Colin Farrell

Colin Farrell was born in the Castleknock section of Dublin, Ireland. The son of a a soccer player, Farrell was considering a promising young soccer player himslef. He attended The Gaiety School of Acting, but dropped out and was cast in the part of Danny Byrne on Ballykissangel, a television dramaon BBC. Farrell appeared on the show from 1998 to 1999.

Colin Farrell shot to fame in this country as a cagey army recruit in Joel Schumaker'sTigerland (2000)

Farrell married English actress Amelia Warner in July 2001 and divorced her four months later. He has a son, James, with American model Kim Bordenave. In December 2005, Farrell checked into a rehabilitation treatment center for addictions to recreational drugs and painkillers.

After getting his start in television, Collin Farrell made his film debut in Drinking Crude. He had a small part in Tim Roth's film directorial debut The War Zone (1999). His big break came in film when was cast in the lead role of Private Roland Bozz in Joel Schumacher's big budget Hollywood film Tigerland (2000).

Farrell went on to appear in many American films: from the not so successful American Outlaws (2001) and Hart's War (2002), to leading roles in Phone Booth, S.W.A.T. and The Recruit.

Other high profile parts include a supporting role opposite Tom Cruise in Steven Spielberg's Minority Report (2002), and a villain in Daredevil.

A veritable A-list star, Farrell has not stopped working in small films. In late 2003, he returned to his native Ireland to work in the ensemble drama Intermission with another Irish star Cillian Murphy. He also appeared in the independent film A Home At The End Of The World (2004) before Hollywood came calling again. Farrell took on the title role of Alexander the Great in Oliver Stone's 2004 biopic Alexander.

A better role for Farrell was John Smith, the founder of 17th century colonial Jamestown, Virginia in The New World, which he followed with the independent film Ask the Dust, co-starring Salma Hayek. In 2006, Farrell starred with Jamie Foxx in Michael Mann's action-crime film Miami Vice. Farrell was next seen in Woody Allen's drama Cassandra's Dream. He played a troubled hit man who botches a job in Martin McDonagh's complicated comedy In Bruges, which opened the Sundance Film Festival in 2008.