Mark Darcy is Bridget’s love interest played by Colin Firth in Bridget Jones’s Diary. He is a reserved barrister whose initially formal and judgmental manner contrasts with Bridget’s candid, chaotic personality.
The character is adapted from Mr. Darcy in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Helen Fielding’s novel and the film deliberately echo Austen’s plot, including the tension between first impressions, social embarrassment and gradually revealed affection.
Bridget also becomes involved with Daniel Cleaver, played by Hugh Grant. Cleaver is not the answer: he is the charming but unreliable rival who complicates Bridget’s romantic life. Mark’s name is therefore especially easy to confuse with the film’s other major male character.
The film was released in 2001 and directed by Sharon Maguire. Renée Zellweger played Bridget Jones, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for the role.