Colin Firth's Sons Grew Up To Be Gorgeous
It seems there is no role Colin Firth prefers to being a father. Although the actor has numerous iconic parts under his belt — Mr. Darcy in "Pride & Prejudice," King George VI in "The King's Speech," and George in "A Single Man," to name just a few — he believes that raising his three sons has been his greatest achievement. As he once told Great British Life, "[M]y family are my pride and joy, and my life revolves around them" (via HuffPost).
Firth's first son, Will, was born in 1990 to Firth's partner at the time, Meg Tilly. Firth later married Livia Giuggioli and had two more sons, Luca, born in 2001, and Matteo, born in 2003.
Each of Firth's sons have grown up to share his artistic sensibilities. Will, who grew up in Canada with his mother, has gone on to be an actor like his father, while Luca and Matteo both became musicians. Read on to find out a little more about Firth's three sons.
Colin Firth's children don't see him as a star
It's hard to imagine growing up with Mr. Darcy as a father. However, for Colin Firth's three sons, Will, Luca, and Matteo, Firth is just another normal dad. Firth tried hard to be around for his kids while they were growing up and to live as "normal" a life as possible. As a result, his sons didn't exactly see him as a star. In fact, when Firth showed one of his sons that he'd been named one of Time magazine's most influential people, his son replied, "You're not even the most influential person in this house" (via HuffPost).
And that's not the only time his sons have turned their noses up at his fame. "My children would tell you that I'm not at all cool or suave, and so my only chance to really become like that is when I'm making a film," Firth told the Mirror in 2015. In another 2015 interview (with Mindfood), he explained that starring in "Kingsman: The Secret Service" as a spy was, in part, an attempt to seem a little cooler to his sons. "My sons are pretty hard to impress — for me anyway," said the actor. "Although I personally love 'Mamma Mia,' it might not be the coolest thing for teenage kids, so I'm hoping this film might make up for that."
Will Firth is the son of Colin Firth and his ex, Meg Tilly
Colin Firth's first son, Will, was born on September 20, 1990. His mother, Meg Tilly, met Firth on the set of "Valmont." "I was a pretty big star when we met, but he was just starting to rise," she said to People. She dated Firth from 1989 until their split five years later. During their relationship, Firth lived with Tilly in British Columbia, Canada, where he raised Will and Tilly's two other children from a previous relationship. Apparently, the pair decided not to have anymore children after Will for fear of damaging her career.
Although Firth loved his family, he struggled with life in rural Canada. "He absolutely adores Will, but he had to choose between family life in an isolated log cabin, and working," said Kate, Firth's sister, to the Daily Mail in 2011.
Even though Firth moved back to England after he and Will's mother split up, he remained a constant presence in his first son's life. "He's been a good father to Will, his son, but he's also stayed very present in my other two children's lives, Emily and David," said Tilly. "He's showed up for graduations, births of babies. He's a sweetheart. ... When Will was in the house, he would stay with us."
Will Firth has already starred in numerous films
Like both of his parents, Will Firth grew up interested in acting. In 2002, at the age of 12, he landed his first professional role with a tiny part in "Spider-Man" as a boy on the tram. He went on to appear in "Hope Springs" 2003 and a short film called "Day After Yesterday" in 2015. In 2016, he appeared alongside his father Colin Firth for the first time, in "Bridget Jones' Baby," playing "Dread-Locked Guy" — you may remember him as the guy who disappeared after a one-night stand. Will went on to appear in the films "Saddenly Now," "Caged," and "Love Type D."
Even though Will seems to have found plenty of success in the industry, Colin was a little worried at first. "It's a tough career," explained Will to the Evening Standard in 2015. "It can be emotionally draining, and he was worried for me. He wanted to make sure I knew what I was getting myself into, but he's supported me all the way." He also gave him some useful advice, telling him to "stay true to [him]self."
Will Firth doesn't think he and his father share many similarities
Even though Will Firth may have followed in Colin Firth's footsteps, you probably won't be seeing him play any Darcy-esque romantic leads anytime soon. In fact, as Will explained to the Evening Standard, he thinks that he and his father couldn't be more different.
