# Simon Baker

Simon Lucas Baker (born July 30, 1969) is an Australian actor and director. He first gained prominence on the Australian soap opera E Street (1992–1993). He later starred in the CBS legal drama The Guardian (2001–2004), for which he received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Television Series – Drama in 2002. From 2008 to 2015, he portrayed Patrick Jane in the drama series The Mentalist, earning a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2009. Baker has also appeared in several films, including L.A. Confidential (1997), Restaurant (1998), The Devil Wears Prada (2006), and Margin Call (2011).

## Early life

Simon Lucas Baker was born in Launceston, Tasmania. His father, Barry, was a mechanic and school caretaker, and his mother, Elizabeth, was a high school English teacher. He has an older sister, two half-brothers and a half-sister. Baker's family moved to New Guinea when Baker was nine months old. His parents' marriage ended when he was two, and his father did not get in touch until Baker was an adult. His mother remarried to Tom Denny, a butcher, but Baker did not get on well with his stepfather. His mother and stepfather later divorced.
Baker spent part of his childhood living in the suburbs of Sydney but he mainly grew up in the Northern Rivers coastal town of Lennox Head, New South Wales. He attended high school at Ballina High School and Trinity Catholic College. Baker has been an avid surfer since his youth and he considers surfing and the relationships with his surfing friends an important part of his upbringing.

## Career

Baker's first acting role was in a commercial. He got the role while waiting for a friend to audition when he himself was asked to audition for it. Before working in Hollywood, he acted in various Australian television shows such as E Street (as Sam Farrel: 1992–1993), Home and Away (as James Hudson: 1993–1994), and Heartbreak High (as Tom Summers: 1996). In 1993, Baker won the Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent.
Baker relocated to the United States in the mid-1990s. In 1997, Baker appeared in a supporting role in L.A. Confidential.
He is known for his portrayal of Patrick Jane in the television series The Mentalist, and Nick Fallin in The Guardian.
In 2010, he was earning US$350,000 per episode of The Mentalist. Shortly after, he signed a contract that delivered a payment of US$30 million for his role as Patrick Jane.
In film, he is known for his roles as Max Rourke in the remake of the Japanese horror film The Ring Two, Riley Denbo in Land of the Dead and Christian Thompson in the film adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada.
Baker made his directorial debut with the 2017 film Breath, which he also starred in, co-wrote and co-produced. The film is based on the Tim Winton novel.

## Honours

In June 2012, Baker was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences along with 175 other individuals.
On 14 February 2013, Baker was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to the entertainment industry. Baker's star can be found at 6352 Hollywood Blvd.

## Personal life

Baker married Australian actress Rebecca Rigg on 2 October 1998, after five years of living together. Baker told The Ellen Degeneres Show that one of their two weddings was held on the beach at Carmel. They have a daughter, Stella, and two sons. Baker and Rigg separated in April 2020.
Baker was raised Catholic, but became agnostic.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1997 | L.A. Confidential | Matt Reynolds | |
| 1997 | Most Wanted | Stephen Barnes | |
| 1998 | Restaurant | Kenny | |
| 1998 | Judas Kiss | Junior Armstrong | |
| 1998 | Love from Ground Zero | Eric | |
| 1999 | Ride with the Devil | George Clyde | |
| 2000 | Sunset Strip | Michael Scott | |
| 2000 | Red Planet | Chip Pettengill | |
| 2001 | The Affair of the Necklace | Rétaux de Villette | |
| 2004 | Book of Love | David Walker | |
| 2005 | The Ring Two | Max Rourke | |
| 2005 | Land of the Dead | Riley Denbo | |
| 2006 | Something New | Brian Kelly | |
| 2006 | The Devil Wears Prada | Christian Thompson | |
| 2007 | Sex and Death 101 | Roderick Blank | |
| 2007 | The Key to Reserva | Roger Thornberry | Short film |
| 2009 | The Lodger | Malcolm Slaight | |
| 2009 | Not Forgotten | Jack Bishop | |
| 2009 | Women in Trouble | Travis McPherson | |
| 2010 | The Killer Inside Me | Howard Hendricks | |
| 2011 | Margin Call | Jared Cohen | |
| 2013 | I Give It a Year | Guy Harrap | |
| 2017 | Breath | Bill "Sando" Sanderson | Also director, co-producer and co-writer |
| 2018 | Here and Now | Nick | |
| 2020 | High Ground | Travis | Also executive producer |
| 2022 | Blaze | Luke | |
| 2023 | Limbo | Travis Hurley | Also executive producer |
| TBA | Klara and the Sun | Josie's father | Post-production |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1988 | Shades of Love: Midnight Magic | | Television film |
| 1989 | Tales from the Crypt | Party Guest | Episode: "Only Sin Deep" |
| 1992–1993 | E Street | Constable Sam Farrell | 112 episodes |
| 1993 | A Country Practice | Stewart Waterman | 2 episodes |
| 1993 | GP | Ben Miller | Episode: "A Family Affair" |
| 1993–1994 | Home and Away | James Hudson | 19 episodes |
| 1994 | Which Way to the War | Private Stan Hawke | Television pilot |
| 1995 | Naked | | Television pilot |
| 1995–1996 | Heartbreak High | Mr. Thomas 'Tom' Summers | 8 episodes |
| 1996 | Naked: Stories of Men | Gabriel | Episode: "Blind-Side Breakaway" |
| 1996 | Sweat | Paul Steadman | Episode: #1.3 |
| 1999 | Secret Men's Business | Andy Greville | Television film |
| 2001–2004 | The Guardian | Nick Fallin | 67 episodes, also director |
| 2006 | Smith | Jeff Breen | 7 episodes |
| 2008–2015 | The Mentalist | Patrick Jane | 151 episodes, also director and producer |
| 2022 | Roar | Adam | Episode: "The Woman Who Ate Photographs" |
| 2024 | Boy Swallows Universe | Robert Bell | 7 episodes |
| 2025 | The Narrow Road to the Deep North | Keith | Post-production |
| TBA | Scarpetta | Benton Wesley | Pre-production |

