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Biography
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Click for out-of-context Simon quote:
Some dates below are
conjecture - if you know something I don't, please email me.
| 1969 |
Simon
was born on 30 July (which makes him a Leo) in Launceston, Tasmania. His father (Barry Baker, b. ~1946) was a mechanic and school groundsman and his mother (Elizabeth Labberton, b. ~1948) a homemaker who now teaches high-school English
and drama. His sister Terri, three years older than Simon, is a doctor.
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Gossip, rumours and tidbits
* From the Pittsburgh Post Gazette: While filming in Pittsburgh in mid-October 2002, Simon was acting in a scene on the North Shore. He looked up and some women in the office building across the way were at their window holding up a sign that said "Lunch?" accompanied by another
sign with a phone number. Simon asked for a cell phone and gave them a call just to say hello.
* He's a low maintenance guy, thinks toiletries are for girls and barbers are only for Nick Fallin.
* "Simon is not a groomer. He rolls out of bed and he's ready to go." [Naomi Watts]
* "What makes Simon so inherently cool is that he just doesn't care. I've lived with the guy, so I know." [Nicole Kidman, who hosted the Bakers when their home was being painted]
* He's 5'10", eats lots of fish, rice and veggies to stay in shape, and lives and surfs in Malibu.
He used to play competitive water polo.
* Most of the outdoor scenes for E Street were filmed in Balmain, where Simon could often be spotted driving around in his red Fuego.
[Source: Karen Wilson, Sydneysider ex-pat now living in the UK]
[Source: Dark Horizons darkhorizons.com]
[Source: Australian Television Information Archive oberon.spaceports.com/~atia/]
At some point in his Australian career, Simon had a guest starring role in the Aussie soap/drama GP, playing Ben.
[Source: www.imdb.com]
Before appearing as teacher Tom Summers in Heartbreak High, Simon had a role in episodes 37 and 38 in 1994 as an unnamed member of the band Decoy. The band is about to set off on an American tour and one of the main characters auditions as a back-up singer.
[Source: Australian Television Information Archive oberon.spaceports.com/~atia/]
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| 1972 |
The family moved to New Guinea in
search of adventure and higher salaries. His parents split up soon after.
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| 197? |
His mother remarried, to Tom Denny (a butcher),
and the family settled in Lennox Head, 12 km north of Ballina on NSW's north coast. Simon was given his stepfather’s name
and was known as Simon Denny. He only found out later that his stepfather
was not his biological father - they never got along but Simon was loyal
to him because he raised him. Simon has three half-siblings. Simon began surfing at age 8. As
a child he was "the sociable one, the entertainer", which perhaps destined
him for an acting career.
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| 1986 |
Simon finished high school, though he "goofed off" Year 12 at Ballina High School.
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| 1987 |
He became acquainted with his biological
father, and the relationship "has been progressing". They have a common
affinity for the ocean - his dad is vice-commodore of a yacht club in Tasmania
and "quite the salty old dog", according to Simon.
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| 198? |
Simon's mother and stepfather split up. Simon never openly admitted his desire
to become an actor and ended up studying nursing for three months in Sydney while working in a pub by night. Other odd jobs include an electrician, a brick-layer, making pizzas, selling time-share condominiums (he was sacked for being flippant), and a cellar man (receiving keg deliveries at a pub).
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| 1989 |
Simon fell into modelling after reading a newspaper ad. He worked as a film director’s
assistant for a company that made industrial and music videos, and eventually
began working in front of the camera too. He accompanied a friend to an
audition for a low-budget TV commercial and was told by the casting woman
to audition - he got the job, then got an agent, did more commercials and
at some point modelled in Japan. He's never attended formal drama classes.
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| 1991 |
In October, the girls' magazine
Dolly put him on their model card (I don't even know what
that means but it sounds good). In November the magazine listed him as
one of the "50 coolest guys around". He also appeared in the Euphoria music video Love You Right (this was the 6th best-selling song in Australia in 1992) and Melissa's Read My Lips. See screencaps. Simon met Rebecca Rigg (an Aussie actor, and daughter of an architect) in a Sydney pub. Simon had a girlfriend at the time but met Rebecca again six months later when
she threw a dinner party, and this time he was single. He became "quite
fascinated by her" - a case of opposites attract: "I am a country bloke
and she's a city chick. I am a sort of surfie who's pretty laid back and
relaxed and Rebecca is the energiser." The video director where he worked
was hired to direct some episodes of E Street (a soap about inner-city
life) and suggested Simon audition. The part of Sam Farrell, a cop, was written
for him, and quickly became the show's most popular feature. He stayed
with the show for a year (until it was cancelled) and his character had a short-lived romance with
a nurse, played by Rebecca.
