Simon Baker (raised
Simon Denny, also known as
Simon Baker-Denny; born 30 July 1969) is an Australian
filmFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
and
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
actor. He is currently the star of the
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
television series
The MentalistThe Mentalist is an American crime procedural television series which debuted on September 23, 2008 on CBS.-Premise:The Mentalist follows Simon Baker as Patrick Jane, an independent consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation based in Sacramento, California. He has a remarkable track...
.
Baker was born to Catholic parents, high school English/Drama teacher Elizabeth Labberton and groundskeeper/mechanic Barry Baker, on July 30, 1969, in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.
Simon Baker (raised
Simon Denny, also known as
Simon Baker-Denny; born 30 July 1969) is an Australian
filmFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
and
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
actor. He is currently the star of the
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
television series
The MentalistThe Mentalist is an American crime procedural television series which debuted on September 23, 2008 on CBS.-Premise:The Mentalist follows Simon Baker as Patrick Jane, an independent consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation based in Sacramento, California. He has a remarkable track...
.
Early life
Baker was born to Catholic parents, high school English/Drama teacher Elizabeth Labberton and groundskeeper/mechanic Barry Baker, on July 30, 1969, in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. His parents divorced while he was still young and his mother later married butcher Tom Denny. Baker also has a sister, currently a doctor in Australia, and three younger half siblings. By 1972, they had moved from Launceston, Tasmania to Ballina, New South Wales, Australia, hoping to secure better paying jobs. In 1986, he graduated from Ballina High School.
Career
Baker was a champion sportsman who competed at state level in
surfingSurfing is most commonly known, the term is used for a surface water sport in which the person surfing moves along the face of a breaking ocean wave . However, surfing is not restricted to saltwater, but can sometimes take place on rivers, using a standing wave...
and
water poloWater polo is a team water sport. It is the oldest continuous Olympic team sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper with a maximum of six substitutes. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Gameplay involves swimming, players passing the ball...
. He began acting on Australian television during the late 1980s using the name "Simon Baker Denny". He first appeared in music video clips for
Melissa TkautzMelissa Natalie Tkautz is an Australian actress, singer, songwriter and model of Austrian and Maltese heritage. Tkautz was married on Friday 6 February to her partner of 5 years Kwesi Nichols....
("Read My Lips") and Aussie dance outfit
EuphoriaEuphoria was a popular Australian Pop/Dance music trio from the early 1990s based in Sydney, NSW. The group was founded by producer Andrew Klippel and featured the vocals of Keren Minshull and Holly Garnett...
("Love You Right") in 1991 before appearing in the successful series
E StreetE Street is an Australian television soap opera created by Forrest Redlich and produced by the Ten Network from 1989 to 1993.Whereas Neighbours is set in a middle-class suburb, Home and Away in a seaside town, and Richmond Hill a semi-rural ordinary community, E Street was set in a tough inner-city...
and
Heartbreak HighHeartbreak High was an Australian television series, dealing with the students of Hartley High, a tough high school in a multi-racial area of Sydney, and proved to be a more gritty and fast-paced show than many of its contemporaries. It was a spin-off of the 1993 Australian feature film The...
. Baker relocated to the United States where he was occasionally known by his stepfather's surname (as
Simon Baker-Denny or
Simon Denny).
He was cast in a small but important part as a young would-be actor in
L.A. Confidential, which led to further opportunities in supporting roles in
filmFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
s. In 1998 he starred in a small, independent film by filmmaker Stephen Grynberg titled "
Love from Ground Zero- Synopsis :Love From Ground Zero follows three strangers across the back roads of America with the ashes of a mutual friend. Using a series of old postcards as a map, the threesome drive from New York to Montana retracing their friend’s journey “out west” years before...
". In 2000 he played an astronaut in
Red PlanetRed Planet is a 2000 science fiction film directed by Antony Hoffman, starring Carrie-Anne Moss and Val Kilmer. It was released on November 6 2000.-Plot:...
with
Val KilmerVal Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, Kilmer became popular in the mid-1980s after a string of appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! , then the cult classic Real Genius , as well as blockbuster action films, including a role in Top Gun and a lead role...
