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Personal History with dates
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| Fran |
Date: Sunday, 20-Feb-11, 1:39 PM | Message # 1 |
 Fair Dinkum
Messages: 4127
Status: Offline |
Full Name: Simon Lucas Baker
Childhood nickname: Smiley
(previously also known as Simon Denny and Simon Baker Denny)
Date of Birth: 30 July 1969
Born in Launceston, Tasmania.
Father: Barry Baker (born 1946)
Mother: Elizabeth Labberton (born 1948)
[Born in Den Haag, her parents were the black sheep of a French-Holland noble family, who emigrated to Australia when she was a little girl]
Sister: Terri, 2 years older than Simon
Half-sister (Baker): Megan, 12 years younger than Simon
Half-brother (Baker): Luke, 14 years younger than Simon
Half-brother (Denny): Name unknown
(ref. Pop Matters 23July09, Luaine Lee article for McClatchy-Tribune News Service "Baker himself, the child of divorce, has an older sister, two half-brothers and a half-sister")
Step-Father: Tom Denny
Simon began surfing when he was a youngster and is a member of Le-Ba Boardriders (Lennox-Ballina). He competed at State level in Surfing and Water Polo.
1970: When Simon was 9 months old, the family moved to a small town in the Highlands of New Guinea. His parents split up while he was still very young, and his mother remarried, to Tom Denny.
After moving to Sydney, in 1972 the family settled in Lennox Head, on the north coast of New South Wales, just south of Byron Bay. He attended St Francis Xavier Primary School in Ballina followed by Ballina High School and Trinity Catholic College (ref: article in Ballina Advocate 06June11 “Baker attended Ballina High and Trinity Catholic College before embarking on his acting career”).
Simon was given his stepfather's name and was known as Simon Denny. He did not have a good relationship with his stepfather, but only found out later that he was not his biological father.
In a 2003 article, Simon’s father Barry said "Simon was 19 when he secured a modeling job which brought him to Tasmania. He made a point of visiting my wife Pam and myself and since then we have been pretty close". Barry is a keen yachtsman, so they have a common affinity for the ocean.
Sometime during the 1980s his mother and stepfather divorced.
1986: Simon graduated from Ballina High School.
1987/88: After finishing college, as a way to leave home Simon signed up to study nursing in Sydney, working in a pub during the evenings. He left nursing school after about three months. Various old articles have stated that other odd jobs included brick-laying, making pizzas, selling time-share condominiums (it has been said that he was sacked for being flippant), pub cellarman and modelling.
1989: Simon worked as a film director's assistant for a company that made industrial and music videos, and began working in front of the camera.
One day he accompanied a friend to an audition for a TV commercial for ice cream (to play the Triple-Choc kid), and the casting woman suggested that he audition - he got the job, then got an agent, did more commercials and at some point modelled in Japan.
1991: Simon appeared in the Euphoria music video Love You Right (which reached No. 1 in the Australian pop chart) and Melissa Tkautz's Read My Lips. In November, the girls magazine Dolly listed him as one of the "50 coolest guys around".
There are reports, but I don’t know how accurate they are, that Simon met Rebecca Rigg in a Sydney pub and that Simon was dating someone else at the time, and then they met eachother again 6 months later when they were both unattached. Reliable information is that Simon met Rebecca through mutual friends who thought they’d get on well together. (Simon was 22). They moved in together 6 weeks later and have been together ever since.
1992: The video director where Simon worked was hired to direct some episodes of E Street and suggested that he audition. The part of Sam Farrell, was written for him and the character had a short-lived romance with a nurse, played by Rebecca. Simon stayed with the show for a year until it was cancelled.
1993: Stella was born just after Simon’s 24th birthday. Simon wanted Stella to have his birth name so he changed his name to Simon Baker-Denny. At the time, they were living on Sydney's northern coast.
