Inside the life of Penguin star Colin Farrell from famous exes to near boyband fame

At the moment, Colin Farrell is on our TV screens as Oz Cobb in the HBO drama The Penguin who tries to build his criminal empire in a crumbling Gotham

It is fair to say Colin Farrell is one of the most successful Irish actors of all time. With his two Golden Globes, the actor has been a mainstay in Hollywood with numerous dramatic and comedic roles.

At the moment, Colin Farrell is on our TV screens as Oz Cobb in the HBO drama The Penguin. He has reprised the role following Matt Reeve's 2022 film The Batman, which saw Farrell praised for his performance.

But what else do we know about the life of Colin Farrell? From his early life and career to how he almost made pop group Boyzone, we dive into his life so far.

Early life and career breakthrough

Born and raised in Castleknock in Ireland, he was the son of Shamrock Rovers footballer Eamon Farrell and Rita Farrell. Colin Farrell was inspired to take up acting when he was moved to tears by Henry Thomas' performance in 1982 flick ET.

Colin previously attended the Gaiety School of Acting, but dropped out when he was cast as Danny Byrne in the BBC drama Ballykissangel and Falling for a Dancer.

His first feature film was The War Zone before he broke into Hollywood with appearances in Ordinary Decent Criminal, Tigerland and Steven Spielberg's Minority Report.

Farrell made a string of appearances as Bullseye in Daredevil, Alexander the Great in Alexander and starred alongside Jamie Foxx in Michael Mann's Miami Vice.

Colin Farrell turned to comedy and played rookie hitman in hiding in 2008 flick In Bruges, which bagged him a Golden Globe award. Recent roles include The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Widows and HBO drama True Detective.

The 48-year-old won further critical acclaim when he starred in tragicomedy The Banshees of Inisherin as he fails to understand why his best friend (Brendan Gleeson) doesn't like him anymore.

Colin Farrell's battle with drugs and drink addiction

The actor has been open on his previous addictions, and once remarked he was using drugs and alcohol for 16 years. He recalled he would drink with friends and then come home to use heroin and marijuana.

Following his Hollywood breakthrough in the early 2000s, Colin Farrell sought to kick his addictions and attended a rehab clinic that offers mindfulness therapy. He found it to be a safe environment that allowed him to focus on getting better.

“There was an energy that was created, a character that was created, that no doubt benefitted me,” Farrell once told Letterman. “And then there was a stage where it all began to crumble around me.”

Farrell has been sober since 2006 and credits his son James for beating his addictions.

Colin Farrell was almost in Boyzone

The Irish actor's life could have been entirely different had he nailed an auction for Boyzone in the 1990s. Music mogul Louis Walsh, who managed the Irish chart toppers from 1993 to 2000, shared the anecdote on Celebrity Big Brother.

Walsh told housemates: "I know him [Farrell] very well as he auditioned for Boyzone and he told me he wanted to be an actor, I knew him from Dublin. I said 'you can't sing, I can't give you the gig' because I knew him very well. And he said to me 'oh I wanna be an actor' and I said 'You're wasting your f****** time.'"

This isn't the first we've heard of Farrell's doomed audition. Speaking on the Late Late Show in 2019, Farrell revealed how he was approached by Walsh.

Farrell explained to host Ryan Tubridy: "I was on the dance floor showing a bit a leg back in the day, I was on the dance floor of The Pod nightclub... and I went into the bar next door afterwards and I was told this fella wants to talk to you and it was Louis Walsh.

"He said, 'I'm getting this band together and it's gonna be great, and you'd be wonderful'. I was wearing a tight rubber t-shirt and leather pants, so I was ready to come on and impress."

Farrell then went to open auditions and he was told that he more or less had the role in the bag. He even had photos with "Shane Lynch and Mark Walton, who was one of the original members".

Farrell says he sang Careless Whisper and "murdered it". He explained: "They asked me, 'Could you do that again?'

"I went home afterwards...and the phone rang and my mother said Louis Walsh was on the phone for me. It was at the bottom of the stairs so I took the phone and he went, 'Look, eh Colin listen, today eh you know, it's not really...it's not going to work, you know."

Colin Farrell's famous exes

Colin Farrell had a string of girlfriends when he broke Hollywood, namely Hollywood legends Demi Moore, Angelina Jolie, Elizabeth Taylor.

He also dated Amelia Warner, singer Britney Spears and model Nicole Narain.

Colin Farrell's children

In 2003, he had a son named James Padraig with American model Kim Bordenave. James was diagnosed with Angelman syndrome which is a neurogenetic disorder that "causes delayed development, problems with speech and balance, mental disability, and, sometimes, seizures. Many people with Angelman syndrome smile and laugh often. They tend to be happy and easy to excite."

Inspired by his son, the award winning actor launched the Colin Farrell Foundation which aims to provide support, advocacy, and programs for adult children with intellectual and mental disabilities.

Talking about life with James, he said: "This is the first time I've spoken about it, and obviously the only reason I'm speaking is I can't ask James if he wants to do this.

"I mean, I can. I speak to James as if he's 20 and has perfect fluency with the English language and age-appropriate cognitive ability.

"But I can't discern a particular answer from him as to whether he's comfortable with all this or not, so I have to make a call based on knowing James' spirit and what kind of young man he is and the goodness that he has in his heart."

In 2009, Colin had a second son, Henry Tadeusz, with Polish actress Alicja Bachleda-Curuś. He was Colin's plus one for the 2023 Oscars in Hollywood.