View source for Simon Callow

{{short description|British actor (born 1949)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2012}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Simon Callow
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=UK|size=100%|CBE}}
| image        = Simon Callow.jpg
| caption      = Callow in 2009
| birth_name   = Simon Phillip Hugh Callow
| birth_date   = {{Birth date and age|1949|6|15|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Streatham]], London, England
| occupation   = {{flatlist|
* Actor
* director
* author
* musician
* singer
}}
| years_active = 1973–present
| spouse       = {{marriage |1=Sebastian Fox|2=2016}}
}}
'''Simon Phillip Hugh Callow''' {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|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.<ref name="Independent1999">{{cite news |title=Queen's Birthday Honours: The Full List |date=12 June 1999 |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/queens-birthday-honours-the-full-list-1099582.html}}</ref>

Callow rose to prominence originating the title role of [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]] in the 1979 [[Peter Shaffer]] play ''[[Amadeus (play)|Amadeus]],'' for which he received a [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role]] nomination. Callow joined the [[Miloš Forman]] [[Amadeus (film)|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 film)|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 film)|Maurice]]'' (1987), ''[[Howards End (film)|Howards End]]'' (1992), ''[[Shakespeare in Love]]'' (1998), and ''[[The Phantom of the Opera (2004 film)|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 (TV series)|Outlander]]'' from 2014 to 2016. He portrayed [[Napoleon]] in ''[[The Man of Destiny]]'' (1981), and [[Charles Dickens]] in several television projects. He has also appeared on numerous shows such as ''[[Midsomer Murders]]'', ''[[Rome (TV series)|Rome]]'', ''[[Angels in America (miniseries)|Angels in America]]'', ''[[Doctor Who]]'', ''[[Galavant]]'', ''[[Hawkeye (miniseries)|Hawkeye]]'', and ''[[The Witcher (TV series)|The Witcher]]''.

==Early years==
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.<ref>{{cite web | title=Simon Callow Biography | url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/69/Simon-Callow.html | work=filmreference | year=2008 | access-date=1 September 2008}}</ref> His father was of French descent and his mother was of Danish and German ancestry.<ref name=tet>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=oBIzAAAAIBAJ&pg=6599,4272070&dq=owner-never-got-to-see-team-the-big-one&hl=en |title=Spending time in Africa shaped who Simon Callow is today |first=Luaine |last=Lee |date=30 October 2002 |location=Wilmington, North Carolina |page=9 |newspaper=Star News }}</ref> 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]].<ref name=tet/> Callow was a student at the [[London Oratory School]] in [[West Brompton]],<ref name="chicago">{{cite news |url= https://www.chicagoshakes.com/plays_and_events/beingshakespeare/Simon_Callow |title=Simon Callow in Being Shakespeare |work=chicagoshakes.com|date=18 April 2012}}</ref> and then went on to study briefly at [[Queen's University Belfast]] in Northern Ireland,<ref name="queens">{{cite news |url=https://www.irishnews.com/lifestyle/2016/07/16/news/simon-callow-muses-on-coffee-causes-and-life-in-belfast-605867/ |title=Simon Callow muses on coffee, causes and life in Belfast as a student |work=irishnews.com|date=16 July 2016}}</ref> where he was active in the [[gay liberation]] movement.<ref name="queens"/> He gave up his degree course after a year to take a three-year acting course at the [[Drama Centre London]].<ref name="chicago"/>

==Career==
===Acting===
Callow's immersion in the theatre began after he wrote a fan letter to [[Sir Laurence Olivier]], the artistic director of the [[Royal National Theatre|National Theatre]], and received a response suggesting he join their box-office staff. While watching actors rehearse, he realised he wanted to act.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jonathanfryer.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/simon-callow-laid-bare/ |title=Simon Callow Laid Bare |date=24 March 2010 |first=Jonathan |last=Fryer |work=Jonathan Fryer |publisher=[[WordPress]]}}</ref>

Callow made his stage debut in 1973, appearing in ''[[A Satire of the Three Estates|The Three Estates]]'' at the [[Assembly Rooms (Edinburgh)|Assembly Rooms Theatre]], Edinburgh. In the early 1970s, he joined the Gay Sweatshop theatre company and performed in [[Martin Sherman (dramatist)|Martin Sherman]]'s critically acclaimed ''Passing By''.<ref>{{Cite news|work=[[The Times]]|date=20 June 1975|page=13|first=Michael|last=Church|title=Passing By}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Sexual healing: From The Boys in the Band to Brokeback Mountain, gay roles in cinema have come a long way from their tortured beginnings. |last=Callow |first=Simon |date=31 October 2008 |newspaper=The Observer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/oct/31/gay-roles}}</ref> In 1977, he took various parts in the [[Joint Stock Theatre Company]]'s production of ''[[Epsom Downs (play)|Epsom Downs]]'' and in 1979, he starred in [[Snoo Wilson]]'s ''The Soul of the White Ant'' at the [[Soho Theatre|Soho Poly]].<ref>''Snoo Wilson, Plays 1'', Methuen 1999</ref>