, Carrie Anne Moss and
Benjamin BrattBenjamin Bratt is an American actor. He is most famous for his role as Rey Curtis on the TV series Law & Order; and his appearances in the movies Blood in Blood Out, Miss Congeniality, Traffic, and Piñero...
. He played the male lead in the television series
The GuardianThe Guardian is an American drama series which aired on CBS from September 25, 2001 to May 4, 2004. It is currently showing in re-runs on the Sleuth Channel in the US. The Guardian has also aired in the United Kingdom on the Hallmark Channel, ABC1 and more recently five USA and as of August...
for three seasons beginning in 2001, and also appeared in
The Affair of the NecklaceThe Affair of the Necklace is a 2001 American historical drama film directed by Charles Shyer. The screenplay by John Sweet is based on what became known as the Affair of the Diamond Necklace, an incident that helped fuel the French populace's disillusionment with the monarchy and, among other...
. He played a distressed husband in 2004's
Book of Love. In 2005, he starred as an altruistic hero in
George A. RomeroGeorge Andrew Romero is an American film director, screenwriter, editor and occasional actor, best known for his gruesome and satirical horror films about a hypothetical zombie apocalypse. He is nicknamed Grandfather of the Zombie....
's
Land of the DeadLand of the Dead is a horror film by director George A. Romero, the fourth of Romero's six Living Dead movies. It is preceded by Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead, and succeeded by Diary of the Dead and Survival of the Dead...
.
In 2006, he played Brian Kelly in the film
Something NewSomething New is a 2006 American romantic drama film directed by Sanaa Hamri. The screenplay by Kriss Turner focuses on interracial relationships and traditional African American family values and social customs.-Plot:...
, writer Christian Thompson in
The Devil Wears PradaThe Devil Wears Prada is a 2006 comedy-drama film, a loose screen adaptation of Lauren Weisberger's 2003 novel of the same name. It stars Anne Hathaway as Andy Sachs, a recent college graduate who goes to New York City and gets a job as a co-assistant to powerful and demanding fashion magazine...
, and had a leading role as Jeff in the short-lived television series
SmithSmith was a short lived American television drama that premiered on 16 September 2006 at 10:00 PM ET on CBS and on 18 September 2006 on CTV in Canada...
. That following year, he was cast as Roderick Blank in
Sex and Death 101Sex and Death 101 is a 2007 dark comedy written and directed by Daniel Waters released in the United States on April 4th, 2008. This film marks the reunion of writer-director Daniel Waters and Winona Ryder, who previously worked on 1989's Heathers, written by Waters.-Plot:Roderick Blank is the...
.
In 2008, Baker received the lead role in the
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
television series
The MentalistThe Mentalist is an American crime procedural television series which debuted on September 23, 2008 on CBS.-Premise:The Mentalist follows Simon Baker as Patrick Jane, an independent consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation based in Sacramento, California. He has a remarkable track...
, in which he plays a consultant to the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI) skilled in picking up the details of body language and visual clues of suspects' appearances. His character is further darkened by a history of mental trauma following the murder of his wife and child, which drives him in his work. In 2009, Baker was nominated for an Emmy for his work in
The Mentalist.
Personal life
Baker is married to Australian actress
Rebecca RiggRebecca Rigg is an Australian actress.- Biography :Rebecca Rigg was once best-known by Australian audiences as the bratty but troubled teenager, Gabrielle "Gabe" Baker, in the 1980s drama series A Country Practice....
(m. 1998 to present) and has three children; Stella Breeze, Claude Blue, and Harry Friday. According to a recent interview with
David LettermanDavid Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman...
on the
Late ShowLate Show with David Letterman is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and bandleader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra,...
