Acting
Simon Callow
Simon Phillip Hugh Callow CBE (born 15 June 1949) is an English actor. Known as a character actor on stage and screen, he has received numerous accolades including an Olivier Award and Screen Actors Guild Award as well as nominations for two BAFTA Awards. He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to acting by Queen Elizabeth II in 1999. Callow rose to prominence originating the title role of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the 1979 Peter Shaffer play Amadeus, for which he received a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role nomination. Callow joined the Miloš Forman 1984 film adaptation, this time portraying Emanuel Schikaneder. In 1992, Callow won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Director of a Musical for Carmen Jones. As an actor, he won acclaim for his comedic roles in A Room with a View (1985) and Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) earning a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role nomination for each. Other notable roles include in Maurice (1987), Howards End (1992), Shakespeare in Love (1998), and The Phantom of the Opera (2004). His television roles include Tom Chance in the Channel 4 series Chance in a Million (1984) and The Duke of Sandringham in the series Outlander from 2014 to 2016. He portrayed Napoleon in The Man of Destiny (1981), and Charles Dickens in numerous television projects. He has also appeared on numerous shows such as Midsomer Murders, Rome, Angels in America, Doctor Who, Galavant, Hawkeye, and The Witcher. Callow was born on 15 June 1949 in Streatham, South London, the son of Yvonne Mary (née Guise), a secretary and Neil Francis Callow, a businessman. His father was of French descent and his mother was of Danish and German ancestry. His father left when Simon was 18 months old, and he was brought up by his mother and grandmothers. He and his mother travelled to Northern Rhodesia (now called Zambia) when he was nine to try and reconcile with his father. This did not happen and Callow was sent for three years to boarding school in South Africa. He and his mother returned to Britain when he was twelve. He was raised as a Catholic. Callow was a student at the London Oratory School in West Brompton, and then went on to study briefly at Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland, where he was active in the gay liberation movement.[5] He gave up his degree course after a year to take a three-year acting course at the Drama Centre London. He made his first film appearance in 1984 as Schikaneder in Amadeus. The following year, he appeared as the Reverend Mr Beebe in A Room with a View. His first television role was in the Carry On Laughing episode "Orgy and Bess" in 1975, but it was cut from the final print. He starred in several series of the Channel 4 situation comedy Chance in a Million, as Tom Chance, an eccentric individual to whom coincidences happened regularly. Roles like this and his part in Four Weddings and a Funeral brought him to a wider audience. Callow portrayed Pliny the Elder in CBBC's 2007 children's drama series, Roman Mysteries in the episode "The Secrets of Vesuvius". He played Armand Duquesne in Marvel's Hawkeye on Disney+.
Filmography
Eternal Return
Film · 2026
The Man with the Plan
Film · 2026
The Twelfth Night Reunion
Film · 2026
The Northumbria Mysteries
Series · 2026
Amadeus: The Making of a Masterpiece
Film · 2025
Étoile
Series · 2025
Bookish
Series · 2025
It's Christmas!
Film · 2024
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2
Film · 2024
Merchant Ivory
Film · 2024
Alec Guinness: A Class Act
Film · 2024
Dame Maggie Smith - A Celebration
Film · 2024
Aguska
Film · 2024
The Boy That Never Was
Series · 2024
Surprised by Oxford
Film · 2023
Murder Ballads: How to Make It in Rock 'n' Roll
Film · 2023
Dodger Special: Coronation
Film · 2023
Doctor Jekyll
Film · 2023
Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Hawkeye
Film · 2022
American: An Odyssey to 1947
Film · 2022
The Fringe, Fame and Me
Film · 2022
The Pay Day
Film · 2022
Judi Dench: Our National Treasure
Film · 2022
The Marvellous Maggie Smith: A Celebration
Film · 2022
Westminster Abbey: Behind Closed Doors
Series · 2022
The Amazing Mr. Blunden
Film · 2021
Alexander Pope: Rediscovering a Genius
Film · 2021
The Cleaner
Series · 2021
Hawkeye
Series · 2021
Classical Destinations: The Great Composers
Series · 2021
Nutcracker Delights: English National Ballet
Film · 2020
The Witcher
Series · 2019
Blue Iguana
Film · 2018
The Dead Room
Film · 2018
A Christmas Carol
Film · 2018
They'll Love Me When I'm Dead
Film · 2018
Grindsploitation 3: Video Nasty
Film · 2017
Victoria & Abdul
Film · 2017
Viceroy's House
Film · 2017
Hampstead
Film · 2017
The Man Who Invented Christmas
Film · 2017
50 Years Legal
Film · 2017
Born Silly
Film · 2017
Tate Britain's Great Art Walks
Series · 2017
There's Something About Romcoms
Film · 2016