Callow appeared as [[Paul Verlaine|Verlaine]] in ''Total Eclipse'' (1982), Lord Foppington in ''[[The Relapse]]'' (1983) and the title role in ''[[Goethe's Faust|Faust]]'' (1988) at the [[Lyric Hammersmith]], where he also directed ''[[The Infernal Machine (play)|The Infernal Machine]]'' (with Dame [[Maggie Smith]]) in 1986.<ref name="lyricfaust">Biographical note for Simon Callow in programme book for Faust at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, London, 2 July 1988.</ref> In 1985, he played Molina in ''[[Kiss of the Spider Woman (play)|Kiss of the Spiderwoman]]'' at the [[Bush Theatre]], London.<ref name="lyricfaust"/> He played [[Mozart]] in the premiere of [[Peter Shaffer]]'s ''[[Amadeus (play)|Amadeus]]'' at the National Theatre (1979), also appearing in the 1983 BBC original cast radio production.<ref name="lyricfaust"/> He later wrote of having "discovered Mozart quite early: the operas, the symphonies, the concertos, the wind serenades were all very much part of my musical landscape when I was asked to play the part of the composer in Peter Shaffer's ''Amadeus''; possibly this was one of the reasons I got the job."<ref>My Mozart : Simon Callow. ''Opera'', January 2006, Vol. 57, No.1, pg. 35.</ref> He appeared at the National Theatre as Orlando in ''[[As You Like It]]'' (1979) and Fulganzio in ''[[Life of Galileo]]'' (1980).<ref name="lyricfaust"/>

Callow appeared with [[Saeed Jaffrey]] in the 1994 British television drama series ''[[Little Napoleons]]'', playing a scheming [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[councillor]] in [[Local government in England|local government]]. He voice-acted the sly and traitorous Wolfgang in ''[[Shoebox Zoo]]''. In 2004, he appeared on a [[Comic Relief]] episode of ''[[Little Britain (sketch show)|Little Britain]]'' for charity causes. In 2006, he wrote a piece for the BBC One programme ''[[This Week (BBC One TV series)|This Week]]'' bemoaning the lack of characters in modern politics. He has starred as Count Fosco, the villain of [[Wilkie Collins]]'s novel ''[[The Woman in White (novel)|The Woman in White]]'', in film (1997) and on stage (2005, in the [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]] ''[[The Woman in White (musical)|musical]]'' in the West End).

Callow starred in the three-part original [[Gold (UK TV channel)|Gold]] comedy ''[[The Rebel (2016 TV series)|The Rebel]]'' in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/the_rebel/|title=The Rebel – Gold Sitcom – British Comedy Guide|first=British Comedy|last=Guide|website=British Comedy Guide}}</ref>

In 2022, he joined the cast of the UK revival of Cole Porter's ''[[Anything Goes]]'' replacing [[Gary Wilmot]] as Elisha Whitney. The production would complete a UK tour before finishing with a run at the [[Barbican Centre]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Anything Goes announces further casting for tour and London run|url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/anything-goes-announces-further-casting-tour_56142.html|access-date=15 April 2022}}</ref>
From 11 July to 3 August 2008, Callow appeared at the [[Stratford Shakespeare Festival]] in Canada in ''There Reigns Love'', a performance of the sonnets of [[William Shakespeare]].<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.stratfordfestival.ca/plays/reigns.cfm
 |title       = Stratford Shakespeare Festival – There Reigns Love
 |publisher   = Stratford Festival
 |access-date  = 5 February 2008
|url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080125072109/http://www.stratfordfestival.ca/plays/reigns.cfm
 |archive-date = 25 January 2008
}}
</ref> The same year, he appeared at the [[Edinburgh Festival]], performing "Dr. Marigold" and "Mr. Chops" by [[Charles Dickens]], adapted and directed by [[Patrick Garland]]; repeating them from December 2009 to January 2010 at the [[Riverside Studios]] and on tour in 2011.

In February 2008, he played the psychiatrist in the [[Chichester Festival Theatre]]'s production of [[Peter Shaffer]]'s ''[[Equus (play)|Equus]]''.

Between March and August 2009, he played Pozzo in [[Sean Mathias]]'s production of ''[[Waiting for Godot]]'' by [[Samuel Beckett]] with [[Ian McKellen]] as Estragon, [[Patrick Stewart]] as Vladimir, and [[Ronald Pickup]] as Lucky. The production toured Britain before a run at the [[Theatre Royal, Haymarket]], in London

From June to November 2010, he appeared in a national tour of a new one-man play, ''Shakespeare: the Man from Stratford'', written by [[Jonathan Bate]], directed by Tom Cairns, and produced by the [[Ambassador Theatre Group]]. The play was renamed ''Being Shakespeare'' for its West End debut at the [[Trafalgar Studios]], where it opened on 15 June 2011. It was revived at the same theatre in March 2012, prior to a run in New York City and Chicago. In March 2014, it returned to the West End, this time at the [[Harold Pinter Theatre]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Being Shakespeare Official Website | url=http://www.beingshakespeare.com | access-date=27 May 2011}}</ref>

