Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality, record executive and businessman. He has judged on the British television talent competition shows Pop Idol (2001–2003), The X Factor (2004–2010; 2014–2018), and Britain's Got Talent (2007–present), as well as the American television talent competition shows American Idol (2002–2010), The X Factor (2011–2013), and America's Got Talent (2016–present). Cowell founded the British entertainment company Syco Entertainment in 2005, as well as its defunct predecessor, Syco Music (also known as S Records) in 2002. He is the creator of the X Factor and Got Talent television franchises, which have been adapted in numerous countries around the world.
After some success in the 1980s and 1990s as a record producer, talent agent and consultant in the British music industry, Cowell came to public prominence in 2001 as a judge on Pop Idol, a television show which he and its creator Simon Fuller successfully pitched to ITV Controller of Entertainment Claudia Rosencrantz. Cowell is known for making blunt, critical and controversial comments as a television music and talent show judge, including insults and wisecracks about contestants and their singing abilities. Through his work in television and the music industry, he has been involved in launching and developing the careers of a number of commercially successful recording artists and groups including Little Mix, Fifth Harmony, One Direction, Susan Boyle, Leona Lewis, Westlife, and CNCO.
In 2004 and 2010, Time named Cowell one of the 100 most influential people in the world.Poniewozik, James (26 April 2004). "The 2004 TIME 100: Simon Cowell", Time. Retrieved 16 October 2018.Cannon, Nick (29 April 2010). "The 2010 TIME 100: Simon Cowell", Time. Retrieved 16 October 2018. In 2006, the British public ranked him number 28 in ITV's poll of TV's 50 Greatest Stars, and in 2008, The Daily Telegraph ranked him sixth in their list of the "100 most powerful people in British culture". In 2008, he received the Special Recognition Award at the National Television Awards. At the 2010 British Academy Television Awards, Cowell received the BAFTA Special Award for his "outstanding contribution to the entertainment industry and for his development of new talent". In 2018, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the television category.
Early life Simon Phillip Cowell was born on 7 October 1959 in Lambeth, London, and raised in Elstree, Hertfordshire. His mother, Julie Brett (née Josie Dalglish, 1925–2015), was a ballet dancer and socialite, and his father, Eric Selig Phillip Cowell (1918–1999), was an estate agent, property developer, and music industry executive. Cowell's father was from a mostly Jewish family (his own mother was born in Poland),Sweet Revenge: The Intimate Life of Simon Cowell, pg. 1–19, 2012 though he did not discuss his ancestry with his children. Cowell's mother was from a Christian background. He has a younger brother, Nicholas Cowell; three half brothers, John, Tony, and Michael Cowell; and a half sister, June Cowell.
Cowell attended Radlett Preparatory School, Licensed Victuallers' School in Ascot for one year, and the private Dover College, as did his brother, but left after taking GCE O levels. He passed English Language and Literature and then attended Windsor Technical College, where he gained another GCE in Sociology. Cowell took a few menial jobs—including, according to his brother Tony, working as a runner on Stanley Kubrick's 1980 horror film The Shining—but did not get along well with colleagues and bosses, until his father, who was an executive at EMI Music Publishing, managed to get him a job in the mail room. However, after failing to get a promotion, he left to try out other jobs before returning to EMI.
Career Early career In the early 1980s, Cowell left EMI to form E&S Music with his former boss at EMI but quit in 1983. He then formed Fanfare Records with Iain Burton, initially selling exercise videos, and music from acts such as the Italian orchestra Rondò Veneziano. He had his first hit song in 1986 with "So Macho" by Sinitta. Some of Cowell's early success came through Stock Aitken Waterman, who produced a number of hits in the 1980s. However, in 1989 the company went under, with Pete Waterman forced to put a freeze on Fanfare's assets, and taking Cowell's Porsche as compensation for outstanding production and royalties payments. Amid the company's implosion Cowell nearly became bankrupt.
He then worked with BMG as an A&R consultant and set up S Records under BMG. He restarted his career in the music business by creating novelty records with acts such as the puppets Zig and Zag, Power Rangers and the roster of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). In 1995, through his persistence, he persuaded two actors, Robson Green and Jerome Flynn from the British television drama series Soldier Soldier, to sign with him and record the song "Unchained Melody", which they had performed on the show. The recording by the duo, now named Robson & Jerome, quickly reached number 1 in the UK, staying at the top of the chart for seven weeks. It became the best-selling single of 1995 (their next release, "I Believe"/"Up on the Roof", was the third-best selling single), and their self-titled album released later in the year also became the best-selling album of 1995. They released another album and two more singles before disbanding, and sold 7 million albums and 5 million singles in total. According to Cowell, they made him his first million. Later acts he signed included Five, Westlife and Teletubbies.
