Simon Phillip Cowell (born 7 October 1959), raised in Elstree, Hertfordshire, is a British businessman and television producer. He is famous on television as a judge on many major music competitions such as Pop Idol, American Idol, The X Factor or Britain’s Got Talent. He is also famous for his harsh comments towards contestants in music competitions.
Simon Cowell is also known for being the founder and sponsor of famous bands Il Divo, Westlife, One Direction and Fifth Harmony.
Story
Simon Phillip Cowell was born on 7 October 1959 in Lambeth, London, and raised in Elstree, Hertfordshire. His mother, Julie Brett (1925–2015), was a ballet dancer, and his father, Eric Selig Phillip Cowell (1918–1999), was a real estate agent, property developer and music industry management. Cowell’s paternal grandmother was a Polish immigrant. His father came from a largely Jewish family, although he did not discuss his background with his children, his mother was of Catholic background. He has a younger brother, Nicholas Cowell, three younger half-brothers, John, Tony, and Michael Cowell, and a younger half-sister, June Cowell.
Career
After the success of Idol and X Factor, Cowell, his company Syco, and business partners developed a talent show that allowed performers of all kinds, not just singers, but also dancers, instrumentalists, magicians, comedians, etc. The origin of the Got Talent program can be traced back to the British show Opportunity Knocks.
Cowell is the executive producer of America’s Got Talent, which premiered in June 2006, alongside Idol series producer Fremantle. The show was a huge success for NBC, attracting around 12 million viewers a week, and beating out So You Think You Can Dance on Fox (which was produced by competitor and Idol founder Simon Fuller).
Britain’s Got Talent aired on ITV in June 2007. Cowell appeared as a judge alongside Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan. The show was successful in terms of ratings and had seasons 2 and 3 continuing to air in 2008 and 2009. The third season was a success when Susan Boyle created a global media impact with just the stage qualifiers.
In 2015, Cowell launched La Banda, his first US show since ending his association with X Factor US. The show, designed to find male singers to form the “ultimate Latin Male group,” aired on Univision in the United States on September 13, 2015. Cowell was announced as Howard Stern’s replacement. on America’s Got Talent on October 22, 2015.
Recognition
In 2004 and 2010, Time magazine named Cowell one of the 100 most influential people in the world. New Statesman ranked Cowell number 41 on its list of “50 Influential People [of] 2010”. TV Guide ranked him 10th in 2013 on its list of the 60 most evil people.
In 2012, Cowell appeared on BBC Radio 4’s The New Elizabethans series to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. A group of seven academics, journalists and historians named Cowell among those in the United Kingdom “whose actions during the reign of Elizabeth II have had a significant impact on the life of this island nation.”.
