Peter Simon (born September 27, 1943 in

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

) is an American

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

Early career

Simon began his career studying acting at the Phillips Exeter Academy. He attended

Williams College Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was kill ...

in Williamstown, MA. Simon subsequently became a member of the professional repertory theater company at

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and mone ...

, and also spent a season at the Barn Theater in Michiga

Television

Simon's best known work has been as an actor in daytime soap operas. After having appeared on ''

The Edge of Night ''The Edge of Night'' is an American television mystery crime drama series and soap opera, created by Irving Vendig and produced by Procter & Gamble Productions. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that netwo ...

'', his next role was as Scott Phillips on ''

Search for Tomorrow ''Search for Tomorrow'' is an American television soap opera. It began its run on CBS on September 3, 1951, and concluded on NBC, 35 years later, on December 26, 1986. Set in the fictional town of Henderson in an unspecified state, the show fo ...

'' (1969 to 1979). He left ''Search For Tomorrow'' and was replaced by actor Peter Ratray. He then appeared as Ian MacFarland on ''

As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other s ...

'' in 1979. In 1981, he began playing his most high-profile daytime role as Dr. Ed Bauer on the long-running soap opera '' Guiding Light''. He played the role from 1981 to 1984, then returned for a second run from 1986 to 1996. After several attempts to woo Simon back, ''Guiding Light'' convinced Simon to return to the show for a third run in 2002

However, Simon publicly expressed disapproval during a controversial storyline that unfolded in 2003 and 2004. The storyline (regarding mysterious characters Maryanne and Carrie Carruthers) received criticism for revising past show history, and drew disdain from Simon in the press regarding a particular scene where it was written that Ed had to strike his daughter. Simon left the show again in 2004

Simon made a final return to ''Guiding Light'' along with the actors that played his daughter Michelle Bauer Santos ( Nancy St. Alban) and son-in-law Danny Santos ( Paul Anthony Stewart), in June 2009, appearing several times prior to the show's final episodes in September 2009.

Theater

Simon has done theater work as an actor and a playwright. His play, ''Sabbat'', received its world premiere at his alma mater, Williams College, in 1968, directed by

Keith Fowler Keith Franklin Fowler (born February 23, 1939) is an American actor, director, producer, and educator. He is a professor emeritus of drama and former head of directing in the Drama Department of the Claire Trevor School of the Arts of the Univer ...

, who was then a Williams faculty member. Among his New York theater appearances are roles in productions of '' P.S. Your Cat Is Dead'' off-Broadway, as well as a New York Shakespeare Festival production of "Twelfth Night".

Personal life

Simon's first marriage to Merle Louise, with whom he had three children, ended in divorce. He married ''

'' co-star

Courtney Simon Courtney Simon (born June 23, 1946) is an American writer and actress. Simon is sometimes credited as "Courtney Sherman" or "Courtney Sherman Simon". Simon is best known for having created the role of Kathy Phillips on the long-running soap oper ...

in 1975, and the couple share five children (some from prior marriages, as well as one born to the couple, Kate Hall, who is a daytime soap writer just like her mother).

External links

*
Peter Simon profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Peter American male television actors American male stage actors American male soap opera actors 1943 births Living people Phillips Exeter Academy alumni