Shaun of the Dead

Background:

“American audiences tend to be more expressive than British ones, but I think there's plenty of British comedy that Americans have never seen that they would like but sometimes things just get through.“ Simon Pegg

Initially rising to fame in his native country as a star of the popular sitcom “Spaced” (1999-2001), British stand-up comedian-turned-actor Simon Pegg was first noticed by American audiences while starring in the zombie spoof film “Shaun of the Dead” (2004), which he also co-wrote the screenplay. He would gain even more recognition in the U.S. for his roles in the films “Hot Fuzz” (2007), “Run Fatboy Run” (2007), and “How to Lose Friends & Alienate People” (2008). Pegg also appeared in the critically acclaimed HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers" (2001) and the films "Land of the Dead" (2005), "Mission: Impossible III" (2006), and "Grindhouse" (2007). He will next be seen in the upcoming films "Star Trek" and "Paul."

This 5' 10 comic has been married to Maureen McCann since 2005.

“It's the very British thing of reserve and keeping everything shut in. That's what people do with their emotions, shut the curtains on them.” Simon Pegg

Simon John

Childhood and Family:

In Gloucester, England, Simon John Beckingham was born on February 14, 1970. His parents, John Henry Beckingham, a jazz musician and keyboard salesman, and Gillian Rosemary, a civil servant, divorced when he was 7 years old. He took the surname Pegg after his mother remarried.

Pegg attended Dene Magna Secondary School, in Mitcheldean, and Brockworth Comprehensive Secondary School, in Gloucestershire, England (he later opened their new business center in 2004). He studied English Literature and Performance Studies at the Stratford-upon-Avon college and studied drama at the University of Bristol, in Bristol, England, where he graduated in 1991 with Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre, Film and Television. He wrote his undergraduate thesis on "A Marxist Overview of Popular Seventies Cinema and Hegemonic Discourses."

On July 23, 2005, Pegg married Maureen McCann in Glasgow with Nick Frost as the best man. A close friend of rocker Chris Martin and actress Gwyneth Paltrow, Pegg is the godfather of the celebrity couple's daughter, Apple.

“Chris Martin's a good friend of mine. I'm actually Apple's godfather. He's an old friend and we've been mates for quite a few years now.“ Simon Pegg

Spaced

Career:

Son of a jazz musician and keyboard salesman, Simon Pegg received a miniature drum set for his 5th birthday and later became the drummer in a band called “God's Third Leg” when he was 16. With a degree in theatre, film, and television under his belt, he began performing stand-up comedy at local clubs.

In 1993, Pegg moved to London and began working the stand-up comedy circuit. He eventually became an established comedian, touring the U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand with his act.

"Appearing on TV wasn't the goal with me. I always wanted to be an actor and comedian. My knee was on the news once though. That was pretty amazing at the time." Simon Pegg

The mid 1990s saw Pegg make the leap from stage comic to television actor when he became a regular on the sketch comedy series “Six Pairs of Pants” (1995), where he met Jessica Stevenson and Edgar Wright. In the following year, he made his television debut in a commercial for Buttercup brand cough syrup and had the long standing role of Jools (1996-1998) in the ITV sitcom “Faith in the Future,” also starring Jessica Stevenson.

From 1998 to 2002, Pegg co-starred and co-wrote the surreal British television comedy sketch show “Big Train,” which earned him a British Comedy Award nomination for Best Male Comedy Newcomer. He was also featured regularly on BBC Radio 4’s spoof panel game “The 99p Challenge” (1998) and co-wrote and co-starred with fellow comedian Jessica Stevenson in the Channel 4 sitcom directed by Wright, “Spaced” (1999-2001). The show earned him a BAFTA TV Award nomination for Best Situation Comedy and a British Comedy Award nomination for Best Male Comedy Newcomer.

“I wrote 'Spaced' with Jessica Stevenson, who plays Yvonne in the film, who is our savior that comes and gets us at the end.“ Simon Pegg

In 2001, Pegg played 1st Sgt. William Evans in the critically acclaimed HBO ten part television World War II mini-series co-produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, “Band of Brothers,” based on the book of the same title written by historian and biographer Stephen Ambrose. Two years later, in 2003, he played the lead role in the drama comedy TV movie “Final Demand.”

“I always loved horror and that's sort of the reason we decided to make the film. We were nourished on those sorts of films, so it was a labor of love.” Simon Pegg

Pegg teamed up with Wright to co-write the screenplay for the zombie film “Shaun of the Dead” (2004), in which he also starred in. The film was a commercial and critical success and won him the Peter Sellers Award for Comedy at the Evening Standard British Film Awards, and Best Screenplay at the British Independent Film Awards and the Bram Stoker Awards. It also earned him nominations at the Chlotrudis Awards (for Best Screenplay – Original), the Empire Awards (for Best British Actor), London’s Critics Circle Film Awards (for British Screenwriter of the Year), and the Online Film Critics Society Awards (for Best Screenplay, Original).

“I think that the joke and the ghost story both have a similar set up in that you kind of set something up and pay it off with a laugh or a scare.” Simon Pegg

Pegg subsequently made a cameo appearance in George A. Romero's latest zombie film, “Land of the Dead” (2005; starring Simon Baker, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper, and Asia Argento). He also played Benji, an I.M.F. technician who assists Tom Cruise's character Ethan Hunt, in J. J. Abrams’ action film based on the spy-themed television series, “Mission: Impossible III” (2006).

In 2007, Pegg was cast alongside Penélope Cruz, Martin Freeman, and Danny DeVito in Gwyneth Paltrow's brother's directorial debut, "The Good Night," a romantic comedy adapted from the 2006 French Film "The Science of Sleep" ("La Science des reves") in which he portrayed Paul. He also teamed up with Wright once again to co-write and co-star in the British cop comedy action film “Hot Fuzz.” His portrayal of Nicholas Angel earned him a Best Actor nomination at the 2008 Empire Awards. Still in 2007, Pegg also played a bearded cannibal (segment "Don't") in Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's double feature, "Grindhouse," and co-wrote and starred in David Schwimmer's directorial debut, “Run Fatboy Run.”

Recently, Pegg co-starred with Kirsten Dunst, Jeff Bridges, Megan Fox, Danny Huston, and Gillian Anderson in Robert B. Weide's comedy film based on British writer Toby Young's 2001 memoir, "How to Lose Friends & Alienate People" (2008), portraying the lead role of Sidney Young, a bumbling, aspiring British celebrity journalist who is hired by a high-profile magazine.

Pegg will soon complete his upcoming film project, "Star Trek," a science fiction film directed by J. J. Abrams in which Pegg portrays Engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, formerly played by the late Irish-Canadian actor James Montgomery Doohan.

About taking over the role of Scotty from the late James Doohan, Pegg said, “I didn't want to do an impression of James Doohan because the guy's a legend. I wanted to make it a tribute to him. His son Chris was on the Enterprise with me. He was my assistant, so I was able to talk to him about his experiences with his dad.”

He will also co-star with Nick Frost as two British comic book geeks travelling across the U.S. in Greg Mottola's comedy movie "Paul," which he also co-wrote with Frost.

Awards:

• GQ Men of the Year: Film Actor of the Year, 2007

• British Comedy: Ronnie Barker Writers’ Guild of the Year Awards, 2007

• Bram Stoker: Screenplay, "Shaun of the Dead," 2005

• Evening Standard British Film: Peter Sellers Award for Comedy, "Shaun of the Dead," 2005

• British Independent Film: Best Screenplay, "Shaun of the Dead," 2004