Simon Pegg is one of the most popular comedy actors in the United Kingdom, who gained fame for his roles in the "Three Flavours Cornetto" trilogy, which includes the box office hits "Shaun of the Dead," "Hot Fuzz," and "The World's End," as well as his performances in the "Star Trek" franchise and the action series "Mission: Impossible."
British comedian, screenwriter, and actor Simon Pegg
Pegg is a proponent of intellectual humor with a penchant for absurd aesthetics. For instance, in the comedy clubs of Bristol, he performed his stand-up routines, which were based on principles of paradox and nonsense, from the perspective of a goldfish that he brought on stage with him.
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost – a unique creative duo
Together with his best friend and fellow actor Nick Frost, he created the image of a charming comedic hero on the screen. They broke away from the British tradition of unlikable, repulsive comedians like John Cleese from the sitcom "Fawlty Towers," considered a classic in British television comedies.
Childhood
The future comedian was born on Valentine's Day, February 14, 1970, in the central part of England, in the town of Brockworth, Gloucestershire, to a middle-class family. His father, John G. Beckingham, was a jazz musician, and his mother, Gillian Rosemary, née Smith, was a civil servant. Their marital bliss was short-lived – the marriage ended in 1977. Later, they both remarried, giving Simon a half-sister, Katy Pegg, and from his father's side, two brothers, Mike and Stephen John Beckingham.
Simon Pegg in childhood
The cult movie "Star Wars" left a huge impression on young Pegg, influencing his career choice. As a child, he collected action figures from the film and even kissed a picture of Leia Organa, the daughter of the leader of the Galactic Empire, before going to bed. When another episode of the franchise titled "The Phantom Menace" was released in 1999, an adult Simon traveled to New York to see it two months before it was released in the UK.
Young Simon Pegg
Pegg attended Castle Hill Primary School and later Brockworth and Gloucester secondary schools. From the age of 16, he studied drama and English literature at Stratford-upon-Avon College. There, he also participated in a youth theater, played the drums and harmonica in the band "God's Third Leg," and tasted the attention of the audience. The young man then entered the University of Bristol's Faculty of Drama, Film, and Television. While studying, participating in comedy shows, and performing in plays, he also worked part-time as a sales assistant at the Debenhams department store.
Acting Career
In 1991, the actor graduated from college with honors and began performing with a comedy troupe, which included comedians David Walliams and Jason Bradbury. Two years later, he moved from Bristol to the capital, where he continued to work in his favorite comedic genres: parody, improvisation, and situational comedy.
Six Pairs of Pants 1996 Simon Pegg & Jessica Hynes Sketch Show
In 1995, the artist made his television debut. He was invited to participate in the sketch show "Six Pairs of Pants." Later, he appeared in comedy series such as "Faith in the Future," "Big Train," "Hippies," and "Psychiatric Hospital." On set, he met director Edgar Wright, with whom he later wrote the scripts for his most famous comedy series "Blood and Ice Cream" (also known as "The Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy").
Simon Pegg began his creative journey as a comedian
From 1998 to 2004, he participated in the show "The 99p Challenge" on BBC Radio 4, acted in the miniseries "Brass Eye", and in films "Guest House Paradiso" and "24 Hour Party People."
Spaced - Phantom Menace Sucked
From 1999 to 2001, a new sitcom by Edgar Wright called "Spaced," about young people pretending to be a couple to rent affordable housing, was aired. Pegg, who played one of these tenants, was also a co-writer of the show with Jessica Stevenson. For this work, Simon was nominated for a British Comedy Award as Best Newcomer.
A shot from the TV series 'Spaced'
Pegg became widely known in 2004 after the release of the parody horror film "Shaun of the Dead." According to the plot, his character – a regular sales consultant. When his town is hit by a terrifying zombie epidemic, he tries to survive with friends and relatives and avoid the terrible fate of joining the bloodthirsty ghouls. After the premiere, he shared the Bram Stoker Award for Best Screenplay with his partner Edgar Wright, the British Independent Film Award (BIFA), and one of the most prestigious British film awards, the Evening Standard British Film Awards.
Simon Pegg looks back at Shaun of the Dead
His brilliant performance in "Shaun" attracted the attention of prominent directors. In 2005, he played the Editor in the series "Doctor Who," and in 2006, at the invitation of director J.J. Abrams, he appeared in the next blockbuster "Mission: Impossible III." According to Pegg, his character, hacker agent Dunn, was created to comically highlight the nobility of Tom Cruise's Roman profile, who played Hunt.
Simon Pegg in the series 'Doctor Who'
During the same period, Simon, in collaboration with Edgar Wright and partnered with Nick Frost, finished work on the second parody film (this time on a police drama) from "The Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy" – "Hot Fuzz."
Hot Fuzz – one of the best films with Simon Pegg
In 2007, the romantic comedy "The Good Night" premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, starring Simon alongside stars such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Penelope Cruz, Martin Freeman, and Danny DeVito. Additionally, the actor co-wrote the screenplay and played the central character in the British film "Run Fatboy Run."
A shot from the film 'Run Fatboy Run'
In 2009, he appeared in the sci-fi blockbuster "Star Trek," to which he was invited by his close friend and director J.J. Abrams.