In October 2014, Callow appeared in a comedy sketch made for Channel 4's'' [[The Feeling Nuts Comedy Night]]'' to raise awareness of testicular cancer. The same year, he played the recurring role of the fictional Duke of Sandringham in the [[Starz]] period TV series, ''[[Outlander (TV series)|Outlander]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scotsman.com/what-s-on/film/scots-based-outlander-tv-show-casts-simon-callow-1-3223695|title=Scots-based Outlander TV show casts Simon Callow|work=[[The Scotsman]]|date=7 December 2013|access-date=26 April 2015}}</ref>

In December 2022, Callow appeared as Dick in the Christmas special of BBC dark comedy ''[[Inside No. 9]]'', "[[Inside No. 9#Series 8 (2022–23)|The Bones of St Nicholas]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/inside-no-9-bones-st-nicholas-review-unexpected-ghost-macabre/|title=Inside No 9, review: there was an unexpected ghost at this macabre Christmas feast|website=The Telegraph|last=Rees|first=Jasper|date=22 December 2022|access-date=30 April 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001gdv9|title=Inside No. 9: The Bones of St Nicholas|publisher=BBC|access-date=30 April 2023}}</ref>

===Film===
He made his first film appearance in 1984 as [[Emanuel Schikaneder|Schikaneder]] in ''[[Amadeus (film)|Amadeus]]''. The following year, he appeared as the Reverend Mr Beebe in ''[[A Room with a View (1985 film)|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.<ref name="film">{{cite news |url= http://www.filmreference.com/film/69/Simon-Callow.html |title= Simon Callow Biography (1949-) Career to 2003|work=filmreference.com|access-date=13 June 2022}}</ref> Callow portrayed [[Pliny the Elder]] in CBBC's 2007 children's drama series ''[[Roman Mysteries (TV series)|Roman Mysteries]]'' in the episode "The Secrets of Vesuvius". He played Armand Duquesne in Marvel's ''Hawkeye'' on Disney+.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/hawkeye-ending-explained-jack-duquesne-swordsman|title=Who killed [SPOILERS] in 'Hawkeye' Episode 1? Marvel's Swordsman, explained|first=Gabrielle|last=Bondi|website=Inverse|date=24 November 2021 }}</ref>

===Directing===
Callow also directed plays and wrote: his ''Being An Actor'' (1984) was a critique of 'director dominated' theatre, in addition to containing autobiographical sections relating to his early career as an actor. In 1992, he directed the play ''Shades'' by [[Sharman MacDonald]] and the musical ''[[My Fair Lady]]'', featuring costumes designed by [[Jasper Conran]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jasperconran.com/performing-arts/my-fair-lady/#nav=path_%252Fperforming-arts%252Fmy-fair-lady%252F%253Fstate%253D1 |title=My Fair Lady – Performing Arts |work=Jasper Conran |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130320034913/http://www.jasperconran.com/performing-arts/my-fair-lady/ |archive-date=20 March 2013 }}</ref> In 1995, he directed a stage version of the classic French film ''[[Les Enfants du Paradis]]'' for the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]]. As part of the Covent Garden Festival, in May 1996 Callow directed [[Cantabile (group)|Cantabile]] in three musical pieces (''Commuting'' - premiere, ''The Waiter's Revenge'', and ''Ricercare No. 4'' - premiere) composed by his friend [[Stephen Oliver (composer)|Stephen Oliver]]. ''Ricercare No. 4'' had been commissioned from Oliver by Callow on the death of his partner.<ref>Jeal, Erica. Stephen Oliver Trilogy Cantabile at the Covent Garden Festival. 30 May. ''Opera'', August 1996, p.978-979.</ref>

Among opera productions directed by Callow are a ''[[Così fan tutte]]'' in Lucerne, ''[[Die Fledermaus]]'' for [[Scottish Opera]] in 1988,<ref>Monelle, Raymond. Review of Die Fledermaus at the [[Theatre Royal, Glasgow]]. ''[[Opera (British magazine)|Opera]]'', December 1988, Vol.39 No.12, p1491-92.</ref> ''[[Il tritico]]'' for the Broomhill Trust, Kent in August 1995,<ref>Allison, John. II trittico and The Reluctant Highwayman, The Broomhill Trust. ''Opera'', October 1995, Vol.46 No.10, p1233-35.</ref> Menotti's ''[[The Consul]]'' at [[Holland Park Opera]], London in 1999 and ''[[Le roi malgré lui]]'' by Chabrier at [[Grange Park Opera]] in 2003.<ref>Maddocks, Fiona. "''Le roi malgré lui'': Grange Park Opera". ''[[Opera (British magazine)|Opera]]'', September 2003, pp. 1130-31. For this production the dialogue was prepared by Callow from the original Ancelot play.</ref> He also directed ''[[Carmen Jones]]'' at the Old Vic, London in 1991, with [[Wilhelmenia Fernandez]] in the title role.<ref>[[Milnes, Rodney]]. Review of Carmen Jones at the Old Vic. ''Opera'', June 1991, Vol.42, No.6, p727-728.</ref>

