Simon John Pegg was born February 14, 1970, in Gloucester, England. His father was a jazz musician and keyboard salesman, and his parents divorced when he only seven years old. Pegg obtained his education from Stratford Upon Avon College, where he studied English literature and performance studies. He later attended the University of Bristol.
Set on acting, Pegg moved to London, the entertainment center of England, in 1993. He immediately began making a name for himself in various stand-up comedy clubs. By 1995, he earned a spot on the television show Six Pairs of Pants with fellow comedian Jessica Hynes, whom he would later collaborate with on many of his most successful projects.
The following year, he landed a leading role in the short lived television series Asylum, which was directed by Edgar Wright. The series co-starred Hynes, and Wright would also prove another frequent collaborator with Pegg on future projects.
Pegg kept himself busy with bit parts and one-episode appearances on various television shows, including Live from the Lighthouse in 1998. The cast list was a parade of British television personalities such as Stephen Fry, Sacha Baron Cohen, Steve Coogan, and Hugh Laurie.
Pegg secured several recurring roles, such as his work on Faith in the Future, Is It Bill Bailey?, Big Train, and Hippies.
But it was his work on the TV show Spaced that would really establish his name in the comedy arena. Co-starring and co-writing the series with Hynes, Pegg enlisted the help of director Wright and real-life best friend Nick Frost. Only running for two seasons, the show won critical accolades and is hailed by many as one of the most quirky but consistently hilarious shows to appear on television.
Earning attention and fans across the Atlantic, Pegg also had a role in the well-received 2001 miniseries Band of Brothers. The all-star cast included Ron Livingston, Donnie Wahlberg, David Schwimmer, and Colin Hanks (son of series co-director and co-writer Tom Hanks).
Additional projects that won Pegg American fans include his hit zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead, with Kate Ashfield, Dylan Moran, Lucy Davis, and Frost; and his recent outing in Hot Fuzz, with Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy, Timothy Dalton, Jim Broadbent, and un-credited roles by Cate Blanchett and Peter Jackson.
Some may also recognize him for his small, comic role in the recent blockbuster Mission: Impossible III, opposite Hollywood names Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames, Billy Crudup, and Keri Russell. He can also be seen in the segment "Don’t" of Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino’s Grindhouse.
Pegg has currently completed the David Schwimmer directed Run, Fat Boy, Run, which also includes comedy actors Dylan Moran and Hank Azaria.
Pegg, Kirsten Dunst, Jeff Bridges, and Gillian Anderson are all tentatively attached to the new comedy How to Lose Friends & Alienate People.
In his personal life, Pegg married Maureen McCann July 23, 2005, and they are currently still together. Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin’s daughter, Apple Martin, was the flower girl in his wedding. Pegg, longtime friend of Coldplay front-man Martin, is Apple’s godfather.
YUDDY
