Simon Baker
Simon Lucas Baker (born 30 July 1969) is an Australian actor in television and film, as well as a director. He is known for his lead roles in the CBS television series The Mentalist as Patrick Jane and The Guardian as Nicholas Fallin and has starred in several Hollywood films.
Simon Baker | |
|---|---|
Baker in February 2013 | |
| Born | Simon Lucas Baker[1] 30 July 1969 Launceston, Tasmania, Australia |
| Other names | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 including Stella |
Early life
Baker was born on 30 July 1969 in Launceston, Tasmania. His father, Barry, was a mechanic and school caretaker, and his mother, Elizabeth, was a high school English teacher.[2][1][better source needed] He has an older sister, two half-brothers and a half-sister.[4] Baker's family moved to New Guinea when Baker was nine months old. His parents' marriage ended when he was two and his father did not get in touch until Baker was an adult.[2][3] His mother remarried to Tom Denny, a butcher, but Baker did not get on well with his stepfather.[2] His mother and stepfather later got divorced.[1]
Baker spent part of his childhood living in the suburbs of Sydney[5][6] but he mainly grew up in the Northern Rivers coastal town of Lennox Head, New South Wales.[2] He attended high school at Ballina High School and Trinity Catholic College.[7] Baker has been an avid surfer since his youth and he considers surfing and the relationships with his surfing friends an important part of his upbringing.[2]
Career
Baker's first acting role was in a commercial. He got the role while waiting for a friend to audition when he himself was asked to audition for it.[2] Before working in Hollywood, he acted in various Australian television shows such as E Street (as Sam Farrel: 1992–1993), Home and Away (as James Hudson: 1993–1994), and Heartbreak High (as Tom Summers: 1996).[8] In 1993, Baker won the Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent.[2]
Baker relocated to the United States in the mid-90s.[2] In 1997, Baker appeared as Matt Reynolds in L.A. Confidential.[8]
He is known for his portrayal of Patrick Jane in the television series The Mentalist, and Nick Fallin in The Guardian.[9]
In 2010, he was earning US$350,000 per episode of The Mentalist. Shortly after, he signed a contract that delivered a payment of US$30 million for his role as Patrick Jane.[10]
In film, he is known for his roles as Max Rourke in the remake of the Japanese horror film The Ring Two, Riley Denbo in Land of the Dead and Christian Thompson in the film adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada.
Baker made his directorial debut with the 2017 film Breath, which he also starred in, co-wrote and co-produced. The film is based on Tim Winton's novel of the same title.[8]
Honours
In June 2012, Baker was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences along with 175 other individuals.[11]
On 14 February 2013, Baker was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to the entertainment industry. Baker's star can be found at 6352 Hollywood Blvd.[12]
Personal life
On 2 October 1998, Baker married Australian actress Rebecca Rigg after five years of living together.[8] Baker told The Ellen Degeneres Show that one of their two weddings was held on the beach at Carmel.[13] They have a daughter and two sons: Stella (b. 1993), Claude (b. 1998), and Harry (b. 2001).[9] Baker and Rigg separated in April 2020.[14]
In July 2009, Baker told PopMatters that he was raised Catholic, but is now agnostic.[4]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | L.A. Confidential | Matt Reynolds | Credited as Simon Baker Denny |
| 1997 | Most Wanted | Stephen Barnes | Credited as Simon Baker-Denny |
| 1998 | Restaurant | Kenny | Credited as Simon Baker-Denny |
| 1998 | Judas Kiss | Junior Armstrong | Credited as Simon Baker-Denny |
| 1998 | Love from Ground Zero | Eric | |
| 1999 | Ride with the Devil | George Clyde | |
| 1999 | Secret Men's Business | Andy Greville | Television film |
| 2000 | Sunset Strip | Michael Scott | |
| 2000 | Red Planet | Chip Pettengill | |
| 2001 | The Affair of the Necklace | Rétaux de Villette | |
| 2004 | Book of Love | David Walker | |
| 2005 | The Ring Two | Max Rourke | |
| 2005 | Land of the Dead | Riley Denbo | |
| 2006 | Something New | Brian Kelly | |
| 2006 | The Devil Wears Prada | Christian Thompson | |
| 2007 | Sex and Death 101 | Roderick Blank | |
| 2007 | The Key to Reserva | Roger Thornberry | Short film |
| 2009 | The Lodger | Malcolm Slaight | |
| 2009 | Not Forgotten | Jack Bishop | |
| 2009 | Women in Trouble | Travis McPherson | |
| 2010 | The Killer Inside Me | Howard Hendricks | |
| 2011 | Margin Call | Jared Cohen | |
| 2013 | I Give It a Year | Guy Harrap | |
| 2017 | Breath | Bill "Sando" Sanderson | Also director, co-producer and co-writer; adaptation of the novel of the same name |
| 2018 | Here and Now | Nick | |
| 2020 | High Ground | Travis | Also executive producer |
| 2022 | Blaze | Luke | |
| 2023 | Limbo | Travis Hurley |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992–1993 | E Street | Constable Sam Farrell | Episode 1.316, additional unknown episodes |
