Simon Cowell

British-born high-school dropout Simon Cowell is perhaps one of the most recognized figures on American TV. Best known as the acerbic judge on the Fox show American Idol (his signature phrase: "I don't mean to be rude, but..." is also the title of his 2004 memoir), Cowell claims that at heart he's a serial entrepreneur.

Simon Philip Cowell (Born 7 October 1959) is a British artist and repertoire ("A&R") executive for Sony BMG in the United Kingdom, but is best known as a judge on the television programs Pop Idol, The X Factor and American Idol. He is notorious for his unsparingly blunt and often controversial criticism of the contestants.

Cowell dropped out of school at 15. He took a few menial jobs, but did not get along well with co-workers and bosses, until his father, who was an executive at the recording giant at EMI Music Publishing, got him a job in the mail room. Cowell had been the producer and the creative force of many media, most notably Pop Idol and its international offspring.

In 1989, Fanfare's mother company folded, driving Cowell's business into bankruptcy, forcing Cowell, deeply in debt, to move back in with his parents. Later that year, he became an A&R consultant for BMG. Subsequently, Cowell signed a number of acts to S Records that made a mark in the pop music world, including Curiosity Killed the Cat, Sonia Evans, 5ive, Westlife, and Robson & Jerome.