"He's a classy Englishman," said the young actor. "I'm more the tall, gangly Canadian. He's more the romantic lead roles. I'm not sure what my type is yet." In fact, when Will was auditioning for drama schools, he found that his father could only help him so much with his audition pieces because their types were so different. "I've had a few sinister roles because of the way I look," he explained. It's hard to imagine Colin taking on many sinister roles — it's clear that he and his first son bring very different things to the table.
Will Firth has a wonderful relationship with his half-brothers
Although Will Firth grew up in Canada and his two younger half-brothers, Luca and Matteo, were raised across the ocean in England, the young actor has a great relationship with them. Will is more than a decade their senior, but in some ways, this has only improved the relationship. As his father Colin Firth told the Daily Mail in 2011, "With my younger sons, the relationship with Will has worked out very well. It's a huge age gap — they probably see him as an uncle."
As for Will, he feels perfectly at home with his father and his two younger half-brothers in England and even sees London as a "second home," as he told the Evening Standard in 2011. In fact, Will felt so comfortable in England, he actually moved to London when he was 21, so chances are he's spending more time with his two brothers than ever.
Luca Firth and Matteo Firth were raised between the UK and Italy
After leaving Canada, Colin Firth went on to marry Italian film producer Livia Giuggioli in 1997. The pair had two children, Luca, born in 2001, and Matteo, born in 2003. Because of their mother's heritage, the two children grew up in between London and Italy (Giuggioli's parents had a house in Umbria). As Giuggioli told The Times, they "are as Italian as they are English, completely bilingual."
In a 2004 interview on "Live With Regis and Kelly," Firth explained that his children actually began speaking in a mixture of both Italian and English at the same time. However, they eventually became so good at Italian, he began to feel left out. "My 3-year-old [Luca] speaks pretty perfect Italian," he said. "In fact, he will no longer speak to me in Italian because he doesn't think I'm worthy of it."
In 2017, Firth became an Italian citizen after the U.K. left the European Union in the Brexit vote. "A connection with Italy has existed in my family for more than two decades now," he said in a statement from his agent at the time (via The Sun). "I was married there and had two children born in Rome."
Luca Firth was a lazy child, according to Colin Firth
Although Luca Firth, Colin Firth's second son, may have been quick to pick up both English and Italian, he wasn't exactly quick when it came to actually getting around. When Luca was 13 months old, Firth said in a "Live With Regis and Kelly" that he was "absolutely" not walking yet. "He's terribly lazy, and you know, actually, he gets a rather sort of irritable statement on his face when you get him on his feet," he joked.
While Luca may have been a little lazy, having him around actually helped Firth find a little more energy. "Having a baby was rejuvenating and wild and wonderful," he told the Daily Mail in 2003 (via Firth.com). "Being a father is more like passionate love than I'd imagined. You have the same sense of being on the brink of being out of control and of utter euphoria. It's what makes life most worth living — no question."
Luca Firth and Matteo Firth work on their mother's farm in Italy
Even though Luca Firth settled down in London, he still has a strong connection to his Italian roots. In 2020, he spent the summer there. "I was basically doing farmwork, and I felt so, so lucky to be able to be there in such a trying time and be able to do something as amazing as ... working with your hands in a beautiful place," he said to Reel Culture the following year.
Luca and his brother, Matteo Firth, continue to work at Quinto Sapore, an organic farm in Italy that was co-founded by their mother, Livia Giuggioli, in 2019. In 2022, Giuggioli wrote on Instagram that the two brothers had been working on the farm. "When Luca and Nico (and Matteo not photographed here as he was still in the fields) are not working at the farm @quintosapore they experiment in the kitchen," she wrote. "Here their pickles with the products from the farm." It seems that Giuggioli couldn't be prouder of her sons' farmwork — in fact, it's far more important to her than academic prowess. "[S]chool results for the moment don't matter," she told The Times. "Maybe they will all end up being farmers."
Luca has also posted a number of Instagram Stories during his time working at Quinto Sapore.
Luca Firth became a folk musician
Luca Firth grew up to become a folk singer and songwriter. "I was always pretending to be a singer or something when I was little," he told Reel Culture. He began playing guitar at the age of 10. His influences include Mumford & Sons, Bon Iver, and Nick Drake. Although Luca had been making music since he was a kid, his first single, "Wings," was written while he was in Italy during the pandemic and released in 2021. "That song kind of came out of an upward slope of what felt like being dragged through the mud a little bit," he said. "Yeah, dragging yourself through the mud and picking yourself out of it was the kind of sentiment."