One of Callow's best-known books is ''Love Is Where It Falls'', an analysis of his 11-year relationship with [[Peggy Ramsay]] (1908–91), a prominent British theatrical agent from the 1960s to the 1980s. He has also written extensively about [[Charles Dickens]], whom he has played several times: in a one-man show, ''The Mystery of Charles Dickens'' by [[Peter Ackroyd]]; in the films ''[[Hans Christian Andersen: My Life as a Fairytale]]'', and ''[[Christmas Carol: The Movie]];'' and on television several times including ''An Audience with Charles Dickens'' (BBC, 1996) and in "[[The Unquiet Dead]]", a 2005 episode of the [[BBC]] [[science fiction on television|science-fiction]] series ''[[Doctor Who]]''. He returned to ''Doctor Who'' for the [[The Wedding of River Song|2011 season finale]], again taking the role of Dickens.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.radiotimes.com/episode/nby4k/doctor-who-the-wedding-of-river-song |title=Doctor Who: Series 6 – 13. The Wedding of River Song |work=[[Radio Times]] }}</ref>

In December 2004, he hosted the [[London Gay Men's Chorus]] Christmas show, ''Make the Yuletide Gay'', at the [[Barbican Centre]] in London. He is currently one of the patrons of the Michael Chekhov Studio London.
In July 2006, the [[London Oratory School]] Schola announced Callow as one of their new patrons. In November 2007, he threatened to resign from the post over controversy surrounding the [[Terrence Higgins Trust]] (an AIDS charity of which Callow is also a patron). Other patrons of the Catholic choir are [[Princess Michael of Kent]] and the Scottish composer [[James MacMillan]]. He reprised his role as Wolfgang in ''Shoebox Zoo'' and voice-acted the wild and action-seeking Hunter, as well.{{when|date=September 2020}}

===Author===
Callow has written biographies of [[Oscar Wilde]], [[Charles Laughton]], [[Orson Welles]], and [[Richard Wagner]]. He has also written an anthology of Shakespeare passages, ''Shakespeare on Love'', and contributed to Cambridge's ''Actors on Shakespeare'' series.

A devotee of classical music, he has contributed articles to ''[[Gramophone (magazine)|Gramophone]]'' and ''[[The New York Review of Books]]''.

===Narration===
Callow was the reader of ''[[The Twits]]'' and ''[[The Witches (book)|The Witches]]'' in the Puffin [[Roald Dahl]] Audio Books Collection ({{ISBN|978-0-140-92255-4}}), and has done audio versions of several abridged [[P.G. Wodehouse]] books that feature, among others, the fictional character [[Jeeves]]. They include ''Very Good, Jeeves'' and ''Aunts Aren't Gentlemen''. Callow is the reader of the audio book edition of William E. Wallace's ''Michelangelo, God's Architect'', published by [[Princeton University Press]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.audible.com/pd/Michelangelo-Gods-Architect-Audiobook/0691199302|title=Michelangelo, God's Architect|language=en}}</ref> Callow narrated the [[audiobook]] of [[Robert Fagles]]' 2006 translation of [[Virgil]]'s ''[[The Aeneid]]''. In November 2009, "Mini Stories", a recording by the Caput Ensemble of [[Haflidi Hallgrimsson]]'s settings of the surreal poetry of [[Daniil Kharms]], featuring Callow as the narrator, was released by [[Hyperion Records]].<ref>.{{cite web|url=https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_SIGCD181 | access-date=18 September 2018| title=Hallgrímsson: Mini Stories}}</ref>

Callow played Stroganoff in the 1987 Saturday Night Theatre production of ''A Bullet in the Ballet'' dramatised by Pat Hooker on [[BBC Radio 4]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20230905222328/https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/87d9c782dcab4432a7b9f75493c9fd96 Saturday-Night Theatre: A Bullet in the Ballet, Sat 3rd Jan 1987, 19:00 on BBC Radio 4 FM (from Radio Times issue 3293, 3rd January 1987)] accessed 1 September 2023.</ref>

==Personal life==
Callow [[came out]] as gay in his 1984 book ''Being An Actor''. He was listed 28th in ''[[The Independent]]''{{'s}} 2007 listing of the most influential gay men and women in the UK.<ref>{{cite news |title=Gay Power: The pink list |date=2 July 2006 |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/gay-power-the-pink-list-406297.html}}</ref>  He married his partner Sebastian Fox in June 2016.<ref>{{cite interview |title=Simon Callow: 'Marriage is a remarkable thing to happen to someone at the age of 67' |url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/theatre-dance/article/simon-callow-marriage-is-a-remarkable-thing-to-happen-to-someone-at-67-but-im-not-decrepit-qz9rl0lw2 |url-access=subscription |interviewer=Nick Curtis |website=[[The Times]] |date=31 December 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite interview |url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-07-20/simon-callow-on-love-and-loss |title=Simon Callow on love and loss |interviewer=Michael Hodges |website=Radio Times |date=20 July 2016 }}</ref>

In an interview, Callow stated: <blockquote>I'm not really an activist, although I am aware that there are some political acts one can do that actually make a difference and I think my coming out as a gay man was probably one of the most valuable things I've done in my life. I don't think any actor had done so voluntarily and I think it helped to change the culture.<ref>{{cite news|title=Simon Callow: Laughter in the dark |last=Byrnes |first=Sholto |date=26 April 2004 |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/simon-callow-laughter-in-the-dark-561274.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100204130334/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/simon-callow-laughter-in-the-dark-561274.html |archive-date=4 February 2010 }}</ref></blockquote>

