Quick Wiki
- Full Name Simon Phillip Hugh Callow
- Occupation Actor, Writer, Director, and Author
- Nationality British
- Birthplace Streatham, London, England
- Birth Date Jun 15, 1949
- Age 75 Years, 6 Months
Simon Callow | Biography
Author of 1984 book 'Being an Actor'Callow came out as gay publicly in his 1984 book 'Being an Actor,' making him one of the earliest public figures to reveal their homosexuality publicly. He initially resisted the idea of same-sex marriage, but he later changed his mind when he met his partner Sebastian Fox. Fox is a German management consultant, 34 years younger than Callow.
Simon Callow is a British actor best known for his role as gay reveler Gareth in the 1994 romantic comedy film Four Weddings and a Funeral.
Who is Simon Callow?
Simon Phillip Hugh Callow is an actor, writer, director, and author born on 15 June 1949 in Streatham, London. He studied at London Oratory School and then went to Queen's University Belfast. He later gave up his degree course to study drama at Drama Centre London.
Callow's career began after he wrote a fan letter to an Oscar-winning actor and the artistic director of the National Theatre, Sir Laurence Olivier. Subsequently, he was invited to join the theatre's team of box office staff.
He eventually developed an interest in acting while watching actors performing in the theatre and landed his first stage role in 1973. Callow appeared in several plays, including Martin Sherman's critically acclaimed Passing By and one-person play Shakespeare: the Man from Stratford.
He also played novelist Charles Dickens several times. In 1999, he was awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to drama.
Callow made his film debut in the 1984 biographical musical drama film Amadeus. He later appeared in notable films like A Room with a View (1985) and Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994). Both films earned him the 'BAFTA Award' nomination for 'Best Actor in a Supporting Role' respectively in 1987 and 1995. He later won the shared 'Screen Actors Guild Award' for 'Outstanding Performance by a Cast' for Shakespeare in Love (1998).
He also appeared in many television series and miniseries, including Little Napoleons and Doctor Who. In 2021, he appeared in the television miniseries Hawkeye and the television series The Witcher. Moreover, he will appear in the upcoming films The Pay Day and Surprised by Oxford.
As an author, Callow released his debut book titled 'Being an Actor' in 1984. He also penned biographies of poet Oscar Wilde, actor Charles Laughton, and actor-director Orson Welles.
Does Simon Callow Have a Wife?
Callow has no wife but a husband. He came out as gay publicly in his 1984 book 'Being an Actor,' making him one of the earliest public figures to reveal their homosexuality publicly. He initially resisted the idea of same-sex marriage, but he later changed his mind when he met his partner Sebastian Fox. Fox is a German management consultant, 34 years younger than Callow.
The pair married in June 2016 in a private wedding ceremony on the Greek island of Mykonos. They chose Mykonos for their wedding because of Callow's love for the place. In an interview with Daily Mail, Callow said that he decided to exchange the wedding vows in Mykonos to embrace the civilization and culture of that place where homosexuality was an integrated part of society. In addition, he considered the place to be an innocent landscape to make a great affirmation of love.
Advocacy on Gay Marriage
Callow once resisted the idea of gay marriage, but he later said in an article published in the Evening Standard in 2012 that he believed marriage is his right as a citizen. He said that gay couples deserved the right to marriage like heterosexuals, stating that marriage, which resonates with responsibilities and a promise of permanency, makes them greater than they were.
He wrote, "I am a gay man. I am in love with my partner and am deeply committed to him, as he is to me. We intend to stay together until the day one of us dies. There is a word for that sort of commitment: marriage."
