Born:
June 15, 1949
in
London
Best Known For:
Four Weddings and a Funeral.
Early-life:
Simon Phillip Hugh Callow was born on June 15, 1949, in London. His parents separated when he was two years old and he was raised by his mother and grandmother. He spent time at the London Oratory Grammar School, and also had a stint on the African continent, between the ages of nine and 12. His mother, who had once enjoyed an affluent lifestyle, attempted to cover up the family's poor economic status by making sure her son's diction was perfect.
Career:
Following spells at Belfast's Queen's University and London's Drama Centre, Callow worked in the Old Vic's box office after being recommended for the post by Laurence Olivier. Acclaimed stage roles followed, as did several small parts in such TV shows as The Sweeney and Carry On Laughing! He had the lead in 1984 sitcom Chance in a Million, and made his film debut the same year in Amadeus. Since then he's continued to appear regularly on stage and TV. His most notable movies include A Room with a View, Postcards from the Edge, Shakespeare in Love, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and The Phantom of the Opera. He was also a judge on the show Popstar to Operastar in 2011.
Quote:
'People expect me to be constantly merry, and I'm not. Sometimes I'm quite melancholy. I have an in-built sense of regret about things.'
Trivia:
He has written biographies of Oscar Wilde, Charles Laughton and Orson Welles.