Although he was a prominent supporter of [[Stonewall (charity)|Stonewall]] when it was set up in 1989, he has more recently distanced himself from the organisation due to its stance on trans self-identification.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wade |first1=Mike |title=Actor Simon Callow attacks Stonewall, the LGBTQ+ group, over trans self-identification |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/actor-simon-callow-attacks-stonewall-the-lgbtq-group-over-trans-self-identification-6l3nd7hw3 |access-date=20 January 2025 |work=[[The Times]] |language=en |archive-date=23 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220423121115/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/actor-simon-callow-attacks-stonewall-the-lgbtq-group-over-trans-self-identification-6l3nd7hw3 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In August 2014, Callow was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to ''[[The Guardian]]'' expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in the [[2014 Scottish independence referendum|referendum on that issue]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/aug/07/celebrities-open-letter-scotland-independence-full-text |title=Celebrities' open letter to Scotland – full text and list of signatories |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=7 August 2014 |access-date=26 August 2014}}</ref>

In the [[1999 Birthday Honours]], he was appointed [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (CBE) for his services to acting.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/queens-birthday-honours-the-full-list-1099582.html|title=Queen's Birthday Honours: The Full List|date=12 June 1999|work=The Independent|access-date=5 May 2018|language=en-GB}}</ref>

== Filmography ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Key
| style="background:#ffff80;" | {{dagger|alt=Films that have not yet been released}}
| Denotes films that have not yet been released
|}
=== Film ===
<!-- Rowspans are only allowed for the "Year" column per WP:FILMOGRAPHY -->
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ {{Sronly|Simon Callow's film credits with year of release, film titles and roles}}
|-
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Role
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1984
! scope="row" | ''[[Amadeus (film)|Amadeus]]''
| [[Emanuel Schikaneder]] / Papageno
| Callow created the role of Mozart in the premiere stage production
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1985
! scope="row" | ''[[The Good Father]]''
| Mark Varda
|
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[A Room with a View (1985 film)|A Room with a View]]''
| The Reverend Mr Beebe
| Nominated – [[BAFTA Film Award]] for Best Actor in a Supporting role
|-
| 1987
! scope="row" | ''[[Maurice (1987 film)|Maurice]]''
| Mr Ducie
|
|-
| 1988
! scope="row" | ''[[Manifesto (1988 film)|Manifesto]]''
| Police Chief Hunt
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1990
! scope="row" | ''[[Postcards from the Edge (film)|Postcards from the Edge]]''
| Simon Asquith
|
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Mr. & Mrs. Bridge]]''
| Dr Alex Sauer
|
|-
| 1991
! scope="row" | ''[[The Ballad of the Sad Café (film)|The Ballad of the Sad Cafe]]''
| {{N/A}}
| Director<br />Nominated – [[Golden Berlin Bear]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1992
! scope="row" | ''[[Howards End (film)|Howards End]]''
| Music and Meaning Lecturer
| Cameo
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Soft Top Hard Shoulder]]''
| Eddie Cherdowski
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1994
! scope="row" | ''[[Four Weddings and a Funeral]]''
| Gareth
| Nominated – [[BAFTA Film Award]] for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Street Fighter (1994 film)|Street Fighter]]''
| A.N. Official
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1995
! scope="row" | ''[[England, My England]]''
| [[Charles II of England|Charles II]]
|
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Jefferson in Paris]]''
| Richard Cosway
| Fifth Merchant-Ivory film
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls]]''
| Vincent Cadby
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1996
! scope="row" | ''[[James and the Giant Peach (film)|James and the Giant Peach]]''
| Mr Grasshopper
| Voice role
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Victory (1996 film)|Victory]]''
| Zangiacomo
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1998
! scope="row" | ''The Scarlet Tunic''
| Captain Fairfax
|
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Bedrooms and Hallways]]''
| Keith
|
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Shakespeare in Love]]''
| [[Edmund Tylney|Sir Edmund Tilney]]
| [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture]]
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1999
! scope="row" | ''Around the World in 80 Days''
| [[Phileas Fogg]]
| Voice role
|-
! scope="row" | ''Junk''
| {{N/A}}
|
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Notting Hill (film)|Notting Hill]]''
| Himself
| Uncredited film-within-a-film role
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2001
! scope="row" | ''[[No Man's Land (2001 film)|No Man's Land]]''
| Colonel Soft
|
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Christmas Carol: The Movie]]''
| [[Ebenezer Scrooge]]
| Voice role
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2002
! scope="row" | ''[[Thunderpants]]''
| Sir John Osgood
|
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Merci Docteur Rey]]''
| Bob
|
|-
| 2003
! scope="row" | ''[[Bright Young Things (film)|Bright Young Things]]''
| King of Anatolia
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2004
! scope="row" | ''George and the Dragon''
| King Edgar
|
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[The Phantom of the Opera (2004 film)|The Phantom of the Opera]]''
| Andre
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2005
! scope="row" | ''[[Rag Tale]]''
| Fat Boy Rourke
|
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[The Civilization of Maxwell Bright]]''
| Mr Wroth
|
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Bob the Butler]]''
| Mr Butler
|
|-
| 2006
! scope="row" | ''Sabina''
| Eugene Bleuler
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2007
! scope="row" | ''[[Chemical Wedding (film)|Chemical Wedding]]''
| Professor Haddo / [[Aleister Crowley]]
|
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Arn - The Knight Templar]]''
| Father Henry
|
|-
| 2011
! scope="row" | ''[[No Ordinary Trifle]]''
| Guy Witherspoon
|
|-
| 2012
! scope="row" | ''Acts of Godfrey''
| Godfrey
|
|-
| 2014
! scope="row" | ''[[Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles]]''
| Himself
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2016
! scope="row" | ''[[Golden Years (2016 film)|Golden Years]]''
| Royston
|
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Viceroy's House (film)|Viceroy's House]]''
| Cyril Radcliffe
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2017
! scope="row" | ''[[Hampstead (film)|Hampstead]]''
| The Judge
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Victoria & Abdul]]''
| [[Giacomo Puccini]]
|
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[The Man Who Invented Christmas (film)|The Man Who Invented Christmas]]''
| [[John Leech (caricaturist)|John Leech]]
|
|-
| 2018
! scope="row" | ''[[Blue Iguana (2018 film)|Blue Iguana]]''
| Uncle Martin
|
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2022
! scope="row" | ''[[Surprised by Oxford]]''
| Dr Sterling
|
|-
! scope="row" | ''The Pay Day''  
| Gates
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kramer |first=Gary M. |date=10 November 2022 |title=Simon Callow discusses role in 'The Pay Day' and his acting career |url=https://gaycitynews.com/simon-callow-discusses-role-in-the-pay-day-and-his-acting-career/ |access-date=11 July 2024 |website=[[Gay City News]] |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2023
! scope="row" | ''[[Doctor Jekyll (film)|Doctor Jekyll]]''
| Journalist
|
|-
! scope="row" | ''Murder Ballads: How to Make It in Rock 'n' Roll''
| Richard O'Keefe
|
|-
| 2024
! scope="row" | ''[[Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2]]''
| Cavendish
|
|-
| {{TableTBA}}
|style="background:#ffff80;" | ''[[Eternal Return (film)|Eternal Return]]'' {{dagger|alt=Films that have not yet been released}}
| Malcolm
| Post-production
|}

