Colin Farrell: Snapshot

Colin Farrell: Five Fun Facts

1. Colin Farrell's first crush? "I think I was 8 or 9 when I had a f------ mad thing for Marilyn Monroe," the actor told Playboy. "I used to leave Smarties, the Irish equivalent of M&M's, under my pillow with a little note saying, 'I know you're dead, but these are very f------ tasty, and you should come have a few. I won't tell anyone.'"
2. He's been mistaken for another dark and handsome celebrity. "I was in Los Angeles and someone asked me if I was Enrique Iglesias. I had on my hat," Colin Farrell told PEOPLE. "And I had Anna Kournikova on my arm."
3. Fame runs in the family: in the '60s, Colin Farrell's father, Eamonn, and his uncle Tommy were well-known soccer players for Ireland's Shamrock Rovers.
4. Look out, Brad Pitt. At the London premiere of Alexander, Colin Farrell proclaimed costar Angelina Jolie his "perfect woman."
5. He might party hard, chain smoke and put away pints of Guinness, but "My mother taught me amazing manners," Colin Farrell told Interview. "I consider myself – and I know I am considered by some people – to be polite."

Colin Farrell: Biography

1995

Colin the Model

At 19, Farrell does his first modeling shoot, taken in an abandoned Colgate plant in Sydney. But the fit actor claims he invests little effort in maintaining his physique – his methods for staying fit include laying off food and indulging in his beloved pints of Guinness. "I don't go to the gym or practice yoga," he tells In Style in 2002. "The closest thing I have to a nutritionist is the Carlsberg Beer Co. I just have the appetite of a pigeon."

1998

October

His Big Two Minutes

Farrell hits the small screen in the first of seven episodes on the BBC series Ballykissangel. He lands the role quickly. "His audition ended in two minutes flat," Irish actor Victor Burke tells PEOPLE. But "a few weeks later, Colin rang me to say he'd got the job."

2000

October 06

Breakthrough Role

Without having read the script for Tigerland, Farrell auditions and earns himself a callback and the part on charm alone. The movie kicks off Farrell's rapid ascent to stardom. In it, he plays Bozz, a rebellious soldier who helps his friends escape the army before they are sent off to Vietnam. Though the film grosses only $139,500, it wins Farrell acclaim and a professional relationship with director Joel Schumacher.

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Colin Farrell: Special Feature