Colin Farrell Biography

Colin Farrell (born on May 31, 1976) is an Irish actor, best known for appearing in a series of high-profile Hollywood films, as well as for his controversial off-screen lifestyle.

Biography

Colin Farrell was born prematurely weighing 1 pound 6 ounces in Castleknock, Dublin to Rita Monaghan and Eamonn Farrell, who is an FAI Cup winner and played with, as well as managed, Shamrock Rovers FC; he has two sisters, Claudine and Catherine, and a brother, Eamonn Jr.

Colin Farrell was educated at St. Brigid's National School in Castleknock followed by Castleknock College and Gormanston College. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was a promising young football player for Dublin side Castleknock Celtic, playing as a goalkeeper. Colin attended The Gaiety School of Acting, but dropped out and was cast in the part of "Danny Byrne" on Ballykissangel, a popular BBC television drama set in Ireland. Colin appeared on the show from 1998 until 1999.

Colin Farrell subsequently had a number of small parts in various TV shows and movies, until 2000, when he was cast in the part of "Private Roland Bozz" in Tigerland, an American film directed by Joel Schumacher. Although the film received only a limited release in the United States, Farrell has since been cast in a number of high-profile productions, and is considered one of Ireland's rising stars in Hollywood. Colin's first American films, American Outlaws 2001) and Hart's War (2002), were not commercially successful, but his 2003 films, including The Recruit, S.W.A.T. and Phone Booth, were well received and were box office successes, cementing Colin as a commercial draw. Although he has a pronounced Irish accent, Colin uses an American accent in both American Outlaws and his breakthrough role Tigerland. Farrell is also a proven supporting actor, given his performances as an ambitious cop who chases after potential criminal Tom Cruise in Minority Report (2002) and as skilled villain Bullseye in Daredevil (2003).

In 2004, Colin appeared in several films that received only a limited theatrical release, including Intermission and A Home at the End of the World, both of which received some positive reviews. According to press reports, audiences at a test screening of the latter film were visibly distracted (with audible gasps) by a brief frontal nude scene of Colin, during which he walked naked down a hallway. The film's producers claimed to have deleted this scene due to the threat that it might distract viewers from the real content of the film. The removed clip was later leaked to the internet.

Colin appeared in the title role of 2004's Alexander, which was considered a financial and critical disaster. Colin's performance as the bisexual Alexander the Great was heavily criticized, with particular attention given to his peroxided hair and undisguised Irish accent. (It was reported that other actors in the film adopted a brogue in order to make his less obvious.) Colin Farrell also appeared as a bisexual character in A Home at the End of the World. He has credited his openly gay brother, Eamon Farrell, Jr., as inspiring him and teaching him about "love and understanding."

Colin Farrell's next film was 2005's The New World, also a historical epic that was met with mixed reviews. The film was released on a limited number of screens and had a low box office gross.

The New World was followed by Ask the Dust, a romance film set in period Los Angeles co-starring Salma Hayek. It received a very limited theatrical release and was not a financial success. Farrell next appeared opposite Jamie Foxx in director Michael Mann's crime film Miami Vice. The film received mixed reviews, but Universal Pictures released it in over 3000 theatres nationwide and the film opened atop the box office top ten, swiping the spot from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

Colin was married to English actress Amelia Warner from July 2001 to November 2001. Colin Farrell later had a son, James (born September 12, 2003), with Louisiana born model Kim Bordenave.

Some people mistake him for the hell raiser of Hollywood, but ever since James was born, Colin Farrell's behavior changed dramatically. Since December of 2005, Colin Farrell has been sober, although he says he does not plan to keep it that way. Even with all that, his behavior will never be the same. He has been single for a long time, despite rumors of dating Lake Bell, which he is not

In December 2005, Colin voluntarily checked into a treatment center for dependency to prescription painkillers. His publicist commented that Farrell was originally given pills for dealing with back injury pain. He was released in January 2006. In May 2006 Farrell started attending AA meetings.

Farrell maintains a home in Ringsend in his native Ireland while not traveling frequently for work. He often says that "Ireland is home" and that "all his friends are there".

In July 2005, Colin Farrell sued his former girlfriend, Playboy Playmate Nicole Narain, adult Internet company Internet Commerce Group (ICG), and porn producer David Hans Schmidt over the rights to a nearly-fifteen minute sex tape that Farrell had made with Narain in 2003. The tape was made at Narain's apartment and features the two engaged in intercourse and oral sex. Farrell claims he understood the tape as being "strictly private and confidential between them," but it was leaked to Schmidt and ICG who tried to release it publicly. A Los Angeles judge issued a temporary restraining order barring the sale, distribution, or display of the tape. In the past, Schmidt had distributed or tried to distribute nude material of other celebrities, including Tonya Harding, Paula Jones, and Fred Durst. The tape showed explicit pictures of Colin Farrell's penis and him performing oral sex and intercourse with Nicole.

Narain claimed that she did not give the tape to anyone and was not sure if or how copies were taken from her. She had originally said that she would work with Colin Farrell to ensure that it remained private, but Farrell claimed the opposite, and said Narain was trying to release it along with Schmidt, a claim Narain denies. Part of the conflict may have also come when Narain refused to grant full ownership of the tape to Farrell. Later in an appearance on MSNBC, Narain said that she and Farrell should commercially release the tape together themselves to "take control of the situation" after parts were leaked to the Internet.

In January 2006, the sex tape surfaced on a website called dirtycolin.com. The site was shut down on the same day because of server overload, but re-opened a week later. The sex tape was then pirated through BitTorrent and other file sharing systems. Both Farrell's and Narain's lawyers denounced the site, which was shut down again a few days later for unknown reasons. Farrell's legal team said it would take legal action against sites that hosted the tape. A trial date for the Narain lawsuit was set for July 17, 2006, but the judge allowed Farrell and Narain to mediate until April 20. On April 16, the two reached a settlement with confidential terms. However, Colin Farrell's lawsuit against ICG continued with a trial date set for July 21.

Colin Farrell has been sued twice for alleged harassment and stalking by phone-sex operator Dessarae Bradford, lawsuits which were later dismissed. Bradford, who has announced that she is "waging war on Farrell," has recorded a song entitled "Colin Farrell is my Bitch" and self-published a book called "Colin Farrell: A Dark Twisted Puppy."

Bradford took a lie detector test on an i TV show to prove her allegations against Farrell were truthful. She failed the test, and accused Colin of "spending thousands of dollars to manipulate the outcome of the show."

On July 20, 2006, Bradford confronted Farrell on the set of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and was escorted out by police while shouting "I'll see you in court." Farrell's only response was, "You're insane."Colin Farrell requested a restraining order against Dessarae Bradford. Farrell says Bradford, "accosted me during the taping of a network television show on July 20, 2006. I am concerned that her harassing behavior has escalated and may pose an immediate threat to my well-being and the well-being of my family." The request also asks for Bradford to keep away from his son James, and his mother, Kim Bordenave.