Simon Cowell
Biography
Simon Phillip Cowell was born on October 7, 1959, in Lambeth, London, England, United Kingdom. He is a male television personality, entrepreneur, and record executive known for acting with 126 known credits on The Movie Database. He is the founder of the British entertainment company Syco Entertainment and its predecessor, Syco Music. Cowell has worked as a record producer, talent agent, and consultant in the United Kingdom music industry, and he is the creator of the X Factor and Got Talent franchises. He has also been associated with projects such as The Simpsons, Family Guy, and Children in Need.
Career overview
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English television personality, entrepreneur, and record executive born on October 7, 1959, in Lambeth, London, England, United Kingdom. He is the founder and sole owner of the British entertainment company Syco and created the X Factor and Got Talent franchises. Earlier in his career, he achieved some success in the 1980s and 1990s as a record producer, talent agent, and consultant in the United Kingdom music industry. He later came to public prominence in 2001 as a judge on the talent competition show Pop, which he successfully introduced alongside its creator, Simon Fuller.
Cowell has served as a judge on numerous British and American television talent competition programs. In the United Kingdom, his judging roles include Pop Idol from 2001 to 2003, The X Factor UK from 2004 to 2010 and again from 2014 to 2018, and Britain's Got Talent from 2007 to the present. In the United States, he has judged on American Idol from 2002 to 2010, The X Factor US from 2011 to 2013, and America's Got Talent from 2016 to the present.
In addition to his work on talent competitions, Cowell has known credits in acting and has been associated with various media projects. His business ventures include founding Syco Entertainment in 2005, as well as its predecessor, Syco Music, which is also known as S Records, established in 2002.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
137 titles- Simon Cowell: The Next Act (2025) as Self - Host
- Simon Cowell: The Next Act (2025) Creator
- America's Got Talent: Fantasy League (2024) as Self - Judge
- America's Got Talent: Fantasy League (2024) Creator
- Les incroyables talents sont éternels (2024) Creator
- Boybands Forever (2024) as Self
- America's Got Talent: All-Stars (2023) as Self - Judge
- Got Talent All Stars (2023) Creator
- Stock Aitken Waterman: Legends of Pop (2023) as Self
- Stock Aitken Waterman: Legends of Pop (2023) as Self
- The Jennifer Hudson Show (2022) as Self
- Canada's Got Talent (2022) as Self - Guest Judge
- Canada's Got Talent (2022) Creator
- America's Got Talent: Extreme (2022) as Self - Judge
- America's Got Talent: Extreme (2022) Executive Producer
- The Dancer (2021) Creator
- Scoob! (2020) as Simon Cowell (voice)
- Britain's Got Talent: Unseen (2020) as Judge
- Men in Brown (2020) as Self
- Julia Scotti: Funny That Way (2020) as Self (archive footage)
- The National Television Awards Celebrate 25 Years (2020) as Self
- Ant and Dec's 30 Greatest Moments (2020) as Self (archive footage)
- Persia's Got Talent (2020) Creator
- The Kelly Clarkson Show (2019) as Self
- America's Got Talent: The Champions (2019)
- The X Factor Celebrity (2019) as Self - Judge
- The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story (2019) as Self - Talent Scout
- Les Incroyables Talents de la musique (2019) Creator
- Britain's Got Talent: The Champions (2019) as Judge
- The X Factor The Band (2019) as Self - Judge
- Made in Miami (2018) as Self
- Darci Lynne: My Hometown Christmas (2018)
- OBJECTified (2017) as Self
- Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives (2017) as Self
- Britain's Greatest Hoaxer (2017) as Self
- Who Shot Simon Cowell? (2017) as Simon Cowell
- X Factor Brasil (2016) Creator
- Got Talent España (2016) Creator
- Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016) as Simon Cowell
- The Late Late Show with James Corden (2015) as Self
- Got Talent Portugal (2015) Creator
- 20 Moments That Rocked Talent Shows (2015) as Self (archive footage)
- X Factor Romania (2015) Creator
- Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014) as Self
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014) as Self
- Danmark har talent (2014) Creator
- Pudsey the Dog: The Movie (2014) Producer
- One Direction: This Is Us (2013) as Self
- One Direction: This Is Us (2013) Producer
- One Chance (2013) Producer
- P!NK: Staying True (2013) as Self
- 1D Day (2013) as Self
