Simon Baker

Simon Lucas Baker (born 30 July 1969) is an Australian actor and director. He first gained prominence on the Australian soap opera '' E Street'' (1992–1993). He later starred in the CBS legal drama ''The Guardian'' (2001–2004), for which he received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Television Series – Drama in 2002. From 2008 to 2015, he portrayed Patrick Jane in the drama series ''The Mentalist'', earning a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2009. Baker has also appeared in several films, including '' L.A. Confidential'' (1997), ''Restaurant'' (1998), '' The Devil Wears Prada'' (2006), and ''Margin Call'' (2011).

Early life

Simon Lucas Baker was born in Launceston, Tasmania. His father, Barry, was a mechanic and school caretaker, and his mother, Elizabeth, was a high school English teacher. He has an older sister, two half-brothers and a half-sister. 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. His mother remarried to Tom Denny, a butcher, but Baker did not get on well with his stepfather. His mother and stepfather later divorced.

Baker spent part of his childhood living in the suburbs of Sydney but he mainly grew up in the Northern Rivers coastal town of Lennox Head, New South Wales. He attended high school at Ballina High School and Trinity Catholic College. 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.

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. 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). In 1993, Baker won the Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent.

Baker relocated to the United States in the mid-1990s. In 1997, Baker appeared in a supporting role in '' L.A. Confidential''.

He is known for his portrayal of Patrick Jane in the television series ''The Mentalist'', and Nick Fallin in ''The Guardian''.

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.

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 the Tim Winton novel.

Honours

In June 2012, Baker was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences along with 175 other individuals.

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.

Personal life

Baker married Australian actress Rebecca Rigg on 2 October 1998, after five years of living together. Baker told ''The Ellen Degeneres Show'' that one of their two weddings was held on the beach at Carmel. They have a daughter, Stella, and two sons. Baker and Rigg separated in April 2020.

Baker was raised Catholic, but became agnostic.

Baker follows the rugby league club, the Parramatta Eels in the National Rugby League. https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=DTWEB_MRE170_a_GGL&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailytelegraph.com.au%2Fnewslocal%2Fparramatta%2Fthe-mentalist-star-simon-baker-at-parramatta-eels-v-st-george-dragons-match%2Fnews-story%2F0ca7d0249655fe0b9af2493c09848599&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=GROUPA-Segment-2-NOSCORE

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Simon
Simon
Living people
1969 births
20th-century Australian male actors
21st-century Australian male actors
Australian agnostics
Australian expatriate male actors in the United States
Australian male film actors
Australian male television actors
Australian people of English descent
Australian people of Irish descent
Australian television directors
Male actors from Sydney
Male actors from New South Wales
Male actors from Tasmania
People from Launceston, Tasmania
Naturalized citizens of the United States
Former Roman Catholics
Logie Award winners