1995: Since the cancellation of E-Street in 1993, Simon had had recurring and non-recurring guest star roles in several Australian soaps/dramas (including 'Home & Away', 'Heartbreak High', 'Sweat'), appeared in a UK comedy pilot ('Which Way To The War') and starred in a stage play ('Europe'). But it was becoming increasingly difficult to find regular work and so with encouragement from friends Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts, Simon & Rebecca decided to try their luck in America. They arrived with Stella on Christmas Eve, with $3500 in their pockets and sub-let Naomi's apartment.
1996: Simon & Rebecca married at Rebecca’s family property outside Sydney, Australia (source: June 2003 'Who Weekly' interview)
1998: Simon and Rebecca had a second marriage ceremony in Carmel, USA.
1999: Claude was born. (Note: many websites have this as 1998, but in November 2001 interviews with Paul Fischer and Rosie O'Donnell, Simon stated that Claude was 2 & a half).
Simon reverted to his birth name, Simon Baker. "That is who I am, who I started as."
2001: Having appeared in about 10 films, Simon wanted a more settled family life so signed up for TV show 'The Guardian'. Harry was born six days before 'The Guardian' premiered. In December they bought a house in Malibu with access to a private beach where Simon surfed frequently.
2005: The Bakers sold their Malibu home, and returned to live in Australia, with Simon making frequent flights back to the US for film work ('Something New' and 'The Devil Wears Prada'). But they realised that they missed their life and friends in LA and moved back when Simon signed up for 'Smith'.
2006: The Bakers bought a house in Santa Monica (December).
2007: After 'Smith' was cancelled, Simon took a years break while he re-modelled his house. He then got the opportunity to work with Martin Scorsese on 'The Key to Reserva', a short film cinema advert. He has said that 'Marty' inspired him to return to acting.
2008: The Bakers sold their house and bought another in Santa Monica (January) – this is where they still live.
Simon was in Australia when he read 'The Mentalist' pilot script. He flew in and met Bruno Heller the day he arrived. A day and a half later they started shooting.
2009: The Bakers bought a 1917 homestead set in 6.8 hectares, in Nashua about 20 minutes inland from Byron Bay.
2011: After many years of intermittent back pain and sciatica, an X-Ray revealed that Simon had broken a bone in his lower back during his late teens. In February, he had surgery on his back – a fusion where titanium rods were inserted into the affected area of his spine.
2013: On 14th February (Valentines Day), Simon was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
2014: When The Mentalist finished filming in December, the family (maybe excluding Stella), moved to Sydney, having bought an apartment in the exclusive Ben Buckler area overlooking Bondi Beach.
[The success of 'The Mentalist' led to several commercial endorsements including Samsung (as ambassador in 2010), ANZ Bank (as Patrick Jane from 2011), Longines (as ambassador of elegance from 2012), Givenchy (as the face of 'Gentlemen Only 'from 2013)]
Known list of roles can be seen here: http://thebakerboy.ucoz.com/forum/2-7-1 |
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| Wand6122360 |
Date: Saturday, 17-May-14, 3:55 PM | Message # 2 |
Bee's Knees
Messages: 517
Status: Offline |
Wow, this is really thorough. Thanks Fran. One question. I had the impression that Simon's mother has at least one child with the Denny guy. I'll have to dig around to confirm. Anyways, the info might be on my PC, but I'm on my ipad, hence the delay in checking. |
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| Fran |
Date: Sunday, 18-May-14, 10:39 AM | Message # 3 |
Fair Dinkum
Messages: 4127
Status: Offline |
Thanks Wanda. I've seen it mentioned that Simon has some half-siblings on the Denny side, but I've never found a trustworthy source that provides details. So if you have that information, it would be very helpful. |
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| Wand6122360 |
Date: Sunday, 18-May-14, 1:46 PM | Message # 4 |
Bee's Knees
Messages: 517
Status: Offline |
I'm not sure if this is a reliable source, but the article does seem fairly accurate. I guess the ideal would be a direct quote from Simon? It's funny... When Simon mentions that falling in love made him wake up and start living, it reminds me of what Patrick Jane is going through. Simon certainly has a complex emotional history, that helps him give depth to his characters.