Star Trek: Simon Pegg as Montgomery
In 2011, the actor starred in the comedy "Paul," which he co-wrote, where his character Graham Willy traveled across the US with a sarcastic alien. He also worked on his role in the next action movie "Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol." According to the plot, his character is imprisoned on suspicion of involvement in the Kremlin explosion, then escapes confinement, outwitting an FSB agent.
A shot from the film 'Paul'
In 2013, "The World's End" was released. In the comedy co-created with Wright, the actor played an alcoholic who gathered friends for a grand pub crawl, which turned out to be quite unexpected.
THE WORLD'S END Interviews: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright
In 2015, the fifth installment of the adventure series "Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation" was released, where Pegg's character helps Ethan Hunt fight an organization of former special service agents obsessed with changing the world order and preventing their terrorist attacks.
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost working together on films
The next project featuring the actor was the sci-fi blockbuster "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," which ranked third in the world box office (after "Titanic" and "Avatar") in the history of cinema. He played the junk dealer Unkar Plutt, who kept the legendary spaceship "Millennium Falcon."
Simon Pegg in 'Star Wars' is not so easy to recognize
Critics consider Pegg incredibly talented; he also voiced characters in animated films "Ice Age," "Robot Chicken," "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," and video games Fable III, Spare Parts, Star Trek, and many others.
Ice Age: Collision Course: Simon Pegg Behind the Scenes Voice Recording
The actor starred in the eighth episode of Star Wars "The Last Jedi," which premiered in December 2017. Alongside Margot Robbie, he also played in the dramatic thriller "Terminal" – a film about hitmen who received a highly paid task from a mysterious client. The filming began in early 2016 in Budapest.
Simon Pegg and Margot Robbie will appear in the film 'Terminal'
In March of the same year, Pegg was confirmed for the role of Ogden Morrow in Steven Spielberg's "Ready Player One," based on the novel by Ernest Cline.
Simon Pegg in the comedy 'Absolutely Anything'. Clip
In the summer of 2016, the sci-fi film "Star Trek Beyond," which is part of the "Star Trek" franchise, premiered. The artist participated in writing its screenplay and played the role of engineer Montgomery.
Simon Pegg retained the role in 'Star Trek'
In April 2017, Pulse Films announced the start of filming the rock 'n' roll drama "Lost Transmissions," where the actor was offered the lead role of a producer suffering from schizophrenia. He starred alongside Juno Temple and Alexandra Daddario. The premiere took place in April 2019.
At BFI Screen Epiphany 2017
During the same period, Tom Cruise announced the production of the sixth story about CIA agent Ethan Hunt "Mission: Impossible." Simon was again included in the star cast of the film's characters, among them Alec Baldwin, Rebecca Ferguson, and Henry Cavill.
In 2018, Simon Pegg could be seen in the comedic horror film "Slaughterhouse Rulez," set in a British private school. He starred alongside Nick Frost, Michael Sheen, and young actors Finn Cole and Asa Butterfield.
Simon Pegg and Michael Sheen ('Slaughterhouse Rulez')
Since 2019, Simon has been starring in the series "The Boys," a dark comedy about an alternate world where real superheroes live. However, the supers, as they are called here, are not "good guys" – most of them are mired in vice and spoiled by permissiveness. Pegg got a supporting role as the father of the main character Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid).
Simon Pegg in the series 'The Boys'
In 2020, Pegg appeared in Michael Sheen and David Tennant's "coronavirus" live-screen project "Staged" as himself and, in tandem with Nick Frost, wrote the script for the series "Truth Seekers," in which he also played an important role.
A shot from the series 'Truth Seekers'
He got a dramatic role in the feature thriller "Inheritance" (2020) by Vaughn Stein: he played a prisoner whom Lily Collins' character discovers in a bunker owned by her deceased millionaire father.
Simon Pegg in the film 'Inheritance'
Simon Pegg's Personal Life
At the age of 35, the comedian married his girlfriend Maureen McCann, who is a music journalist. His best man at the wedding ceremony in Glasgow, Scotland, was Nick Frost.
Simon Pegg with his wife
In 2009, the couple welcomed their daughter Matilda. The actor also owns two miniature schnauzers.
Simon Pegg and his daughter Matilda
Pegg is a fan of horror movies, especially "Poltergeist". He also names "Raising Arizona" starring Nicolas Cage as another favorite film and enjoys TV shows like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "The X-Files", noting his admiration for Gillian Anderson, who played Dana Scully. As a teenager, he had crushes on Diane Keaton and Sigourney Weaver.
Simon Pegg's dogs
Simon Pegg Now
In 2023, Simon Pegg played the lead role in the fantasy detective movie "Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose". His character is a parapsychologist, a person who seeks evidence of the existence of paranormal things and is on the trail of a talking mongoose named Jeff. He aims to find out whether it's a hoax or a real entity.
A still from the movie 'Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose'
Pegg also returned to his role as Benji Dunn in the new installment of the "Mission: Impossible" franchise, which was split into two parts: the first was released in 2023, with the premiere of the second scheduled for 2025.
