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Simon Cowell

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Simon Cowell: Biography

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Birth Name: Simon Phillip Cowell
Birth Place: Brighton, England
Date of Birth / Zodiac Sign: 10/07/1959, Libra
Profession: TV personality; music producer

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A bitchy British personality whose heinous but often hilariously honest comments have dashed the dreams of thousands of wannabe singers, Cowell was a successful music producer before being tapped in 2001 to be a judge for Pop Idol, the British reality competition that was the basis for American Idol. Although he has made a career out of being reviled, his outrageous antics — particularly his put-downs and his tempestuous relationships with fellow judge Paula Abdul and host Ryan Seacrest — are a large part of AI's mass appeal.Simon Cowell Fast Facts:

Started out as a clerk in the mail room of EMI Music.
Launched his own record label, Fanfare, in the '80s and produced his first hit, "So Macho," with singer Sinitta.
Ranked No. 33 on the 100 Worst Britons We Love to Hate list on the UK's Channel 4 network in 2003.
Penned the 2003 book I Don't Mean to Be Rude, But... : Backstage Gossip from American Idol and the Secrets that Can Make You a Star.
Costarred as a judge alongside Sharon Osbourne for the UK talent-competition series The X Factor.
Was the executive producer of the short-lived 2003 matchmaking reality series Cupid, and the self-explanatory competitions America's Got Talent and American Inventor in 2006.