Quick Facts
- NAME: Simon Cowell
- OCCUPATION: Music Producer, Reality Television Star
- BIRTH DATE: October 07, 1959 (Age: 53)
- EDUCATION: Dover College
- PLACE OF BIRTH: London, United Kingdom
- Full Name: Simon Cowell
- Full Name: Simon Phillip Cowell
- ZODIAC SIGN: Libra
Best Known For
Simon Cowell is a record producer and television personality known for his scathing critical remarks as a judge on the television show, "American Idol."
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Play NowSimon Cowell. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 10:45, May 22, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/simon-cowell-10073482.
Simon Cowell. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/simon-cowell-10073482 [Accessed 22 May 2013].
"Simon Cowell." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 22 2013, 10:45 http://www.biography.com/people/simon-cowell-10073482.
"Simon Cowell," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/simon-cowell-10073482 [accessed May 22, 2013].
"Simon Cowell," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/simon-cowell-10073482 (accessed May 22, 2013).
Simon Cowell [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 22] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/simon-cowell-10073482.
Simon Cowell, http://www.biography.com/people/simon-cowell-10073482 (last visited May 22, 2013).
Simon Cowell. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/simon-cowell-10073482. Accessed May 22, 2013.
The X Factor
In 2011, Cowell helped import his hit British series The X Factor to America. The show is a talent search that awards a $5 million recording contract to the winner. Cowell even gave up his judging duties on American Idol to sit front and center at The X Factor auditions. Television viewers loved this competition, which proved to be a success in the ratings. Cowell's fellow judges included legendary recording executive L.A. Reid,
former American Idol judge and singer Paula Abdul, and singer Nicole Scherzinger of Pussycat Dolls fame.
The X Factor kicked off its second season in September 2012 with a few line-up changes. Pop star Britney Spears and actress-singer Demi Levato joined the show as judges, replacing Abdul and Scherzinger.
Industry Recognition
In 2004, Entertainment Weekly named Simon Cowell as one of the Top Entertainers of the Year. In 2006, he renewed his contract with American Idol for five more seasons; the deal gave him a yearly salary of $40 million. That same year, he was named Variety's UK Personality of the Year.
In 2007, Cowell earned the No. 3 slot on the Forbes TV Faces List, and No. 21 on Forbes' Celebrity 100 Power List. He also created an American Idol spin-off, Idol Gives Back, a two-episode special that helped to provide aid to children in Africa and the American poor. The show raised $76 million for charity.
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View groupIn the early days of the music industry, only a combination of hard work and luck could get musicians a recording contract—and even then, success was limited by the scope of a radio or record distribution deal. But thanks to the reality TV phenomenon, even an appearance on the American Idol competition can make you an instant superstar. Here are some of the show's most famous competitors and judges.
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Post-Britpop London - Cultural Icons: 2000s
View groupAfter the Britpop music scene of the early 90's, a new genre of celebrities stepped into the London spotlight from athletic superstars such as David Beckham to pop culture phenomenons like Simon Cowell and Susan Boyle. Alternative rock acts like Elastica and Oasis were replaced with soulful songstresses like Amy Whinehouse and Adele, and actors like Kate Winslet, Keira Knightley and Robert Pattinson became international superstars. The Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton also became a royal, social and fashion icon, as well as a defining figure of the decade. Biography celebrates these cultural icons of the new post-Britpop era.
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