Simon Brenner
| Simon Brenner | |
|---|---|
 David Lyons as Simon Brenner | |
| First appearance |
April 10, 2008 (Season 14, "Owner of a Broken Heart") |
| Last appearance |
April 2, 2009 (Season 15, "And In the End...") |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | ER Physician |
| Title | Attending (2008-Present) |
| Family |
Unnamed Mother Dr. Donald Anspaugh (Uncle) |
Dr. Simon Brenner is a fictional character portrayed by David Lyons on the television show ER.
Life at County General
Brenner was introduced as a new ER attending physician, first seen in bed with two women before arriving for his first shift. His character is superficially very charming, especially with the ladies. While Brenner is a talented physician, he is unwilling to share his knowledge and teach the new medical students. Even when consistently reminded that Brenner works in a teaching hospital, he still refuses to teach procedures to those who need or want the practice. He sleeps with one med student and later insults both her romantic and professional skills. When Pratt informs Dr. Anspaugh of Brenner's attitude, it is revealed that Brenner is Anspaugh's nephew.
At the end of season 14, Simon and Neela get into a heated argument in which she told him he was only at County because of his family ties to Anspaugh, attacked his attitude and told him no one else wanted him around. This leads to them sleeping together. They do so again in Season 15 and continue to spar like an old married couple. Simon is later shown with a girlfriend who is doing a thesis on Middle Eastern politics at the University of Chicago. Towards the end of Season 15 Neela tells him they have no romantic future together, although the pair eventually end their relationship amicably.
In the episode "Age of Innocence", it is revealed that Brenner was molested as a child by his mother's boyfriend. Morris wants him to get help to deal with the trauma, but Brenner tells him he is dealing with "in my own way". Later in "Shifting Equilibrium", Brenner is shown to be visiting a therapist and coming to terms with having been abused.
The series finale, "And in the End...", also shows Brenner mentoring and giving support to new medical student Julia Wise (Alexis Bledel) after the death of a patient.