Simon Baker
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Simon Baker (b. July 30, 1969 in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia) is a film and television actor.
Baker was a former champion sportsman who competed at state level in surfing and water polo. 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 Tkautz ("Read My Lips") and Aussie dance outfit Euphoria ("Love You Right") in 1991 before appearing in the successful series E Street, Home and Away and Heartbreak High. Baker relocated to the USA where he was occasionally known by his stepfather's surname (i.e. 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 films. He played the male lead in the television series The Guardian for three seasons beginning in 2001, and also appeared in The Affair of the Necklace in 2001. He played an altruistic hero in George A. Romero's Land of the Dead. He played a distressed husband in 2004's Book of Love. Recently, he has played Brian Kelly in Something New and he will star in the upcoming Sex and Death 101 as Roderick Blank. He is currently starring as Jeff in the new series Smith, premiering September 18, 2006 in Canada and September 19, 2006 in the USA. He had a large role as the writer Christian Thompson in the 2006 movie The Devil Wears Prada.
He is married to the Australian actress Rebecca Rigg, and they have 3 children.
Simon and his family resided until recently in Malibu, California, but have since moved back to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
[edit] Awards
In 2003 Baker was voted Australia's Spunkiest Male TV Personality in the annual TV Fugly Awards [1]
[edit] Trivia
Australian radio show The Shebang regard their interview with Simon in 2004 as the worst and most difficult celebrity interview ever.