Peter Firth gives men in authority a persuasive steadiness. We rate the sustained work of Spooks most highly, while his sympathetic turn in Shadowlands is a quieter pleasure.
Fi1m perspective
Harry Pearce, the MI5 chief in Spooks (2002–2011), is steady enough to make authority seem like ordinary work. Peter Firth sustains that performance across ten series, and we rate the patience it takes. He need not be the most demonstrative actor to be worth watching.
The early reputation came from more troubled characters. As Alan Strang in Equus (1977), reprising his stage role, Firth combined raw emotional intensity with technical control. Angel Clare in Tess (1979) and Peter in Letter to Brezhnev (1985) followed, before officials became his more familiar occupation on screen.
The Hunt for Red October (1990) casts him as Captain Ivan Putin, the submarine's political officer. John McTiernan's patient thriller is built around people trying to understand one another under pressure, a natural setting for Firth's authority. We recommend it for the thinking, chiefly made compelling by Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin. The character writing is sometimes thin, and there are stretches when the explanations test our patience. Firth fits this company, but his presence alone is not why we would choose the film.
Shadowlands (1993) offers a supporting role, Dr Craig, in Richard Attenborough's moving but uneven romance. We were moved by Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger because they make the relationship worth the tears the film so carefully prepares. Firth is sympathetic here, though we would not mistake that virtue for the film's main attraction: its leads do the difficult emotional work. The writing also gives Joy less room to be complicated than the man she loves, a limitation that good supporting performances cannot repair.
Begin with Spooks for the sustained performance. Its ten series give Firth more room than these supporting parts, and his steadiness earns the time. Then try Equus for a less reassuring use of the same control.
Biography
Peter Firth is an English actor. Born Peter Macintosh Firth on 27 October 1953 in Bradford, West Yorkshire, he began his career as a child actor in television series such as Here Come the Double Deckers! (1970). He first gained notice on stage as Alan Strang in the 1973 National Theatre production of Equus.
Firth reprised the role in the 1977 film adaptation of Equus, for which he received an Academy Award nomination. His other film credits include Tess (1979), The Hunt for Red October (1990) as Capt. 2nd Ivan Putin, Shadowlands (1993) as Dr Craig, Amistad (1997), Pearl Harbor (2001), and Spooks: The Greater Good (2015). On television he played Harry Pearce in the BBC series Spooks (2002–2011).
