Simon Cowell

Simon Cowell is an A&R Executive and TV producer/personality best known for his role as a judge on such shows as American Idol, The X Factor, and Britain's Got Talent.

Cowell rose to notoriety on Pop Idol through being brutally honest with the show's contestants, often following up with a scathing insult to the auditionee in question.

Biography Timeline

• 1959 - Born on 5th October in Brighton to Eric Phillip Cowell - a property developer and music industry executive and Julie Brett. He has one younger brother, Nicolas, and two half-brothers, Tony and Michael.
• 2001 - Simon joins the judging panel on British talent show Pop Idol.
• 2002 - becomes a judge on the first series of American Idol, a role he will hold until 2010.
• 2003 - Simon publishes his autobiography, titled I Don't Mean To Be Rude, But.
• 2004 - First series of Cowell-created reality show The X Factor. Cowell is a judge/mentor alongside Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne. Launches operatic pop group Il Divo.
• 2006 - Launches America's Got Talent, a more generalised variety show format. Also launched a show called American Inventor, where inventors in the States competed to come up with the best new product concept.
• 2007 - Simon brings the Got Talent formula to Britain, with Britain's Got Talent. The series will go on to discover singing talent such as Paul Potts and Susan Boyle. In the same year, he experimented with a musical theatre show Grease Is The Word since a similar format had been popular for the BBC.
• 2010 - Confirms that he is leaving American Idol after the ninth series and will launch an American version of The X Factor in the autumn of 2011.