| 1993 | A Country Practice | Stewart Waterman | 2 episodes |
| 1993 | GP | Ben Miller | Episode: "A Family Affair" |
| 1993–1994 | Home and Away | James Hudson | 19 episodes |
| 1994 | Which Way to the War | Pvte Stan Hawke | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1995 | Naked | Unsold TV pilot | |
| 1995–1996 | Heartbreak High | Mr. Thomas 'Tom' Summers | 8 episodes |
| 1996 | Naked: Stories of Men | Gabriel | Episode: "Blind-Side Breakaway" |
| 1996 | Sweat | Paul Steadman | Episode: #1.3 |
| 2001–2004 | The Guardian | Nick Fallin | Main cast |
| 2006 | Smith | Jeff Breen | 7 episodes |
| 2008–2015 | The Mentalist | Patrick Jane | Main cast |
| 2022 | Roar | Adam | Episode: "The Woman Who Ate Photographs"[15] |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Logie Awards | E Street | Most Popular New Talent | Won |
| 2000 | Australian Film Institute Awards | Secret Men's Business | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Telefeature or Mini-Series | Nominated |
| 2002 | Golden Globe Awards | The Guardian | Best Performance by an Actor in a Dramatic Television Series | Nominated |
| 2002 | Family Television Awards | The Guardian | Best Actor | Won |
| 2004 | Logie Awards | E Street | Most Popular Overseas Star | Nominated |
| 2005 | Prism Awards | The Guardian | Best Performance in a Drama Series Storyline | Nominated |
| 2009 | Golden Globe Awards | The Mentalist | Best Performance by an Actor in a Dramatic Television Series (season 2) | Nominated |
| 2009 | Emmy Awards | The Mentalist | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (season 1) | Nominated |
| 2009 | People's Choice Award | The Mentalist | Best new series (season 1: with cast) | Won |
| 2010 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | The Mentalist | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series (season 2) | Nominated |
| 2011 | Phoenix Film Critics Society | Margin Call | Best Cast (or Best Ensemble Acting) | Nominated |
| 2011 | Gotham Awards | Margin Call | Best Ensemble Performance | Nominated |
| 2014 | People's Choice Award | The Mentalist | Favourite TV Crime Drama (season 5: with cast) | Nominated |
| 2015 | People's Choice Award | The Mentalist | Favourite Crime Drama TV Actor | Nominated |
| 2015 | People's Choice Award | The Mentalist | Favourite TV Crime Drama (season 6: with cast) | Nominated |
| 2018 | AACTA Awards | Breath | Best Supporting Actor | Won |
| 2018 | AACTA Awards | Breath | Best Adapted Screenplay | Nominated |
| 2018 | AACTA Awards | Breath | Best Direction | Nominated |
| 2018 | AACTA Awards | Breath | Best Film | Nominated |
| 2021 | AACTA Awards | High Ground | Best Lead Actor | Nominated |
References
- ^ a b c Curtis, Maree. "The Fabulous Baker Boy". Herald Sun.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Hooton, Amanda (2 July 2015). "Beach boy Simon Baker's biggest role yet". The Sydney Morning Herald. from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
- ^ a b Tulich, Katherine (20 March 2005). "The Fabulous Baker Boy". Herald Sun.
- ^ a b Lee, Luaine (22 July 2009). . PopMatters. Archived from the original on 6 December 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
- ^ Thorp, Charles (1 June 2018). "How Simon Baker's Lifetime of Surfing Helped Him Make New Surf Movie 'Breath'". Men's Journal. from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
- ^ Grady, Pam (13 June 2018). "'Breath' a labor of love for 'Mentalist' star Simon Baker". Datebook. from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
- ^ Broome, Hamish (11 May 2016). "Famous people who call the Northern Rivers home". Northern Star. from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
- ^ a b c d Purdon, Fiona (28 April 2018). "Hollywood star Simon Baker said he had no acting ambitions at first". Courier Mail. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
- ^ a b "The Mentalist star Simon Baker on wife Rebecca Rigg and the children in Los Angeles". The Daily Telegraph. London. 12 April 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
- ^ Michael Essany (28 December 2010). "'The Mentalist' Star Simon Baker Inks New $30 Million Deal". Screenrant.com. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
- ^ . Los Angeles Times. 9 June 2012. Archived from the original on 28 February 2017.
- ^ Lombardi, Ken (14 February 2013). . CBS News. Archived from the original on 18 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
- ^ Simon Baker, Ellen DeGeneres (12 October 2010). Simon Baker Shares His Wedding Stories. YouTube. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
- ^ Henderson, Cydney (29 January 2021). "'The Mentalist' star Simon Baker, wife Rebecca Rigg split after 29 years of marriage". USA Today. from the original on 30 January 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- ^ Bergeson, Samantha (24 March 2022). "'Roar' Trailer: Nicole Kidman and Issa Rae Have Secrets in Apple TV+'s Darkly Comic Ensemble Series". IndieWire. Retrieved 26 March 2022.