http://www.popmatters.com/article....ht-time |
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| Fran |
Date: Sunday, 18-May-14, 5:46 PM | Message # 5 |
Fair Dinkum
Messages: 4127
Status: Offline |
Thanks very much Wanda. I'm not sure how reliable it is either, it seems to be a re-working of a January 2003 interview by Luaine Lee (Scripps Howard News Service) - there's quite a lot that's an exact replica but also extra stuff including the mention of Simon's siblings. As the 2009 article gives credit to Luaine Lee, I'm inclined to think that it's an official reworking of her interview and therefore reasonably trustworthy. So I'll update the bio and also post the article in the Articles section. Thanks again  |
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| DS_Pallas |
Date: Friday, 20-Jun-14, 1:29 PM | Message # 6 |
 Fair Dinkum
Messages: 1979
Status: Offline |
Fran, I've seen a pic in the site Gallery, and I didn't know he did drama. Apparently Simon acted on a play named "Europe" by Michael Gow, in July 1994, with actress/director Helen O'connor.
Here's the page I've come across:
http://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/25252
Is it useful to your bio? |
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| June |
Date: Friday, 20-Jun-14, 6:02 PM | Message # 7 |
 Bee's Knees
Messages: 585
Status: Offline |
I think it's an interesting information because at least for me, it's the first time that I see something about the experience of Simon on stage. With some photos it would be perfect. |
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| Fran |
Date: Saturday, 21-Jun-14, 0:29 AM | Message # 8 |
Fair Dinkum
Messages: 4127
Status: Offline |
Thanks DS_Pallas, I've included a mention in the Personal History and also posted some of the info from your link as a comment with the 1st photo in the Gallery.
There are 2 relevant photos starting here: http://thebakerboy.ucoz.com/photo....-0-1820
There's also a relevant magscan here: http://thebakerboy.ucoz.com/photo....-0-9113
(I'll now post a comment with this containing the text from the magscan in case people had trouble reading it) |
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| bee |
Date: Saturday, 21-Jun-14, 9:46 AM | Message # 9 |
 Fair Dinkum
Messages: 1525
Status: Offline |
Thanks DS Pallas for info on "Europe" and Simon's involvement in the play, didn't realise he did this. It's always nice to hear something new about Simon, however long ago. Thanks also Fran for finding the photos...great detective work!  |
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| Fran |
Date: Saturday, 21-Jun-14, 9:58 AM | Message # 10 |
Fair Dinkum
Messages: 4127
Status: Offline |
I didn't just find them, the first 2 photos have been there since the site started and the magscan was added in April this year - I guess some people just didn't realise  But it's certainly interesting to have this extra information about the play. |
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| Tanja |
Date: Thursday, 26-Jun-14, 11:52 AM | Message # 11 |
 Rip Snorter
Messages: 471
Status: Offline |
Many thanks to Fran and to you all for this great information of Simon |
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| syriana13 |
Date: Friday, 17-Apr-15, 12:55 PM | Message # 12 |
 Dinkie-Di
Messages: 173
Status: Offline |
Thank you so much Fran for all the informations |
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| Peithon |
Date: Friday, 17-Apr-15, 6:20 PM | Message # 13 |
Rip Snorter
Messages: 341
Status: Offline |
I found the missing half-brother! From 2009 The Age:
He was born on July 30, 1969, in Launceston, Tasmania. At two, his parents separated. Baker and his older sister moved to Lennox Head on the NSW North Coast with his mum and stepfather, who then had a son of their own. There were other half-siblings on Baker's father's side, but it was hardly The Brady Bunch. "More like the plot of a bad B-movie," says Baker, who had problems with his stepfather and didn't see his birth father again until he was 18. "One day I might write an autobiography and that section will be very interesting," he says, smiling. "It's very complicated."
http://www.theage.com.au/news....96.html
Message edited by Peithon - Friday, 17-Apr-15, 6:24 PM |
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| Fran |
Date: Monday, 04-May-15, 11:18 AM | Message # 14 |
Fair Dinkum
Messages: 4127
Status: Offline |
Ah yes thanks, its actually a re-working of an interview from November 2008 TVGuide which is in the Articles section, but I'd forgotten that snippet, which confirms the info in the PopMatters article that Wanda found. |
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