Simon Cowell

Simon Phillip Cowell, born 7 October 1959, is an English television personality, businessman, and record executive. He is best known for judging television talent competition shows, including Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent, American Idol, and America's Got Talent. Known for making blunt, critical, and controversial comments as a judge, Cowell founded the British entertainment company Syco Entertainment in 2005, along with its predecessor Syco Music, also known as S Records.

Cowell was born in Lambeth, London, and raised in Elstree, Hertfordshire. His mother was a ballet dancer and socialite, and his father was an estate agent, property developer, and music executive. He attended Radlett Preparatory School, Licensed Victuallers' School, Dover College, and Windsor Technical College. After taking several menial jobs, including working as a runner on the 1980 film The Shining, Cowell entered the mail room at EMI Music Publishing, where his father worked as an executive.

In the early 1980s, Cowell left EMI to form E&S Music, later establishing Fanfare Records with Iain Burton. He achieved his first hit song in 1986 with "So Macho" by Sinitta. After Fanfare Records folded in 1989, Cowell nearly faced bankruptcy. He subsequently joined BMG as an A&R consultant and set up S Records, creating novelty records and signing actors Robson Green and Jerome Flynn. Their 1995 single "Unchained Melody" and self-titled album became the best-selling single and album of the year. He later signed acts including Five, Westlife, and Teletubbies.

In 2001, Cowell came to public prominence as a judge on the British show Pop Idol, which he successfully pitched to ITV alongside creator Simon Fuller. S Records signed the show's top finishers, Will Young and Gareth Gates. Cowell became a judge on American Idol in 2002, remaining on the panel through 2010. In 2005, he formed Syco, launching the operatic pop group Il Divo and later the children's choir group Angelis.

Cowell created the British competition show The X Factor in 2004, serving as a judge for multiple series. Through Syco Music, he signed winners and contestants including Leona Lewis, One Direction, and Little Mix. In 2011, he launched and judged the American version of The X Factor, which ran for three seasons. He returned to the British judging panel in 2014 for its eleventh series and continued judging the show in subsequent years.

Following his success with Idol and The X Factor, Cowell developed the Got Talent format to showcase a wider variety of performers. He became executive producer of America's Got Talent, which debuted in June 2006, and joined Britain's Got Talent as a judge in 2007. Over his career, Cowell has signed, produced, and promoted acts across his labels, including Fifth Harmony, Olly Murs, Susan Boyle, James Arthur, Noah Cyrus, Ella Henderson, Alexandra Burke, and CNCO.

Cowell has received numerous honors for his contributions to the entertainment industry. Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2004 and 2010. He received the Special Recognition Award at the National Television Awards in 2008 and the BAFTA Special Award in 2010. In December 2020, Cowell was announced as a judge for The X Factor Israel in 2021, though he later cancelled his appearance. In July 2024, he publicly commended the Jerusalem Youth Chorus on America's Got Talent.