At the 66th Venice International Film Festival in 2009 , Firth was awarded the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for his role in Tom Ford 's directorial debut '' A Single Man '' as a college professor grappling with solitude after the death of his longtime partner . His performance earned Firth career best reviews and Academy Award , Golden Globe , Screen Actors ' Guild , BAFTA , and BFCA nominations ; he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in February 2010
66th Venice International Film Festival
66th Venice International Film Festival
Colin Firth