Transcript
The mastermind behind the success of many primetime competition shows, Simon Cowell, is an English reality TV personality.
Born on October 7, 1959, to music industry executive, Phillip Cowell and ballet dancer, Julie Brett, Simon has five siblings.
Though his father was an executive at EMI Music Publishing, his first job at the record label was as an intern.
And seemingly, Simon who is married to Lauren Silverman also said that he wants his son, Eric to follow in his footsteps.
Simon later quit EMI to start his own record label, E&S Music, which he left to form FanFare Records.
In 1986, Simon signed his first artist under FanFare Records, Sinitta Malone. But it was in 1995 that his career took off.
After meeting Soldier Soldier actors, Robson Green and Jerome Flynn, he convinced them to record ‘Unchained Melody’ which stayed on the top of the UK charts for several weeks.
The year 2001 saw Simon Cowell being named the judge on the first series of UK’s Pop Idol.
This led to Simon’s first claim to fame in ‘American Idol,’ where he charmed viewers with his signature phrase, “I don’t mean to be rude but…”
After gaining much popularity from ‘American Idol,’ Simon founded the music and television company, Syco Entertainment, in 2003.
After launching the company, he created and produced some of the well-known primetime TV shows which include The X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent, America’s Got Talent and The X Factor USA.
Throughout his career, he has helped turn several everyday folks into superstars which include One Direction, Susan Boyle, Leona Lewis and Fifth Harmony.
In 2017, Simon was named among the highest paid TV personalities earning an annual salary of $95 million.
As of 2018, the music executive has garnered an estimated net worth of approximately $550 million.