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| 1992 |
Simon won a Logie for Most Popular
New Talent. As the Aussies among you would know, this award is voted for
by the general public.
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| 1993 |
A new role for Simon - fatherhood.
When Stella Breeze was born, Simon wanted her to have his birth name so
he changed his name to Simon Baker-Denny. The young family then lived on
Sydney’s northern shores.
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| 1994 |
Simon was cast in Home and Away
as part-time teacher James Healey, a "really
false nice person, but not quite as dark as I’d like to make him!" The
show is a popular evening soap, still in production.
Simon also made a joint UK/Australian pilot for a half-hour WWII comedy called Which Way to the War, in which he played Private Stan Hawke.
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| 1995 |
Simon played
teacher Tom Summers in Heartbreak High from episodes 80 to 87. His character was the son of the school Superintendent and the first episode had something to do with laxatives and cupcakes. Pretty soon, Tom got a student pregnant and was promptly fired. Other roles around this time:
Naked: The Blind Side Breakaway was an ABC
(Australian Broadcasting Corporation) themed series of short films about men's
issues. Simon also had a guest lead role in Sweat (short-lived Aussie drama series about kids at a sports institute). On Christmas Eve, he arrived in LA
with Rebecca and Stella and $3500 in his pocket.
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| 1996 |
Simon was soon cast in LA
Confidential, although the part he wanted was the starring role
that Guy Pearce won. He was also
in The Last Best Place, a CBS pilot that presumably has sunk
into oblivion never to be seen again.
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| 1997 |
The highly
acclaimed LA Confidential was released.
Simon then played journalist Stephen Barnes in Most
Wanted. |
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| 1998 |
Simon and Rebecca married. Simon
had roles in Judas
Kiss and the independent flick Restaurant.
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| 1999 |
Simon finally reverted to his birth
name, Simon Baker. "That is who I am, who I started as." The couple's second child, Claude
Blue, was born (in Australia, Bluey or Blue means Aussie). Simon had roles in Love
From Ground Zero, Ride with the
Devil, and Secret Men's Business, a telemovie directed by Ken Cameron - Simon was nominated for an Australian Film Institute award for his role in this film (Best Performance by an Actor in a Telefeature or Miniseries, 2000).
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| 2000 |
Simon had roles in Sunset Strip and Red Planet.
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| 2001 |
Simon played
Rétaux de Villette in The Affair of the Necklace, which had
a very limited release. His mother (Elizabeth Labberton) and daughter Stella had small roles in the movie. Then came the role of Nick Fallin
in CBS's TV drama The Guardian, which garnered Simon a 2002 Golden Globe nomination
for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Drama Series). In Australia the show
screens on Wednesdays, Channel 10 at 8.30pm. The first episode made his
sister cry. Simon says he watches the show in black and white, in order to separate himself from what he's seeing and not be so critical of his performance.
Third child Harry Friday was born
on 19 September (a Wednesday), just six days before The Guardian premiered.
In December the Bakers moved house to a white mansion in Malibu, where Simon surfs every morning before work.
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| 2002 |
In an interview earlier this year, Simon expressed a desire to direct at some point.
His personal goal in life is "to be able to have a good, solid, healthy relationship with my wife and children for the rest of their lives and my life." Shooting for season two of The Guardian began in July and the show returned to US screens on 24 September.
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| 2003 |
Simon made his directorial debut on The Guardian with episode 218 My Aim is True.
Shooting for season 2 wrapped in April. During the hiatus, Simon returned to Australia with his family. He presented at the 2003 Logies and did several radio, TV and print interviews. In June he went to New York to film, Book of Love (formerly titled Nights in Phnom Phen), costarring Australian actress Frances O'Connor. The film is written and directed by Alan Brown and has been selected for the dramatic competition at the Sundance Film Festival 2004.
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| 2004 |
Book of Love premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in February.
Simon was nominated for Most Popular Overseas Star, but lost to Jennifer Aniston at the Australian Logie Awards on 18 April. Simon stars in The Ring Two opposite Naomi Watts, release date 10 Nov. Shooting on The Guardian wrapped in April and the show was cancelled in mid-May.
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| 2005 |
Simon starred in Land of the Dead with John Leguizamo and Dennis Hopper
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| 2006 |
Simon's new TV series Smith premiered on CBS on September 19. Also starring Ray Liotta and Virginia Madsen.
Devil Wears Prada also starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway. Something New also starring Sanaa Lathan. Sex and Death 101 currently in post-production.
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Page updated 28 Sep 2006