2003

Colin Farrell

May 12

Making the List

Farrell nabs a spot on PEOPLE's 50 Most Beautiful issue, and films a well-publicized nude scene for the drama, A Home at the End of the World. But when the film is released, the scene is cut, causing a stir. "I don't think it was needed," Farrell tells EW. "Now with all the f----- press, it seems like a marketing ploy, because [people] will go to see what they're not going to see."

Colin Farrell

September 12

It's a Boy!

Farrell welcomes his first child, James, with model Kim Bordenave. "The first time you hold your baby in your arms, a sense of strength and love washes over you," he tells PEOPLE in 2004. "I love him in a different way and in a stronger way than I love my mother." In 2007, he reveals that James suffers from a rare neuro-genetic disorder called Angelman Syndrome.

2004

Colin Farrell

November 16

A Great Role

The Oliver Stone-directed biopic Alexander premieres. Farrell calls playing the title character with costar Angelina Jolie as his mother "completely irresistible."

2005

December 12

Seeking Help

A rep for the actor reports that Farrell checked himself into a treatment center for exhaustion and addiction to pain medication, which he was taking for a back injury. "I was burning the candle at both ends, and the flames met in the middle," Farrell tells London's Daily Mirror. "It was a long time coming, but I had my arse handed to me on a plate."

2006

Colin Farrell

April 16

Nearly on Video

According to PEOPLE, Farrell and former Playboy Playmate Nicole Narain reach a confidential settlement in their dispute over a sex tape they made four years earlier. The actor sued Narain in July to prevent the sale of the video, accusing her of attempting to sell it, which she denies.

Colin Farrell

July 28

Reviving Vice

The actor makes a splash onscreen playing Det. James "Sonny" Crockett to Jamie Foxx's Ricardo Tubbs in the film Miami Vice. Feeling healthy after rehab, Farrell, according to PEOPLE, looks ahead to a Woody Allen movie and a crime drama opposite Edward Norton in 2007.

August 30

Too Close for Comfort

Farrell obtains a restraining order against Dessarae Bradford, who approached the actor from the audience during his appearance on the Tonight Show. Although Farrell's rep tells PEOPLE that the actor and Bradford "had never met or spoken" until the July 20 Tonight Show encounter, Bradford has sued Farrell three times for harassment.

2008

Colin Farrell

January 18

Teaming with Woody Allen

Farrell stars in director Woody Allen's latest London-based film, Cassandra's Dream. He plays one of two brothers (opposite Ewan McGregor, left) who struggle financially and end up in a crime plot. The New York Times says, "It delivers force and feeling, as does Mr. Farrell, whose gentleness has rarely been used so effectively." In February, Farrell costars with Ralph Fiennes in the action comedy, In Bruges.

Photo Credits

BIOGRAPHY (top to bottom): Peter Johnson/Shooting Star; Steve Dennett/Splash News; JAAP BUITENDIJK/Warner Bros.; SPLASH NEWS; Universal Pictures/ZUMA; The Weinstein Company

Edited by Mai Dinh, Janet Murphy