It's clear that his parents couldn't be prouder of him. "He wrote it, composed it, sang it, played every instrument (including drumming against his great grandfather wardrobe) ❤️ and I am SO proud of him" his mother Livia Giuggioli on Instagram in 2022 alongside a video of Luca performing "Wings."
According to his Instagram, he plays frequently in small London venues. He's released a number of singles and one 2021 album called "A Year of Grace," which is available on Spotify. What's next for Luca? "[T]here's no big dreams yet, apart from headlining Glastonbury," he joked to Reel Culture.
Matteo Firth became a drummer for the band Strange Child
Just like his older brother, Luca Firth, Matteo Firth is a talented musician. In fact, as a child, he allegedly picked up a number of instruments. Since then, Matteo has become an accomplished drummer and joined the band Strange Child. The band's first EP was released in 2019 on SoundCloud.
The band performed at the Isle of Wight Festival in 2018 — Matteo's mother, Livia Giuggioli was there to watch the band perform an Arctic Monkeys cover. They also performed there in 2019, and Matteo's father, Colin Firth, was even spotted filming his son from the crowd. The band again performed at the festival in 2021.
Even though Luca and Matteo haven't exactly followed in their father's footsteps, they clearly share his passion for music. In fact, back in 2011, Colin confessed that when he was young, he had also wanted to be a musician. "For me, rock music was the way I went at that time," he said to The Arts Desk. "I grew my hair. I wanted to be a blues guitarist or something."
Matteo Firth and Luca Firth sometimes perform together
Although Luca Firth and Matteo Firth are each pursuing their own unique musical careers (with Luca going the folk singer route and Matteo drumming in a band), they do play together from time to time. In 2023, the pair played together at Canal Bar in London's Camden neighborhood. Their mother, Livia Giuggioli, was there to capture the moment on video. "The first time Luca and Matteo played together and my heart exploded," she wrote on Instagram next to a video of Luca playing his single "Wings" as his brother accompanied him on the drums in the background.
In early 2024, the brothers collaborated again, playing at The Tabard in Chiswick. Giuggioli once again posted a video of the performance on Instagram. Who knows, maybe one day the pair will collaborate on a brand new band together — we know their parents would be totally thrilled.
Luca Firth and Matteo Firth are passionate about eco-friendly fashion just like their mother
When it comes to sustainable fashion, Livia Giuggioli is something of a trailblazer. With her company, Eco-Age, Giuggioli promotes eco-conscious shopping and dressing. She also frequently takes to Instagram to show her fans how they can dress in fashionable vintage clothes without harming the planet.
It seems that her two sons, Luca Firth and Matteo Firth, are following in her footsteps and embracing eco-conscious dressing. In 2017, Giuggioli took to Instagram to show off "Matteo's creation" at a recyclable fashion show. In 2018, she posted an image of Luca skiing on Instagram. "When Luca wears his dad's ski jacket from 'Bridget Jones 2' in 2004!" she wrote, adding, "Talking about #reuse #upcycle and beyond #30wears." In 2022, she once again boasted about Matteo's secondhand clothes. "When little babies become little giants but still wear hands me down," she wrote on Instagram. In 2023, she posted an Instagram video showing that she was trying to "rescue @fucalirth favorite oldest trousers" with a seamstress. This family clearly takes sustainability seriously, and we love to see it.
Colin Firth and Livia Giuggioli became co-parents to Luca and Matteo in 2019
After 22 years of marriage, Colin Firth and Livia Giuggioli split in 2019, but continued to co-parent their two sons. "They maintain a close friendship and remain united in their love for their children," they said in a statement (via Mamamia). "They kindly ask for privacy. There will be no further comment." The separation came after the pair took time apart between 2015 and 2016. During that time, Giuggioli had an affair with Marco Brancaccia, a journalist. She later claimed that Brancaccia was stalking her. Since then, Giuggioli has started dating Callum Grieve, a climate activist.
Giuggioli maintains a close relationship with her sons. In March 2022, she took to Instagram to show the brothers together for Mother's Day. "Luckiest mamma," she wrote. "[T]hank you for making me feel like it's Mother's Day every day." In November 2023, she posted another Instagram photo of the two brothers together.