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.