- The X Factor: Zhongguo Zui Qiang Yin (2013) Creator
- X Factor (2012) Creator
- Canada's Got Talent (2012) Creator
- X Factor (2011) Creator
- The X Factor (2011) as Self - Judge
- Romania's Got Talent (2011) Creator
- X Factor Polska (2011) Creator
- Red or Black? (2011) Creator
- One Direction: A Year in the Making (2011) as Self (archive footage)
- Susan Boyle: An Unlikely Superstar (2011) as Self
- X-Factor (2010) Original Series Creator
- Pilipinas Got Talent (2010) Creator
- X Factor (2010) Creator
- China's Got Talent (2010) Creator
- Bulgaria Searches for a Talent (2010) Creator
- Harry Hill's TV Burp Gold 3 (2010) as Self (archive footage)
- Kate Garraway's Life Stories (2009)
- Italia's Got Talent (2009) Director
- Italia's Got Talent (2009) Creator
- SA's Got Talent (2009) Creator
- X Factor (2009) Creator
- Square Roots: The Story of SpongeBob SquarePants (2009) as Self (archive footage)
- 2009 Game Show Awards (2009) as Self (archive footage)
- Family Guy Presents: Stewie Kills Lois and Lois Kills Stewie (2009) as Simon Cowell (voice)
- X Factor (2008) Creator
- Norske Talenter (2008) Creator
- X Factor (2008) Creator
- Britain's Got Talent (2007) as Self - Judge
- Britain's Got Talent (2007) Creator
- Britain's Got More Talent (2007) as Self
- Factor X España (2007) Creator
- The Kylie Show (2007) as Self
- America's Got Talent (2006) as Self - Judge
- La France a un incroyable talent, ça continue (2006) Creator
- La France a un incroyable talent (2006) Creator
- The Story of Light Entertainment (2006) as Self
- Life Is Not a Fairytale: The Fantasia Barrino Story (2006) as Self
- The X Factor: Battle of the Stars (2006) as Self - Judge
- The Reichen Show (2005) as Self
- The X Factor (2005) Creator
- American Idol: The Worst of Seasons 1-4 (2005) as Self - Judge
- American Idol: The Best of Seasons 1-4 (2005) as Self - Judge (archive footage)
- The Paul O'Grady Show (2004)
- The X Factor (2004) as Self - Judge
- The X Factor (2004) Creator
- The Celebrity Apprentice (2004)
- On Air with Ryan Seacrest (2004) as Self
- Far Far Away Idol (2004) as Simon Cowell (voice)
- The X Factor Revealed: The Greatest Auditions Ever (2004) as Self
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003) as Self
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003) as Self - Guest
- The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2003) as Self
- Punk'd (2003) as Self
- Scary Movie 3 (2003) as Simon Cowell
- E!'s 101 (2003) as Self
- Cupid (2003)
- World Idol (2003) as Self
- American Idol (2002) as Self - Judge
- Top Gear (2002) as Self
- Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway (2002) as Self
- American Idol: The Search For A Superstar (2002) as Judge
- Idols (2001) Creator
- Pop Idol (2001) as Self - Judge
- When Louis Met... (2000) as Self
- Family Guy (1999) as Simon Cowell (voice)
- Loose Women (1999) as Self (voice)
- So Graham Norton (1998) as Self
- The View (1997) as Self
- Emmerdale: The Dingles Down Under (1997) Executive Producer
- The Frank Skinner Show (1995) as Self
- MADtv (1995) as Self
- Late Show with David Letterman (1993) as Self - Guest
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993) as Self - Guest
- GMTV (1993) as Self
- The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992) as Self
- The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992) as Self - Guest
- The Simpsons (1989) as Simon Cowell (voice)
- The Simpsons (1989) as Henry (voice)
- LIVE with Kelly and Mark (1988) as Self - Guest
- This Morning (1988) as Self
- Entertainment Tonight (1981) as Self
- Saturday Night Live (1975) as Self (uncredited)
- X Factor Georgia Creator
- Betty Boop Producer
- Albanians Got Talent Creator
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Simon Cowell best known for?
Simon Cowell is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including The Jennifer Hudson Show (2022), Scoob! (2020), The Kelly Clarkson Show (2019), Got Talent España (2016).
When and where was Simon Cowell born?
Simon Cowell was born on October 7, 1959 in Lambeth, London, England, UK.
How many credits does Simon Cowell have?
Simon Cowell has accumulated over 137 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1975 to 2025.
What is Simon Cowell's background in cinema and television?
Simon Phillip Cowell was born on October 7, 1959, in Lambeth, London, England, United Kingdom. He is a male television personality, entrepreneur, and record executive known for acting with 126 known credits on The Movie Database. He is the founder of the British entertainment company Syco Entertainment and its predeces...