Simon Cowell Biography

Known for his scathing critical remarks as a judge on "American Idol", Simon Cowell began building his way into fame working at his father's company as a mailroom clerk at EMI Music Publishing while he was teen. In 1979, he earned a position as an assistant to an A&R executive and was subsequently promoted to become a talent scout. He, however, left the company in the early 1980s to form E&S Music with his boss at EMI, Ellis Rich. He resigned and teamed up with a friend to establish the independent label Fanfare Records in 1985, which unfortunately only lasted until 1989. Later that same year, he worked as a consultant at BMG Records.

In 2001, Cowell teamed up with Simon Fuller to produce Britain's popular singing show "Pop Idol", the success of which preceded the debut of its US version, entitled "American Idol", the following year. He served as one of the judges in both shows, with the latest successfully produced music stars, like Kelly Clarkson (2002), % cJennifer Hudson% (2004), Carrie Underwood (2005), and Jordin Sparks (2007). Cowell's career experienced rapid advance with several other shows he created, including "America's Got Talent" and "The X-Factor", through his own record label SYCOtv. Leona Lewis, Il Divo, and One Direction were some music stars who kicked off their singing career through "The X-Factor". Brought to US television, "The X-Factor" was a hit too.

Cowell was born in Lambeth, London on October 7, 1959 as Simon Phillip Cowell. He dropped out of Dover College at age 16. When he became famous, he dated several women. After ending his engagement to "Idol" make-up artist Mezghan Hussainy in 2011, he then briefly dated actress and model Carmen Electra. On February 14, 2014 he had a son named Eric with Lauren Silverman, wife of his close friend Andrew Silverman. He began dating her when she was still legally married to Andrew, but it was later confirmed that divorce has been in the works when the two were romantically linked.