, Baker made mention of the fact that fellow Australian actors
Nicole KidmanNicole Mary Kidman, AC is an American-born Australian actress, fashion model, singer and humanitarian. In 2006, Kidman was made a Companion of the Order of Australia, Australia's highest civilian honour. In 2006, she was also the highest-paid actress in the motion picture industry.Kidman's...
and
Naomi WattsNaomi Ellen Watts is a British-Australian actress. Watts began her career in Australian Television, where she appeared in commercials and series, including the soap opera Home and Away, the award winning mini-series Brides of Christ and the family sitcom Hey Dad..!...
are godparents to two of his children. Until recently Baker and his family resided in
Malibu, CaliforniaMalibu is an incorporated city in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population is 12,575....
, before temporarily moving back to
SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
,
New South WalesNew South Wales is Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
. They have since returned to
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
.
In February 2009, Baker appeared on the
The Ellen DeGeneres ShowThe Ellen DeGeneres Show is a syndicated television talk show hosted by comedienne Ellen DeGeneres and distributed by Warner Bros. Television. The show features interviews with celebrities, games with members of the public, comedic monologues by the host and music performances. It premiered on...
and said that he was applying to become an American citizen.
On the David Letterman Show on September 23, 2009, Simon spoke of his mother's job as a store security guard before she became a drama teacher after he got into acting.
Filmography
| Film |
| Year |
Film |
Role |
Notes |
| 1997 The year 1997 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The Star Wars original trilogy's 20th Anniversary Special Editions are released.*Production begins on Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace....
|
L.A. Confidential |
Matt Reynolds |
|
Most WantedMost Wanted is a 1997 film starring Keenen Ivory Wayans and Jill Hennessey and Jon Voight.-Plot:James Dunn , a United States Marine who served in the Gulf War, is wrongly accused of an assassination of an officer he had disputed with. Dunn is later saved from death row and recruited for top-secret...
|
Stephen Barnes |
|
| 1998 The year 1998 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 14 - Sharon Stone marries Phil Bronstein.* Former child star Gary Coleman is charged with assaulting a young female bus driver at a California shopping mall.-Top grossing films:...
|
RestaurantRestaurant is a 1998 independent film starring Adrien Brody, Elise Neal, David Moscow and Simon Baker. Written by Tom Cudworth and directed by Eric Bross, Restaurant was the follow-up to this writing–directing duo's first film, TenBenny, which also starred Adrien Brody...
|
Kenny |
|
| Judas Kiss |
Junior Armstrong |
|
| Love from Ground Zero - Synopsis :Love From Ground Zero follows three strangers across the back roads of America with the ashes of a mutual friend. Using a series of old postcards as a map, the threesome drive from New York to Montana retracing their friend’s journey “out west” years before...
|
Eric |
|
| 1999 The year 1999 in film involved some significant events and was arguably the most successful year for films released in the 1990s. Several new feature films, including Star Wars Episode I, The Sixth Sense, The Green Mile, new sequel Toy Story 2, first of The Matrix, Disney's animated Tarzan,...
|
Ride with the Devil |
George Clyde |
|
| 2000 The year 2000 in film involved some significant events.-Top-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the United States and Canada in 2000...
|
Sunset Strip |
Michael Scott |
|
| Red Planet Red Planet is a 2000 science fiction film directed by Antony Hoffman, starring Carrie-Anne Moss and Val Kilmer. It was released on November 6 2000.-Plot:...
|
Chip Pettengill |
|
| 2001 The year 2001 in film involved some significant events. -Top-grossing films:...
|
The Affair of the Necklace The Affair of the Necklace is a 2001 American historical drama film directed by Charles Shyer. The screenplay by John Sweet is based on what became known as the Affair of the Diamond Necklace, an incident that helped fuel the French populace's disillusionment with the monarchy and, among other...
|
Rétaux de Villette Rétaux de Villette was born in France in the late 18th century. The scion of a poor family, he was forced to become a gigolo to survive, but Villette also had a talent for forgery...
|
|
| 2004 The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
|
Book of Love |
David Walker |
|
| 2005 The year 2005 in film saw many new films released worldwide, including several major mainstream sequels, prequels, and remakes as well as original films.-Top–grossing films:...
