John Simm

Biography

Born in England in 1970, John Simm grew up around music and performance. His father, an area musician, performed throughout Simm's early life; he eventually joined his dad live, singing and playing guitar alongside him at the age of 12. 

Thinking he found his calling, Simm pursued his love of singing and studied musical theater at Blackpool and the Fylde College, but in the middle of his tenure, he got tired of the musical aspect and instead studied drama heavily, joining local theater productions before studying method acting in London. 

While in London, he picked music back up, writing songs and playing guitar for his band called Magic Alex, in addition to playing with his good friend, Echo & the Bunnymen lead singer Ian McCulloch. But music was more of a side project to Simm, as once he finished studying in London, he hit the ground running as an actor. 

His debut was in 1992, in an episode of "Rumpole of the Bailey" (BBC 1975-1992). Following that, he appeared in various British television programs, most notably his breakout role as a troubled teen in the police procedural drama "Cracker" (ITV/A&E 1993-1999). 

Shortly after, he made his feature film debut in "Boston Kickout" (1995), which led to even more acclaim and roles, including major roles in "The Lakes" (BBC 1997-1999), "Wonderland" (1999), and "Human Traffic" (1999). 

In the early 2000s, he continued to establish himself as a premier actor in England, starring in the award-winning shows "Sex Traffic" (Channel 4 2002), "State of Play" (BBC 2003), and the cult favorite "Life on Mars" (BBC 2006-2007), the last of which netted him a BAFTA nomination. 

In 2007, he first appeared as the villainous The Master on "Doctor Who" (BBC 2005- ), a role he continued to play until 2010. Simm received his second BAFTA nomination for his lead role in "Exile" (BBC 2011). He next starred as Jack Whelan in the well-received horror drama "Intruders" (BBC America 2014- ).