=== Television ===
<!-- Rowspans are only allowed for the "Year" column per WP:FILMOGRAPHY -->
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ {{Sronly|Simon Callow's television credits with year of release, film titles and roles}}
|-
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Role
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1975
! scope="row" | ''[[Get Some In!]]''
| Wally
| Episode: "36-Hour Pass"
|-
| 1976
! scope="row" | ''[[The Sweeney]]''
| Detective Sergeant
| Episode: "Down to You, Brother"
|-
| 1980
! scope="row" | ''[[Play for Today]]''
| Max
| Episode: "Instant Enlightenment Including VAT"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1981
! scope="row" | ''[[The Man of Destiny]]''
| Napoleon
| Television film
|-
! scope="row" | ''W.H. Auden Monologue''
| [[W.H. Auden]]
| Television film
|-
| 1984–1986
! scope="row" | ''[[Chance in a Million]]''
| Tom Chance
| 19 episodes
|-
| 1985
! scope="row" | ''[[Honour, Profit and Pleasure]]''
| Handel
| Television film
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1986
! scope="row" | ''[[Dead Head (TV series)|Dead Head]]''
| Hugo Silver
| 2 episodes
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[David Copperfield (1986 TV serial)|David Copperfield]]''
| Mr Micawber
| 7 episodes
|-
| 1987
! scope="row" | ''[[Inspector Morse (TV series)|Inspector Morse]]''
| Theodore Kemp
| Episode: "The Wolvercote Tongue"
|-
| 1990
! scope="row" | ''[[Screen Two]]''
| Nathaniel Quass
| Episode: "Old Flames"
|-
| 1993
! scope="row" | ''Femme Fatale''
| Vicar Ronnie
|
|-
| 1994
! scope="row" | ''[[Little Napoleons]]''
| Edward Feathers
|
|-
| 1995
! scope="row" | ''[[El pasajero clandestino]]''
| Major Owens
|
|-
| 1996
! scope="row" | ''An Audience With Charles Dickens''
| [[Charles Dickens]]
|
|-
| 1997
! scope="row" | ''[[The Woman in White (1997 TV series)|The Woman in White]]''
| Count Fosco
|
|-
| 1998
! scope="row" | ''[[Trial & Retribution|Trial & Retribution II]]''
| Rupert Halliday
|
|-
| 2000
! scope="row" | ''The Mystery of Charles Dickens''
| [[Charles Dickens]]
| Television film
|-
| 2001
! scope="row" | ''[[Don't Eat the Neighbours]]''
| Fox & Bear
|
|-
| 2002
! scope="row" | ''[[Nova (American TV series)|NOVA]]: Galileo's Battle for the Heavens''
| [[Galileo]]
| Documentary
|-
| 2003
! scope="row" | ''[[Angels in America (miniseries)|Angels in America]]''
| Prior Walter ancestor No. 2
| Miniseries
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2004
! scope="row" | ''[[Shoebox Zoo]]''
| Wolfgang the Wolf<br />Hunter the Horse
| 12 episodes
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Agatha Christie's Marple]]''
| Colonel Terence Melchett
| Episode: "The Body in the Library"
|-
| 2005
! scope="row" | ''[[Rome (TV series)|Rome]]''
| [[Publius Servilius Isauricus]]
| Episode: "Egeria"
|-
| 2005, 2011
! scope="row" | ''[[Doctor Who]]''
| [[Charles Dickens]]
| Episodes: "[[The Unquiet Dead]]", "[[The Wedding of River Song]]"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2006
! scope="row" | ''[[Midsomer Murders]]''
| Dr. Richard Wellow
| Episode: "Dead Letters"
|-
! scope="row" | ''Classical Destinations''
| Narrator<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.skyarts.co.uk/music/article/simon-callows-classical-destinations-part-1-salzburg |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807124045/http://www.skyarts.co.uk/music/article/simon-callows-classical-destinations-part-1-salzburg/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 August 2011 |work=Sky Arts |title=Simon Callow's Classical Destinations: Part 1 – Salzburg }}</ref>
|
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2007
! scope="row" | ''[[Roman Mysteries (TV series)|Roman Mysteries]]''
| [[Pliny the Elder]]
| Episodes: "The Secrets of Vesuvius"
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[The Company (miniseries)|The Company]]''
| Elihu
|
|-
! scope="row" | ''How Gay Sex Changed the World''
| rowspan="2" | Himself
|
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Trick or Treat (TV series)|Trick or Treat]]''
