Simon Cowell Early Life
Simon Phillip Cowell was born on October 7, 1959 in Lambeth, London, to mom Julie Brett, a ballet dancer and socialite, and father Eric Selig Phillip Cowell, who was a music industry executive and on the board of directors for record label EMI.
When he was 21, thanks to his father's connections, he landed a job at EMI's mail room, and after briefly leaving on the hunt for other opportunities, he came back as an assistant with the responsibility for scouting new talent and artist development.
Simon Cowell Professional Life
Simon left EMI in 1983 to form independent label E&S Music, however it folded within a year. He went on to form Fanfare Records, which initially sold exercise videos, though the company found success in music through its first big hit in 1986, "So Macho" by Sinitta, who Simon also dated. In 1989 Fanfare also folded, leaving Simon borderline bankrupt.
He subsequently joined BMG as an A&R consultant, and through BMG he founded S Records, which signed artists such as Curiosity Killed The Cat, 5ive, Westlife, and Robson & Jerome. As he found fame and fortune with his Idol franchise, Syco records, which he founded in 2005 and still owns today, also made him a millionaire.
In 2001, together with Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller, he created Pop Idol, and kick started his career as a music competition judge. In 2002, it was brought to the US under the now globally recognized show American Idol, where he remained as judge until 2010.
Simon is also recognized as the face of the X Factor franchise – where he oversaw One Direction's stratospheric ascent to fame – and the Got Talent franchise; as of 2023, he remains a judge on America's Got Talent alongside Sofia Vergara, Heidi Klum, and Howie Mandel.
Simon Cowell Personal Life
Though for years Simon maintained he was not marriage material and showed no interest in becoming a father, he has since done a complete 180.
In 2013, he started dating Lauren Silverman. At the time, she was married to his friend Andrew Silverman, who accused Simon of having an affair with his wife.
Andrew and Lauren settled their divorce in August 2013, and it was subsequently confirmed that she and Simon were expecting their first child together.
Eric, named after Simon's father, was born on Valentine's Day in 2014. In 2022, Simon and Lauren announced their engagement.
