No, but wouldn't it be lovely if they were?

You see the film they were both in was a dramatized documentary of the life of the great English novelist Jane Austen called, simply, "The Real Jane Austen."

Both Colin and Peter Firth appeared because the men represent two generations of Austen heroes.

Peter Firth was an established stage actor for years before he found screen fame in the '80s, largely thanks to his lead role as the handsome and well-read Henry Tilney in the BBC's popular 1986 production of "Northanger Abbey."

Nearly 10 years later Colin Firth burned his curl-topped visage into the minds of women everywhere with his portrayal of the iconic Mr. Darcy in the 1995 BBC production of "Pride and Prejudice."

That character has largely defined Firth's career since, though he's had no shortage of other roles. The wildly popular chick-lit novel "Bridget Jones's Diary" makes reference to him and his role, and when they filmed the book in 2001 they got Firth himself to play the leading man, who also happens to be named Darcy. As well, the scene in 2003's "Love Actually," where Firth dives into a lake to retrieve the windblown pages of his novel, is said to be a reference to the classic scene in "Pride and Prejudice" where Mr. Darcy emerges, white linen shirt clinging to his chiseled frame, from a similar rustic lake.

The generous biography on British entertainment site Tiscali.co.uk describes Firth's frequent returns to the role: "He never complains because he understands what Darcy has given him... He played the typecasting game, because he knew he would win it."

But aside from sharing a similar career highlight, the actors aren't related at all, and neither comes from acting stock.

Colin Firth's parents were teachers and, again according to Tiscali, dragged him at a very young age to Nigeria and later to the untamed wilds of the United States, in their pursuit of teaching work.

Though Peter Firth has indeed been acting for longer, there's only seven years difference in age between the two men. Peter was born in 1953 in Bradford, England, and Colin in the village of Grayshott in Hampshire, England in 1960.