SIMON COWELL
Simon Phillip Cowell was born on October 7, 1959 in London,
England. His father was Eric Philip Cowell, he was an estate agent developer
and music industry executive. His mother, Julie Brett, was a former ballet
dancer.Simon went to school at Dover College, but dropped out at 16. He floated in and out of jobs, sabotaging several interviews for jobs set up by his father. He finally landed a job at his father's company as a mailroom clerk at EMI Music Publishing.
After struggling Simon
managed to earn a position as an assistant to an A&R executive at EMI in
1979, where he was promoted and given the job of talent scout. Simon left EMI
during the early 1980s to form E&S Music with his boss at EMI, Ellis Rich.
As he enrolled the company created several hits, but Simon
left by mutual agreement a few years later. In 1985, he and a partner formed
the independent label Fanfare Records, which enjoyed short-lived success. The
company folded in 1989.
It took Simon a while to sign on as a consultant with BMG
Records later that same year. and gradually climbed the corporate ladder at
BMG. He managed to sign a string of successful acts for the company, selling
more than 150 million records and 70 top-charting singles in the UK and United
States.
In 2001 Simon teamed up with Simon Fuller to produce a show
in which the public chooses Britain's next big music performance star. The
show, Pop Idol, debuted in the UK and promised a BMG record deal to the
winner. With Simon as a judge notorious for reducing contestants to tears, the
show was an instant success, drawing more than 10,000 would-be stars to
audition for the show.
The American version, American Idol, debuted in 2002, with Simon once again judging alongside singer Paula Abdul and producer Randy Jackson. The show drew in a record number of viewers for Fox, in addition to producing pop stars Kelly Clarkson (2002), Ruben Studdard (2003) and Clay Aiken (2003), Fantasia Barrino (2004), Jennifer Hudson (2004), Carrie Underwood (2005), Taylor Hicks (2006), Jordin Sparks (2007), and most recently David Cook (2008) and David Archuleta (2008).
Simon has become known for combining his music and television interests. He set up another company, SYCOtv, in 2002. The company created the television shows American Inventor, America's Got Talent, and X-Factor. The group also produces records for many of the performers on Simon's shows including albums for Leona Lewis and Il Divo.
The American version, American Idol, debuted in 2002, with Simon once again judging alongside singer Paula Abdul and producer Randy Jackson. The show drew in a record number of viewers for Fox, in addition to producing pop stars Kelly Clarkson (2002), Ruben Studdard (2003) and Clay Aiken (2003), Fantasia Barrino (2004), Jennifer Hudson (2004), Carrie Underwood (2005), Taylor Hicks (2006), Jordin Sparks (2007), and most recently David Cook (2008) and David Archuleta (2008).
Simon has become known for combining his music and television interests. He set up another company, SYCOtv, in 2002. The company created the television shows American Inventor, America's Got Talent, and X-Factor. The group also produces records for many of the performers on Simon's shows including albums for Leona Lewis and Il Divo.
In the year 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, Simon 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.
Simon is now in his eighth season of American Idol. The show brought on an additional judge, Kara DioGuardi, and a new line-up of contestants.
In 2007, Simon 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.
Simon is now in his eighth season of American Idol. The show brought on an additional judge, Kara DioGuardi, and a new line-up of contestants.
Annual earnings according to Forbes: 2012: $90 million, 2011:
$90 million, 2010: $80 million English A&R executive, television producer,
entrepreneur, and television personality, Simon Phillip Cowell, has a net worth
of £225 million ($350m) as of April 2012, according to the UK Sunday Times
Rich List. Following the success of the Idol and X Factor franchises,