| Episode: "#1.4"
|-
| 2008
! scope="row" | ''[[The Mr. Men Show]]''
| Narrator
| 2 series
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2009
! scope="row" | ''[[Lewis (TV series)|Lewis]]''
| Vernon Oxe
| Episode: "Counter Culture Blues"
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]''
| Tree Blathereen
| Voice<br />Episode: "The Gift"
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2011
! scope="row" | ''[[This is Jinsy]]''
| Threcker
| Episode: "Nameworm"
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Popstar to Operastar]]''
| rowspan="2" | Himself
| 13 episodes
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Jamie's Dream School]]''
| 4 episodes
|-
| 2013
! scope="row" | ''[[Agatha Christie's Poirot]]''
| Dr Heinrich Lutz
| Episode: "The Labours of Hercules"
|-
| 2014–2016
! scope="row" | ''[[Outlander (TV series)|Outlander]]''
| The Duke of Sandringham
| 5 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2014
! scope="row" | ''[[Plebs (TV series)|Plebs]]''
| Victor
| Episode: "The Candidate"
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[The Feeling Nuts Comedy Night]]''
| Himself
| Episode: "#2"
|-
| 2015
! scope="row" | ''[[Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway]]''
| Guest in ''The End of The Show Show''
| 2 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2016
! scope="row" | ''[[Galavant]]''
| Edwin the Magnificent
| Episode: "World's Best Kiss"
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[The Rebel (British TV series)|The Rebel]]''
| Henry Palmer
| Lead character
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[The Life of Rock with Brian Pern]]''
| Bennett St John
| Episode: "The Thotch Reunion"
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2017
! scope="row" | ''George III: The Genius of the Mad King''
| [[George III]]
| Voice role; BBC documentary
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Midsomer Murders]]''
| Vernon De Harthog
| Episode: "The Curse of the Ninth"
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Sarah & Duck]]''
| Poetry Pete
| Episode: "Mountain Mints"
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2018
! scope="row" | ''[[Death in Paradise]]''
| Larry South
| Episode: "[[List of Death in Paradise episodes|Written in Murder]]"
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[A Christmas Carol]]''
| Narrator/Actor
| Television film
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[The Dead Room (2018 film)|The Dead Room]]''
| Aubrey Judd
| Television film
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2021
! scope="row" | ''[[Hawkeye (miniseries)|Hawkeye]]''
| Armand Duquesne III
| Episode: "[[Never Meet Your Heroes]]"
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[The Amazing Mr. Blunden (2021 film)|The Amazing Mr. Blunden]]''
| Mr Blunden
| Television film
|-
| 2021–2023
! scope="row" | ''[[The Witcher (TV series)|The Witcher]]''
| Codringher
| 2 episodes
|-
| 2022
! scope="row" | ''[[Inside No. 9]]''
| Dick
| Episode: "[[Inside No. 9#Series 8 (2022–23)|The Bones of St Nicholas]]"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/inside-no-9-christmas-special-2022-release-date/|title=Inside No. 9 Christmas special 2022|website=Radio Times|access-date=14 December 2022}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2023
! scope="row" | ''[[The Cleaner (British TV series)|The Cleaner]]''
| Mr Abahassine
| Episode: "The Clown"
|-
! scope="row" | ''[[Dodger (TV series)|Dodger]]''
| [[William Howley|The Archbishop of Canterbury]]
| Episode: "Coronation"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/bbcstudios/2023/bafta-winning-hit-bbc-family-comedy-dodger-returns-for-christmas-special|title=BAFTA-winning hit BBC family comedy, Dodger, returns for Christmas special|website=bbc.co.uk/mediacentre|accessdate=24 December 2023}}</ref>
|-
| 2024
! scope="row" | ''[[The Boy That Never Was]]''
| Cozimo
| Miniseries
|-
| 2025
! scope="row" | ''[[Étoile (TV series)|Étoile]]''
| Crispin Shamblee
| Main cast
|}