Idol franchise
In 2001, Cowell was given the role of judge on the first series of Pop Idol, a show that he and the show creator Simon Fuller successfully pitched to ITV Controller of Entertainment Claudia Rosencrantz. Maggie Brown in The Guardian states, "the show became a seminal reality/entertainment format once on air that autumn". Cowell's S Records signed the top two finishers of the first season of Pop Idol, Will Young and Gareth Gates, both of whom went on to have No 1 UK hits, and they were the top 2 best-selling singles of 2002 and the decade of 2000s. He also became a judge on the first season of American Idol in 2002. With his notoriously critical reputation, Cowell has been likened to TV personalities such as Judge Judy and The Weakest Link host Anne Robinson. His closest predecessor was British TV critic Nina Myskow who, in the 1980s, became known for her harsh put-downs in New Faces, a talent show that Cowell cited as an influence. Cowell's prominence grew, fed by his signature phrase, "I don't mean to be rude, but ...", inevitably followed by an unsparingly blunt appraisal of the contestant's talents, personality, or even physical appearance. A lot of these one-liners were the product of coaching that Cowell received from publicist Max Clifford. Cowell also appeared on the one-off World Idol programme in 2003, in which it became clear that each country's version of the Idol had attempted to come up with its own "Simon Cowell" type personality.
Cowell formed a new company, Syco, in 2005. The company is divided into three units: Syco Music, Syco TV and Syco Film. Cowell returned to music with his latest brainchild signed to Syco, the internationally successful operatic pop group Il Divo, consisting of three opera singers and one pop singer of four different nationalities. Inspired by the success of Il Divo, Cowell created a child version, Angelis, made up of six 11 to 14 year-olds from choirs across the UK, with their debut album released in November 2006.
On 11 January 2010, Cowell's exit from American Idol was made official. One year after Cowell left American Idol, the show eventually completed eight consecutive seasons of leadership amongst all primetime programmes in the United States, marking the longest annual winning streak in the ratings in U.S. television history. The 2010 season was Cowell's last on the show, and he was replaced by Steven Tyler. It was also announced that FOX had acquired the rights to The X Factor USA, an American version of British show The X Factor that launched in 2011."Simon Cowell to Leave American Idol.", from the BBC."Fox Gets X Factor, Cowell Quits Idol" .
The X Factor
In 2004, with Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh, Cowell was a judge on the first series of the British television music competition The X Factor, which he created using his production company, Syco TV. The X Factor was an instant success with the viewers and enjoyed its tenth series in 2013.
Leona Lewis, the winner of the third series of The X Factor, was signed to Cowell's label Syco and has had number one singles and album sales around the world.Leona Lewis Makes Big Splash Atop Billboard 200 Billboard. Retrieved 12 April 2012Leona Lewis – Music Lounge ABC. Retrieved 12 April 2012 Cowell returned for a fourth series on 18 August 2007 alongside Osbourne, Walsh and new judge, Dannii Minogue. Walsh had previously been sacked from the judging panel by Cowell for the fourth series, and he was subsequently replaced by Brian Friedman, who was a judge on Grease Is the Word. Walsh was later brought back by Cowell a week into the auditions when he and Osbourne realised that they missed Walsh and that without him, there was no chemistry between the judges. Cowell returned for the fifth series in 2008, with Walsh, Minogue, and new judge Cheryl Cole, as Osbourne had decided to quit before the show began. Cowell returned for series 6 and 7 as well, although series 7 was to be his last, as he left in 2011 in order to launch The X Factor in America. After being the last contestant eliminated in the seventh series of The X Factor in the UK, the boyband One Direction signed with Cowell's label in 2011 and has gone on to top singles and album charts worldwide.One Direction's 'What Makes You Beautiful' wins fastest-selling No. 1 of 2011 Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 April 2012 Cowell was replaced by Gary Barlow. In 2011, UK series eight winners Little Mix signed to Cowell's label. The girl group has sold 50 million records worldwide.
Australian The X Factor launched in 2005 on Network Ten, and it featured Mark Holden, Kate Ceberano and John Reid as the show's judges, but it was cancelled after just one season due to poor ratings. However, the show returned in 2010 and performed strongly on the Seven Network until its eighth season in 2016, when its ratings declined. Subsequently, the show was axed for a second time in January 2017.
Cowell also launched American The X Factor in September 2011 on American broadcaster Fox. It was originally announced that he would be a judge both on the British and American editions of the show, which aired at similar times of the year, but MTV officially reported on 17 April 2011 that this was not true. Cowell was no longer to be a judge on the British version,It's Official: Simon Won't Be X Factor Judge MTV. Retrieved 19 April 2012 but he would remain a major presence backstage.New X Factor role for Simon Cowell Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 19 April 2012 He was joined by Paula Abdul, L.A. Reid, Nicole Scherzinger and formerly Cheryl Cole. Cowell's contestant Melanie Amaro came first during season 1, making Cowell the winning judge. Cowell and Reid returned for season 2, while Demi Lovato and Britney Spears joined the judging panel as replacements for Abdul and Scherzinger. This season launched another of Cowell's contestant into worldwide fame, the group Fifth Harmony.
Cowell returned for a third season of The X Factor in September 2013 alongside Demi Lovato, while Spears and L.A. Reid announced they would not be returning and were replaced by Paulina Rubio and Kelly Rowland. Cowell's last contestant Alex & Sierra won the season, marking Cowell's second season as the winning mentor after he came first with Melanie Amaro in 2011.