Simon Phillip Cowell (born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality, entrepreneur and record executive. He is the founder and sole owner of the British entertainment company Syco and is the creator of the X Factor and Got Talent franchises. He has judged on the British television talent competition shows Pop Idol (2001–2003), The X Factor UK (2004–2010, 2014–2018) and Britain's Got Talent (2007–present), and the American television talent competition shows American Idol (2002–2010), The X Factor US (2011–2013) and America's Got Talent (2016–present). After some success in the 1980s and 1990s as a record producer, talent agent and consultant in the UK music industry, Cowell came to public prominence in 2001 as a judge on Pop Idol, a talent television show which he and its creator Simon Fuller successfully pitched to ITV Controller of Entertainment Claudia Rosencrantz. He subsequently created The X Factor in 2004 and Got Talent in 2006, which have become successful television franchises sold around the world. Cowell often makes blunt and controversial comments as a television music and talent show judge, including insults and wisecracks about contestants and their singing abilities. He combines activities in both the television and music industries. Cowell has produced and promoted successful singles and albums for various recording acts whom he has signed and taken under his wing, including Little Mix, James Arthur, Labrinth, Leona Lewis, Fifth Harmony, Il Divo, Olly Murs, Noah Cyrus, Cher Lloyd, Fleur East, Ella Henderson, and Susan Boyle. He has also signed successful boy bands such as Westlife, One Direction, PrettyMuch, and CNCO. In 2004 and 2010, Time named Cowell one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2008, The Daily Telegraph ranked him sixth in their list of the "100 most powerful people in British culture".The same year, he received the Special Recognition Award at the National Television Awards.At the 2010 British Academy Television Awards, Cowell received the BAFTA Special Award for his "outstanding contribution to the entertainment industry and for his development of new talent". In 2018, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the television category. Description above from the Wikipedia article Simon Phillip Cowell, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- October 7, 1959 (67)
- Lambeth, London, England, UK
- Actor and producer, also writer
- 14 on MovieCove · 64 credits in all
Known for
What are Simon Cowell's films like?
Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Society.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 2 · Wry 0 · Earnest 6
Light 7 · Serious 1 · Dark 0
A split, not a type: Grounded 5 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 1
Gentle 7 · Charged 1 · Intense 0
Steady 8 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 0
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 2
A split, not a type: Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 2
Casual 8 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 8 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 0
Resolved 8 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
- Shadowas Simon Cowell in Far Far Away Idol (2004)
Moods and endings
- Happy8
- Bittersweet1
- Ambiguous2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Simon Cowell's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 14 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Simon Cowell's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
64 credits, 14 with a MovieCove page; 64 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all shows
Les incroyables talents sont éternels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
America's Got Talent: Fantasy League (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
Got Talent All Stars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all shows
Canada's Got Talent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
America's Got Talent: Extreme (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
The Dancer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
Scoob!(2020)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
Britain's Got Talent: Unseen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
Persia's Got Talent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
Les Incroyables Talents de la musique (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Britain's Got Talent: The Champions (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
America's Got Talent: The Champions (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Who Shot Simon Cowell?(2017)
Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
X Factor Brasil (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Got Talent España (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
X Factor Romania (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Got Talent Portugal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Danmark har talent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films
One Chance(2013)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
The X Factor: Zhongguo Zui Qiang Yin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
X Factor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Canada's Got Talent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
X Factor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Red or Black? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
X Factor Polska (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Romania's Got Talent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
X-Factor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
X Factor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
China's Got Talent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Bulgaria Searches for a Talent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Pilipinas Got Talent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Italia's Got Talent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
SA's Got Talent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
X Factor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
Family Guy Presents: Stewie Kills Lois and Lois Kills Stewie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
Kate Garraway's Life Stories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
X Factor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Norske Talenter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
X Factor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Britain's Got Talent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Factor X España (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
La France a un incroyable talent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
La France a un incroyable talent, ça continue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
The X Factor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Far Far Away Idol(2004)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
The Paul O'Grady Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
The X Factor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
The Apprentice(2004)
Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all shows
Scary Movie 3(2003)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all filmsCupid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
American Idol: The Search For A Superstar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Idols (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Family Guy(1999)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows
Emmerdale: The Dingles Down Under (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
The Simpsons(1989)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all showsAlbanians Got Talent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Betty Boop (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
X Factor Georgia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
Star power in the 82nd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 63 titles, 60 of them dated from 1989 to 2025; peak year 2003.
Biggest box office
One Direction: This Is Us (2013)
Highest rated
The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story (2019)
Most popular right now
One Chance (2013)
Film career
Peak 2003 · steadily prominent in film for years. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 2003Screen debut· Scary Movie 3
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.
How do Simon Cowell's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 57th percentile, the median of all 9; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 70th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up4
- 50th to 74th3
- 25th to 49th4
- Below 25th3
Shape of the crowd
5 of their 14 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved1
- Divisive4
- Crowd Pleaser4
- Mixed5
Reviewers score the acting 58/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles; fans 66, detractors 38. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Simon Cowell work with?
People who share at least 2 of Simon Cowell's MovieCove titles; Heidi Klum shares the most, 2.
- Heidi KlumShared titles: America's Got Talent: All-Stars (2023), Darci Lynne: My Hometown Christmas (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Heidi Klum
- Howie MandelShared titles: America's Got Talent: All-Stars (2023), Darci Lynne: My Hometown Christmas (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Howie Mandel
