Biography of Simon Baker
Simon Baker is an Australian-born Hollywood actor, director, and producer. He's best known for playing Nick Fallin in the drama series "The Guardian" and the cunning Patrick Jane in the mystery series "The Mentalist," where he starred for over seven years. He received two Golden Globe nominations for these roles.He also played Christian Thompson in "The Devil Wears Prada" and directed the adaptation of Tim Winton's novel "Breath." The film earned him an Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Childhood, Youth, Family
Simon Lucas Baker was born in the summer of 1969 in the Australian city of Launceston.Baker comes from a fascinating family, with each branch holding its own incredible stories. One ancestor—a friend of Oscar Wilde—was an orphan who founded Melbourne's first eye and ear hospital. Other ancestors trekked over 600 kilometers from the Adelaide Hills to Ballarat's outskirts with their six children, chasing the gold rush.
Simon's paternal grandmother, a resilient and cheerful woman, lifted herself out of poverty after World War II and raised her children on her own.
Shortly after Simon was born, his parents relocated with their two children to a remote area in New Guinea's highlands seeking work, but ultimately decided to divorce. His mother remarried Tom Denny. Baker stayed in touch with his father but had no idea he was his biological dad, knowing him only as Uncle Barry until around age 18.
The family eventually settled in the coastal town of Lennox Head in northern New South Wales, where Simon, like countless Australians, fell in love with surfing. Reflecting on his youth, Baker said:
Simon struggled to understand the relationships between his mother, father, and stepfather. This became another driving force behind his acting career. He wanted to meet different people, hear their stories, and find someone he could identify with to help him understand his own feelings, which he didn't know how to express.I was terrible! I was born and raised by the ocean. I had a typical Australian youth: surfing, rugby, wild parties, dancing. I was one of those guys who really loved girls. All kinds of girls. I... I still love them. I think women are amazing! I had my fun in my youth. Parties, new girlfriends—that's how you spend your twenties, right? But I didn't party for long; by 22, my adult life had begun.
Acting Career
Simon Baker stumbled into his first acting gig by pure chance: while waiting for a friend to audition for a commercial, casting directors asked him to try out too. Later, he appeared in music videos as a backup dancer.In 1992, he scored his breakthrough role as Constable Sam Farrell in the Australian soap opera "E Street." A year later, this role earned him a Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent.
In 2001, Baker snagged the lead role in CBS legal drama "The Guardian," playing troubled attorney Nick Fallin for three seasons. He directed one of the episodes himself.
In 2008, he landed the role of Patrick Jane, a razor-sharp former con artist turned police consultant, in the series "The Mentalist," which launched Baker to TV stardom. At the show's peak, each new episode pulled in 17 million viewers in the US. "I spend nineteen hours a day with Simon on set and another three hours talking about him," his "The Mentalist" co-star Robin Tunney revealed. "People stop me in the grocery store, and I have a list of answers ready: 'Yes, he looks like that in real life; yes, he's happily married; yes, he's straight.'"
In 2010, Baker inked a deal for the final seasons of "The Mentalist" worth thirty million dollars, making him one of Hollywood's highest-paid TV stars. Speaking about the show, the actor said:
Despite having no formal acting training, Baker brought his character to life on screen – through every tense silence, every sideways glance, and every fleeting glimpse of suppressed emotion.I am proud of these seven years and 152 episodes, which were leading among viewers. Sometimes I think we could've kept going, since this format of small, independent stories can run indefinitely. But that's not my style. I need to keep creating, exploring new genres, and taking on challenging projects.
In 2017, Baker helmed a coming-of-age story inspired by his childhood in Australia, titled "Breath." The film was an adaptation of the novel by Australian author Tim Winton, which Baker first read while living in Los Angeles. Inspired by the book, he co-wrote the screenplay with producer Mark Johnson, directed the film, and played the lead role.
After the film's premiere, Simon's acting work quieted down. In 2018, he starred with Sarah Jessica Parker in the musical drama "Here and Now," followed by leading roles in the Australian films "High Ground" and "Blaze." In 2023, he appeared as the main character, Detective Travis Hurley, in Ivan Sen's thriller "Limbo."
Simon Baker's Personal Life
When they first met, Simon's wife, actress Rebecca Rigg, was actually more famous than he was—she'd been acting in films since age ten. They went on their first blind date at the Royal Pub in Paddington, Australia. Later, they met again on the set of "E Street," where their characters had a romantic relationship.
In 2001, Rigg and Baker welcomed their third child, Harry Friday.
Despite working at their marriage, Simon and Rebecca divorced in 2021 after 30 years together. Both emphasized they remain close and will continue co-parenting their children.Simon Baker on Family...The interesting thing about fatherhood is that you become a key figure in another person's life, even if you don't need it. It happens on its own. The relationship with your wife is a different kind of love. You have to work on it every day. You need to stay true to the compromises you made with your partner and be aware of their needs. You constantly practice giving and receiving. It's not a formula for a perfect marriage, but it works.
Simon Baker Now
At the beginning of 2024, Netflix premiered an eight-episode crime drama "Boy Swallows Universe." In this Australian series, Simon Baker played Robert Bell, the main character's father, an intellectual who loves his sons but is a binge-drinking alcoholic.Interesting Facts
- Simon Baker has something rare among men (and women, for that matter) — natural elegance. This has led luxury brands like Givenchy to frequently seek him out for collaborations. He has also advertised luxurious Swiss watches and banking products.
- Australian actors in Hollywood stick together. For example, Nicole Kidman, who calls Baker a "hippie boy," became the godmother of his eldest son Claude, and Naomi Watts became godmother to his younger son, Harry. Though all his children were baptized Catholic and he was raised in the same faith, Baker has been agnostic since 2009.
- In one interview, Baker said he's just an ordinary person in real life but knows that fame comes at a price:
I don't need people staring at me. It seems... ridiculous to me. There are funny situations. I can understand when people stop me on the street, ask for an autograph, and want to take a selfie with me. It's all part of an unspoken agreement you make when you choose a public profession. You always have to make small sacrifices. But these people aren't drawn to me — they're drawn to who they think I am. The worst part of fame is seeing how people change when they are with me. I'm very observant and notice when someone sees me and completely changes how they act. It happens that you distance yourself from people, which I don't like at all.