==Bibliography==
* {{Citation | last=Callow | first=Simon | year=1986 |orig-year=1984 | title=Being an Actor | publisher=St. Martin's Press | isbn=978-0-312-07276-6 | oclc=13092196 }}
* {{Citation | last=Callow | first=Simon | year=1991 | title=Acting in Restoration Comedy | publisher=Applause Theatre Books | series=The Applause acting series | isbn=978-1-55783-119-4 | oclc=24218256 }}
* {{Citation | last=Callow | first=Simon | year=1995 | title=Orson Welles: Volume 1: The Road to Xanadu | publisher=Jonathan Cape | isbn=978-0-224-03852-2 | oclc=32454874 }}
* {{Citation | last=Callow | first=Simon | year=1997 | title=Charles Laughton: A Difficult Actor | publisher=Fromm International Pub | isbn=978-0-88064-180-7 | oclc=36315809 }}
* {{Citation | last=Callow | first=Simon | year=2000 | title=The Night of the Hunter | publisher=BFI Publishing | series=BFI film classics. | isbn=978-0-85170-822-5 | oclc=59582358 }}
* {{Citation | last=Callow | first=Simon | year=2003 | title=Dickens' Christmas: A Victorian Celebration | publisher=Harry N. Abrams | isbn=978-0-8109-4534-0 | oclc=51942509 }}
* {{Citation | last=Callow | first=Simon | year=2003 | title=Shooting the Actor | publisher=Picador | isbn=978-0-312-42244-8 | oclc=52178208 }}
* {{Citation | last=Callow | first=Simon | year=2006 | title=Orson Welles: Volume 2: Hello Americans | publisher=Jonathan Cape | isbn=978-0-224-03853-9 | oclc=63185891 }}
* {{Citation | last=Callow | first=Simon | year=2007 | title=Love Is Where It Falls | publisher=Nick Hern | isbn=978-1-85459-976-6 | oclc=77258353 }}
* {{Citation | last=Callow | first=Simon | year=2012 | title=Charles Dickens and the Great Theatre of the World | publisher=Vintage Books | isbn=9780345803238 }}
* {{Citation | last=Callow | first=Simon | year=2015 | title=Orson Welles: Volume 3: One-Man Band | publisher=Jonathan Cape }}
* {{Citation | last=Callow | first=Simon | year=2017 | title=Being Wagner | publisher=William Collins | isbn=9780008105693 }}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* [http://www.bristol.ac.uk/theatrecollection/search/people_sub_plays?forename=Simon&surname=CALLOW&job=Actor&pid=2776&image_view=Yes&x=19& Selected performances in Bristol University Theatre Archive]
* {{IMDb name|0001003}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160311233330/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9fbd39f0 Simon Callow] at the [[British Film Institute]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120119023136/http://www.musicaltalk.co.uk/episodes_0116.html Simon Callow's] – ''MusicalTalk'' discussing his role as Captain Hook in Peter Pan at the Richmond Theatre, Christmas 2008.
* [https://soundcloud.com/american-theatre-wing/episode120 Simon Callow] – ''Downstage Center'' interview at [[American Theatre Wing]].org, September 2006
* [https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/this_week/4896938.stm Simon Callow] on BBC1's ''[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mvhd This Week]''
* [http://www.theartsdesk.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=2300:simon-callow-qa&Itemid=80/ theartsdesk Q&A: Simon Callow] (2 October 2010)
* [https://www.nybooks.com/contributors/simon-callow/ Simon Callow's essays] at ''[[The New York Review of Books]]''
* {{Charlie Rose guest|39}}

{{OlivierAward Director 1976–2000}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Callow, Simon}}
[[Category:1949 births]]
[[Category:20th-century British biographers]]
[[Category:20th-century English LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century British biographers]]
[[Category:21st-century English LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:21st-century English male actors]]
[[Category:Actors from the London Borough of Lambeth]]
[[Category:Alumni of Queen's University Belfast]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Drama Centre London]]
[[Category:Audiobook narrators]]
[[Category:Biographers of artists]]
[[Category:British male biographers]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:English biographers]]
[[Category:English gay actors]]
[[Category:English gay musicians]]
[[Category:English gay writers]]
[[Category:English male film actors]]
[[Category:English male stage actors]]
[[Category:English male television actors]]
[[Category:English male voice actors]]
[[Category:English people of Danish descent]]
[[Category:English people of French descent]]
[[Category:English people of German descent]]
[[Category:English Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:English theatre directors]]
[[Category:LGBTQ people from London]]
[[Category:LGBTQ theatre directors]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Male actors from London]]
[[Category:New Statesman people]]
[[Category:Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners]]
[[Category:People educated at London Oratory School]]
[[Category:People from Streatham]]
[[Category:Royal Shakespeare Company members]]
[[Category:Theatre World Award winners]]