Golden Years
Film · 2016
Mindhorn
Film · 2016
The Rebel
Series · 2016
Creditors
Film · 2015
Galavant
Series · 2015
Rik Mayall: Lord of Misrule
Film · 2014
Miss in Her Teens
Film · 2014
Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles
Film · 2014
The First Silent Night: The Christmas Carol That United the World
Film · 2014
Outlander
Series · 2014
Inside No. 9
Series · 2014
The Sarah Millican Television Programme - Best of Series 1-2
Film · 2013
Plebs
Series · 2013
A Very British Murder with Lucy Worsley
Series · 2013
Best Possible Taste: The Kenny Everett Story
Film · 2012
Acts of Godfrey
Film · 2012
Being Shakespeare
Film · 2012
Shakespeare's Sonnets
Film · 2012
Them From That Thing
Series · 2012
Playhouse Presents
Series · 2012
Ice
Film · 2011
Late Bloomers
Film · 2011
The British Guide to Showing Off
Film · 2011
Art of Freedom
Film · 2011
Love's Kitchen
Film · 2011
Lily Allen: From Riches to Rags
Series · 2011
Ice
Series · 2011
Death in Paradise
Series · 2011
Jamie's Dream School
Series · 2011
Save Our Bacon
Film · 2010
The Unforgettable Harry Secombe
Film · 2010
Arn: The Knight Templar
Series · 2010
Theatreland
Film · 2009
Orson Welles Over Europe
Film · 2009
The Addictions of Sin: WH Auden in His Own Words
Series · 2009
Chemical Wedding
Film · 2008
Maggie Smith at the BBC: a portrait
Film · 2008
Q&A
Series · 2008
Arn: The Knight Templar
Film · 2007
Surveillance 24/7
Film · 2007
How Gay Sex Changed the World
Film · 2007
Ripley Under Ground
Film · 2007
The Company
Series · 2007
Roman Mysteries
Series · 2007
Derren Brown: Trick or Treat
Series · 2007
The Sarah Jane Adventures
Series · 2007
British Film Forever
Series · 2007
Lewis
Series · 2007
The Curse of King Tut's Tomb
Film · 2006
Men of Mystery
Film · 2006
Reviving Harry Lime
Film · 2006
The Madness of Boy George
Film · 2006
Phantom of the Opera: Behind the Mask
Film · 2006
The Curse of King Tut's Tomb
Series · 2006
Great British Menu
Series · 2006
The Best Man
Film · 2005
Revisiting Brideshead
Film · 2005
A Tribute To Ismail Merchant
Film · 2005
The Civilization of Maxwell Bright
Film · 2005
Bob the Butler
Film · 2005
Rag Tale
Film · 2005
Doctor Who
Series · 2005
George and the Dragon
Film · 2004
The Phantom of the Opera
Film · 2004
Shoebox Zoo
Series · 2004
Agatha Christie's Marple
Series · 2004
Bright Young Things
Film · 2003
Thank You, Doctor Rey
Film · 2003
Angels in America
Series · 2003
Angels in America
Series · 2003
The Mystery of Charles Dickens
Film · 2002
Thunderpants
Film · 2002
Galileo’s Battle for the Heavens
Film · 2002
Hans Christian Andersen: My Life as a Fairytale
Series · 2002
Christmas Carol: The Movie
Film · 2001
No Man's Land
Film · 2001
Don't Eat the Neighbours
Series · 2001
Around The World In 80 Days
Film · 2000
Deadly Appearances
Film · 2000
Animated Epics: Don Quixote
Film · 2000
Notting Hill
Film · 1999
Loose Women
Series · 1999
Shakespeare in Love
Film · 1998
The Scarlet Tunic
Film · 1998
Bedrooms and Hallways
Film · 1998
Parkinson
Series · 1998
The Woman In White
Film · 1997
Midsomer Murders
Series · 1997
Trial & Retribution
Series · 1997
The Woman In White
Series · 1997
James and the Giant Peach
Film · 1996
Victory
Film · 1996
Moses
Film · 1996
An Audience with Charles Dickens
Film · 1996
Dennis the Menace and Gnasher
Series · 1996
Testament: The Bible in Animation
Series · 1996
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
Film · 1995
Jefferson in Paris
Film · 1995
England, My England
Film · 1995
El pasajero clandestino
Film · 1995
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Film · 1994
Street Fighter
Film · 1994
Little Napoleons
Series · 1994
Femme Fatale
Film · 1993
Soft Top Hard Shoulder
Film · 1993
Camp Christmas
Film · 1993
Howards End
Film · 1992
The Trials of Oz
Film · 1991
The Crucifer of Blood
Film · 1991
Performance
Series · 1991
Postcards from the Edge
Film · 1990
Mr. & Mrs. Bridge
Film · 1990
Old Flames
Film · 1990
Revolutionary Witness
Film · 1989
Agatha Christie's Poirot
Series · 1989
Manifesto
Film · 1988
Comic Relief
Series · 1988
Maurice
Film · 1987
Cariani and the Courtesans
Film · 1987
The Reluctant Dragon
Film · 1987
Acting
Series · 1987
Inspector Morse
Series · 1987
A Room with a View
Film · 1986
The Christmas Tree
Film · 1986
Dead Head
Series · 1986
David Copperfield
Series · 1986
ScreenPlay
Series · 1986
Split Screen
Series · 1986
The Good Father
Film · 1985
Honour, Profit & Pleasure
Film · 1985
Screen Two
Series · 1985
Amadeus
Film · 1984
Royal Variety Performance 1984
Film · 1984
Chance in a Million
Series · 1984
Saturday Review
Series · 1984
The Man of Destiny
Film · 1981
Instant Enlightenment Including VAT
Film · 1979
Question Time
Series · 1979
The Sunday Drama
Series · 1977
Victorian Scandals
Series · 1976
The Sweeney
Series · 1975
Carry On Laughing
Series · 1975
NOVA
Series · 1974
A Ghost Story for Christmas
Series · 1971
Omnibus
Series · 1967
The Reformation of Sister Edith
Film
The Amazing Maurice: The Waters of Life
Film