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Simon Baker
Baker in February 2013
Born	Simon Lucas Baker (1969-07-30) 30 July 1969 (age 55) Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
Other names	Simon Denny Simon Denny Baker Simon Baker-Denny
Occupations	Actor filmmaker model
Years active	1992–present
Spouse	Rebecca Rigg ​ ​(m. 1998; sep. 2020)​
Children	3, Stella, Claude and Harry

Simon Lucas Baker (born 30 July 1969) is an Australian actor and director. He is best known for his role as Patrick Jane in the CBS drama series The Mentalist (2008–2015), for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series nomination.

Early life

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-90s. In 1997, Baker appeared as Matt Reynolds 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

On 2 October 1998, Baker married Australian actress Rebecca Rigg 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.

In July 2009, Baker told PopMatters that he was raised Catholic, but is now agnostic.

In September 2024, Simon Baker settled a legal case related to a DUI charge in Australia, which had drawn media attention earlier in the year.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

1. ^ Curtis, Maree. "The Fabulous Baker Boy". Herald Sun.
2. ^ Hooton, Amanda (2 July 2015). "Beach boy Simon Baker's biggest role yet". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
3. ^ Tulich, Katherine (20 March 2005). "The Fabulous Baker Boy". Herald Sun.
4. Delaney, Brigid (20 June 2022). "'I didn't know he was my dad': Simon Baker shares his remarkable family story". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
5. ^ Lee, Luaine (22 July 2009). "Simon ('The Mentalist') Baker snapped back just at the right time". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 6 December 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
6. Thorp, Charles (1 June 2018). "How Simon Baker's Lifetime of Surfing Helped Him Make New Surf Movie 'Breath'". Men's Journal. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
7. Grady, Pam (13 June 2018). "'Breath' a labor of love for 'Mentalist' star Simon Baker". Datebook. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
8. Broome, Hamish (11 May 2016). "Famous people who call the Northern Rivers home". Northern Star. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
9. ^ Purdon, Fiona (28 April 2018). "Hollywood star Simon Baker said he had no acting ambitions at first". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
10. ^ "The Mentalist star Simon Baker on wife Rebecca Rigg and the children in Los Angeles". The Daily Telegraph. London. 12 April 2011. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
11. Michael Essany (28 December 2010). "'The Mentalist' Star Simon Baker Inks New $30 Million Deal". Screen Rant. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
12. "2012 new AMPAS members - Documents". Los Angeles Times. 9 June 2012. Archived from the original on 28 February 2017.
13. Lombardi, Ken (14 February 2013). "Simon Baker receives star on Hollywood Walk of Fame". CBS News. Archived from the original on 18 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
14. Simon Baker, Ellen DeGeneres (12 October 2010). Simon Baker Shares His Wedding Stories. YouTube. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
15. Henderson, Cydney (29 January 2021). "'The Mentalist' star Simon Baker, wife Rebecca Rigg split after 29 years of marriage". USA Today. Archived from the original on 30 January 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
16. "Actor Simon Baker admits drinking and driving in Australia". CNA Lifestyle. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
17. "35TH TV WEEK LOGIE AWARDS, 1993". TV Week. Archived from the original on 26 January 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
18. "Winners & Nominees". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
19. "Winners & Nominees". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
20. "46TH TV WEEK LOGIE AWARDS, 2004". TV Week. Archived from the original on 26 January 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
21. Morfoot, Addie (10 March 2005). "EIC names 9th annual Prism noms". Variety. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
22. "Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series - 2009". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
23. "Winners & Nominees". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
24. "The 16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
25. "Winners & Nominees". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
26. "Nominees & Winners". People's Choice. Archived from the original on 8 November 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
27. "PAST RECIPIENTS OF 2011". Gotham Awards. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
28. "WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR 2012 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS". Film Independent. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
29. "Nominees & Winners". People's Choice. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
30. "Winners & Nominees". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
31. Keast, Jackie (10 April 2018). "2018 ADG Award nominees unveiled, with female directors dominating in children's TV drama". IF. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
32. Bedell, Amanda (10 June 2018). "Eighth Grade, Won't You Be My Neighbor?, WIN TOP AWARDS AT THE 44TH SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL". Seattle International Film Festival. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
33. ^ "Winners & Nominees". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
34. ^ "2019 Awards". Australian Film Critics Association. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
35. ^ "2018 Awards". Film Critics Circle of Australia. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
36. "Winners & Nominees". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
37. "Winners & Nominees". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
38. "2022 Awards Nominees and Winners". Film Critics Circle of Australia. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
39. "Winners & Nominees". Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
40. "2023 Award Nominees & Winners". Film Critics Circle of Australia. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
41. "Logies 2024 winners list: Larry Emdur wins gold, Rebecca Gibney honoured as Boy Swallows Universe cleans up". ABC News. 18 August 2024.

External links

• Simon Baker on Instagram
• Simon Baker at IMDb
• Media related to Simon Baker at Wikimedia Commons

• Baker family (Australia)
• 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