|
The Ring Two The Ring Two is a 2005 American horror film, and a sequel to the 2002 film The Ring, which was a remake of the 1998 Japanese film of the same name...
|
Max Rourke |
|
| Land of the Dead Land of the Dead is a horror film by director George A. Romero, the fourth of Romero's six Living Dead movies. It is preceded by Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead, and succeeded by Diary of the Dead and Survival of the Dead...
|
Riley |
|
| 2006 The year 2006 in film saw many new films released worldwide, including several major mainstream sequels, prequels, and remakes as well as original films.-Top grossing films:...
|
Something New Something New is a 2006 American romantic drama film directed by Sanaa Hamri. The screenplay by Kriss Turner focuses on interracial relationships and traditional African American family values and social customs.-Plot:...
|
Brian Kelly |
|
The Devil Wears PradaThe Devil Wears Prada is a 2006 comedy-drama film, a loose screen adaptation of Lauren Weisberger's 2003 novel of the same name. It stars Anne Hathaway as Andy Sachs, a recent college graduate who goes to New York City and gets a job as a co-assistant to powerful and demanding fashion magazine...
|
Christian Thompson |
|
| 2007 The year 2007 in film saw many new films released worldwide, including several major mainstream sequels, prequels, and remakes as well as original films.-Top grossing films:...
|
Sex and Death 101 Sex and Death 101 is a 2007 dark comedy written and directed by Daniel Waters released in the United States on April 4th, 2008. This film marks the reunion of writer-director Daniel Waters and Winona Ryder, who previously worked on 1989's Heathers, written by Waters.-Plot:Roderick Blank is the...
|
Roderick Blank |
|
| The Key to Reserva |
Roger Thornberry |
Short film |
| 2009 The year 2009 has many new films to be released worldwide, including several major mainstream sequels, prequels, and remakes as well as original films.-Top-grossing films:...
|
The Lodger The Lodger is an 2009 mystery/thriller film directed by David Ondaatje and starring Alfred Molina, Hope Davis, and Simon Baker. It is a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's 1927 film The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog...
|
Malcolm |
|
| Not Forgotten Not Forgotten is a 2009 independent thriller written and directed by Dror Soref starring Simon Baker and Paz Vega. The film takes place on the Texas-Mexico border and tells the story of a kidnapping plot involving the ritualistic cult Santa Muerte...
|
Jack Bishop |
|
| Women in Trouble Women in Trouble is an upcoming comedy film, written and directed by Sebastian Gutierrez, and featuring an ensemble cast. The film premiered at the 2009 South by Southwest Film Festival.-Cast:*Carla Gugino as Elektra Luxx...
|
Travis McPherson |
|
| 2010 The year 2010 has many new films to be released worldwide, including several major mainstream sequels, prequels, and remakes as well as original films.-2010:...
|
The Killer Inside Me The Killer Inside Me is an upcoming film based on the book of the same name by Jim Thompson.The film is directed by Michael Winterbottom and stars Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson, and Jessica Alba...
|
|
filming |
| Television |
| Year |
Title |
Role |
Notes |
| 1987 |
Midnight Magic Shades of Love is a collection of romantic and dramatic made for TV and direct-to-video films. The films paired well-known leading men with lesser known Canadian actresses. Aired in Canada and sold individually on VHS in North America, the Shades of Love film series was geared towards females who...
|
|
CHCH-TVCHCH-TV, channel 11, is a television station in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, with additional transmitters throughout Ontario, and the oldest private television station serving the Toronto area...