## Awards and nominations

| 2024 | Asian Academy Creative Awards | Best Actor in A Supporting Role | Boy Swallows Universe | WON |
| 1993 | Logie Awards | Most Popular New Talent | E Street | Won |
| 2000 | Australian Film Institute Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Telefeature or Mini-Series | Secret Men's Business | Nominated |
| 2002 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama | The Guardian | Nominated |
| 2004 | Logie Awards | Most Popular Overseas TV Star | The Guardian | Nominated |
| 2005 | PRISM Awards | Performance in a Drama Series Storyline | The Guardian | Nominated |
| 2009 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | The Mentalist | Nominated |
| 2010 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama | The Mentalist | Nominated |
| 2010 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series | The Mentalist | Nominated |
| 2010 | Australian Film Institute Awards | Best Actor | The Mentalist | Nominated |
| 2011 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite TV Crime Fighter | The Mentalist | Nominated |
| 2011 | Gotham Awards | Best Ensemble Performance | Margin Call | Nominated |
| 2012 | Independent Spirit Awards | Robert Altman Award | Margin Call | Won |
| 2015 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite Crime Drama TV Actor | The Mentalist | Nominated |
| 2017 | Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards | Trailblazer Award | Trailblazer Award | Honored |
| 2018 | Australian Directors Guild Awards | Best Direction in a Feature Film | Breath | Won |
| 2018 | Seattle International Film Festival | Best Feature Film | Breath | Nominated |
| 2018 | Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Breath | Won |
| 2018 | Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards | Best Adapted Screenplay (Shared with Gerard Lee and Tim Winton) | Breath | Nominated |
| 2018 | Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards | Best Direction | Breath | Nominated |
| 2018 | Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards | Best Film (Shared with Mark Johnson and Jamie Hilton) | Breath | Nominated |
| 2019 | Australian Film Critics Association Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Breath | Nominated |
| 2019 | Australian Film Critics Association Awards | Best Screenplay (Shared with Gerard Lee) | Breath | Nominated |
| 2019 | Australian Film Critics Association Awards | Best Director | Breath | Nominated |
| 2019 | Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Breath | Won |
| 2019 | Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards | Best Script (Shared with Gerard Lee and Tim Winton) | Breath | Won |
| 2019 | Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards | Best Director | Breath | Nominated |
| 2019 | Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards | Best Film (Shared with Mark Johnson and Jamie Hilton) | Breath | Nominated |
| 2021 | Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards | Best Lead Actor in Film | High Ground | Nominated |
| 2022 | Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards | Best Supporting Actor in Film | Blaze | Nominated |
| 2023 | Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Blaze | Nominated |
| 2024 | Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards | Best Lead Actor in Film | Limbo | Nominated |
| 2024 | Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards | Best Actor | Limbo | Nominated |
| 2024 | Logie Awards | Best Lead Actor in a Drama | Boy Swallows Universe | Nominated |