcome a nervous stammer with help from speech and language therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). It's certainly an uplifting watch.

2. He's also proven himself as an (extremely dapper) action hero.
Honestly, we're still in awe at Firth's moves in this bar brawl scene from the first Kingsman movie.

3. He's a fine comedian.
When Firth hosted SNL in 2004, he spoofed a succession of British literary classics in his hilarious opening monologue. Seth Meyers also deserves particular credit here for his brilliant impression of Firth's Bridget Jones co-star Hugh Grant.

4. He's loyal to his friends.
In 1984, Firth made his movie debut in the British historical drama Another Country. His co-star was Rupert Everett, who was also at the start of his career. More than three decades later, when Everett was trying to make a film about Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince, Firth used his star power to keep the production afloat. 
Everett told Page Six in 2018 shortly before the movie's release: "Independent film financing, with only three U.K. outlets available, is tough getting off the ground and took me years to get this done. I’m lucky Colin’s my friend. We’ve worked together. His name made funding possible. Without him, the project would have collapsed."

5. He also has a playful relationship with Hugh Grant.
The two actors may have played rivals in the Bridget Jones movies, but they clearly share a sense of similar humor. In this BBC program about the franchise, Firth gently mocks Grant for being precious on set, and Grant points out that neither actor was very young when they shot their hilarious fight scene.

6. He was a brilliant Mr. Darcy.
Firth's star-making role came when he played Jane Austen's brooding hero in the BBC's 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. More than 25 years later, the famous lake scene remains one of Firth's most iconic moments.

7. He's naturally chivalrous.
We love this clip from the 2012 BAFTA Film Awards, where Meryl Streep loses a shoe on her way to the stage, and Firth steps in to help her out. What a gent!

8. He's not afraid to poke fun at himself.
Firth knows he's not the greatest singer in the world, but he still gave it a good go in the Mamma Mia! movies. "I'm afraid this causes a lot of tension between me and the rest of the world, you know my enthusiasm for singing and the rest of the world's enthusiasm for me not singing," he told The Talks. "I sang at my wife’s birthday the other day to cries of 'less,' but I loved it."
And actually, we think Firth's performance of the Abba song "Our Last Summer" is pretty sweet. 

9. He thinks outside the box.
We really enjoy director Harry McQueen's 2020 movie Supernova, in which Firth and Stanley Tucci play a couple navigating a major change in their relationship. Tucci's character Tusker has been diagnosed with early onset dementia, and Firth's character Sam is determined to help him in whatever way possible. But interestingly, Firth and Tucci were originally cast in the opposite roles to the ones they eventually played.
Tucci recalled in an interview with the L.A. Times: "We sat down and started talking about the script and where we’d be shooting, and then Colin said, ‘Stanley, I think maybe we should switch roles.' I said, ‘I’ve been thinking the same thing.’ And I don’t know why. I just felt it."  

10. And finally, he's absolutely charming with fans.
As you'll see in this footage from the London premiere of Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Never change, Mr. Firth.

Do you have a favorite ever Colin Firth moment?