Television movieA television movie is a feature film that is produced for and originally distributed by a...
|
| 1992-93 |
E Street E Street is an Australian television soap opera created by Forrest Redlich and produced by the Ten Network from 1989 to 1993.Whereas Neighbours is set in a middle-class suburb, Home and Away in a seaside town, and Richmond Hill a semi-rural ordinary community, E Street was set in a tough inner-city...
|
Constable Sam Farrell |
Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent The TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards, which have been presented annually since 1959. Renamed by Graham Kennedy in 1960 after he won the first 'Star Of The Year' award , the name 'Logie' awards honors John Logie Baird, a Scotsman who invented the television as a...
|
| 1994 |
Which Way to the War Which Way to the War was an intended British television sitcom written by David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd, which was discontinued after a one-off broadcast pilot on 19 August 1994...
|
Pvt Stan Hawke |
Episode: Pilot |
| Home and Away Home and Away is a Logie Award-winning Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney by the Seven Network since July 1987. It premiered in January 1988 and is the second longest-running drama on Australian television, winning more than 30 Logie Awards.The show initially focused on the...
|
James Healey |
|
| 1995 |
Naked |
|
|
| 1995–1996 |
Heartbreak HighHeartbreak High was an Australian television series, dealing with the students of Hartley High, a tough high school in a multi-racial area of Sydney, and proved to be a more gritty and fast-paced show than many of its contemporaries. It was a spin-off of the 1993 Australian feature film The...
|
Mr. Thomas 'Tom' Saunders |
Episodes 80 to 89 of Season 3 |
| 1996 |
Naked: Stories of Men |
Gabriel |
Episode: Blind-Side Breakaway |
| Sweat Sweat was an Australian drama series created by John Rapsey and produced by Baron Films in Perth. The show aired on Network Ten in 1996 and centered around students at an Australian school for the athletically gifted. Sweat was Heath Ledger's first regular role on a television show...
|
Paul Steadman |
Episode: 1.3 |
| 1999 |
Secret Men's Business |
Andy Greville |
ABC TelevisionABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcaster, the ABC provides two main channels within Australia as well a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas.- History :...
Nominated — Australian Film Institute Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Telefeature or Mini-SeriesThe Australian Film Institute Awards are awards of merit presented annually by the Australian Film Institute. The awards recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry and television industry, including directors, actors and writers...
|
| 2001-2004 |
The Guardian The Guardian is an American drama series which aired on CBS from September 25, 2001 to May 4, 2004. It is currently showing in re-runs on the Sleuth Channel in the US. The Guardian has also aired in the United Kingdom on the Hallmark Channel, ABC1 and more recently five USA and as of August...
|
Nick Fallin |
Seasons 1 - 3, 67 episodes in total
Family Television Award for Best Actor (2002)
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama (2002)
Nominated — Prism Award for Performance in a Drama Series Storyline |
| 2006-2007 |
SmithSmith was a short lived American television drama that premiered on 16 September 2006 at 10:00 PM ET on CBS and on 18 September 2006 on CTV in Canada...
|
Jeff Breen |
Seven episodes |
| 2008-present |
The MentalistThe Mentalist is an American crime procedural television series which debuted on September 23, 2008 on CBS.-Premise:The Mentalist follows Simon Baker as Patrick Jane, an independent consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation based in Sacramento, California. He has a remarkable track...
|
Patrick Jane Patrick Jane is the protagonist on the popular CBS series, The Mentalist. Jane is a consultant for the a fictionalized "California Bureau of Investigation" and helps by giving advice and insight from his many years as a fake medium...
|
Nominated — Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor – Drama Series
Season 1 Episodes 1 - 23 ,
Season 2 started on 24 Sept 2009 |
Awards and nominations
Australian Film Institute AwardsThe Australian Film Institute Awards are awards of merit presented annually by the Australian Film Institute. The awards recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry and television industry, including directors, actors and writers...
- 2000: Nominated, "Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Telefeature or Mini-Series" - Secret Men's Business
People's Choice Award
- 2009: won with complete cast "Best new series" - The Mentalist season 1
Emmy Awards
- 2009: Nominated, "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" - The Mentalist season 1
Family Television Awards
- 2002: Won, "Best Actor" - The Guardian
Golden Globe Awards
- 2002: Nominated, "Best Performance by an Actor in a Dramatic Television Series" - The Guardian
Logie Awards
- 1993: Won, "Most Popular New Talent" - E Street
- 2004: Nominated, "Most Popular Overseas Star"
Prism Awards
- 2005: Nominated, "Best Performance in a Drama Series Storyline" - The Guardian
External links