Cliff Simon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cliff Simon
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Simon at the SciFi Convention 2012
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| Born | 7 September 1962 Johannesburg, South Africa
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| Died | 9 March 2021 (aged 58) Topanga, California, U.S.
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| Education | The University of Houston and Southern Methodist University |
| Occupation | Athlete, actor, pilot |
| Years active | 1982–2021 |
| Spouse(s) |
Colette Simon
(m. 1997) |
Cliff Simon was a talented athlete and actor from South Africa. He was born on September 7, 1962, and passed away on March 9, 2021. Many people remember him best for playing the character Ba'al in the TV show Stargate SG-1.
Contents
Early Life and Sports Dreams
Cliff Simon was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was the fourth child in his family. From a very young age, Cliff dreamed of becoming an Olympic swimmer. He wanted to be the first South African to win a gold medal in swimming.
His mom was a swimming teacher, and she helped him train early on. By age 6, he also showed talent in gymnastics. When he was 15, Cliff was a top athlete in South Africa for both swimming and gymnastics. He later decided to focus only on swimming.
In 1975, Cliff's parents moved to the United Kingdom. This was because of problems happening in Africa at the time. In the UK, Cliff finished school. He was chosen to swim for the British international team. He even competed in trials for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
He was offered scholarships to universities in Texas. There, he trained with the United States swimming team. Even though he trained hard, he did not compete in the 1984 Olympic Games.
Later, back in South Africa, Cliff joined the air force. He kept swimming and won the highest sports award given in the air force, called the Victor Ludorum.
Becoming an Actor
After serving in the air force for two years, Cliff started a new path in 1982. He got a job teaching windsurfing and waterskiing at a hotel. There was a stage show at the hotel, and Cliff heard they needed a gymnast.
He took the job and traveled the world performing as a dancer and acrobat. His biggest performance was at the famous Moulin Rouge in Paris in 1989. He even wrote a book about his time there, called Paris Nights: My Year at the Moulin Rouge.
While studying acting, Cliff also worked as a model. He was successful in fashion shows, print ads, and TV commercials. He became well-known as a model in South Africa. In 1992, he entered and won the Mr. South Africa competition.
After winning, he got an audition for a TV show called Egoli: Place of Gold. He started as a guest star and then got a main role. He stayed on the show for six years.
In 2000, Cliff moved to Los Angeles, USA. He quickly found an agent and got a guest role on the TV show Nash Bridges. Soon after, he landed the role of Ba'al on Stargate SG-1. Ba'al became a popular character. Cliff played him for six seasons and also in the 2008 Stargate: Continuum movie.
In 2015, Cliff appeared as Ba'al in a video for Sea Shepherd, a group that works to protect the ocean. In July 2015, he was cast in a science fiction movie called Project Eden.
In 2019, Cliff hosted a travel show called Into the Unknown. In this show, he traveled alone around the world. He searched for clues about "history's most nightmarish myths." The show first aired in the UK in 2020.
Personal Life
In 1997, Cliff Simon married his wife, Colette. They got married at a game lodge in South Africa.
In 2005, Cliff became a citizen of the United States.
Sadly, Cliff passed away on March 9, 2021, at age 58. He was in a kiteboarding accident in Topanga, California.
Filmography
- Egoli: Place of Gold – Gregory (Mitch) Mitchel (unknown episodes, 1992–1999)
- Operation Delta Force 5: Random Fire – Austin (2000)
- Nash Bridges – Dirk van der Goes (1 episode, 2000)
- Stargate SG-1 – Ba'al (15 episodes, 2001–2007)
- Stargate: Continuum – Ba'al (2008)
- 24 – Russian Sniper (Season 8 Episode 1, 2009)
- Undercovers – (season 1, episode 4: "Jailbreak", 2010)
- NCIS: Los Angeles – Hans Christian Kemp (season 2, episode 13: "Archangel", 2011)
- The Americans – Yossi
- NCIS: New Orleans – Dmitry Babakov (Season 1, Episode 03: "Breaking Brig", 2014) (Credit as Cliff Marc Simon)
- Castle – Polkovnik (Season 7, Episode 04: "Child's Play", 2014) (Credit as Cliff Marc Simon)
- Into the Unknown (Uncharted Mysteries UK title) – Himself (2020)
Published work
- Simon, Cliff; Stephens, Loren (15 July 2016) (in English). Paris Nights: My Year at the Moulin Rouge (Paperback) (2nd ed.). Grapevine, Texas: Waldorf Publishing. ISBN 1943848920. ISBN 978-1943848928.
See also
In Spanish: Cliff Simon para niños
