Short answers, pulled from the story.
Simon Phillip Hugh Callow entered the world on the 15th of June 1949 in Streatham, South London. His father was Neil Francis Callow, a businessman of French descent who left the family when Simon was just eighteen months old.
Simon Callow began his path into performance through correspondence with Laurence Olivier after writing him a fan letter. He abandoned his studies at Queen's University Belfast to enroll in a three-year acting course at the Drama Centre London following this interaction.
Peter Shaffer asked Simon Callow to originate the title role of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the play Amadeus which premiered at the National Theatre in 1979. This production earned him a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
Simon Callow appeared as Emanuel Schikaneder in Miloš Forman's 1984 film adaptation of Amadeus and played Reverend Mr Beebe in A Room with a View the following year. He also portrayed Gareth in Four Weddings and a Funeral in 1994 which generated another BAFTA nomination.
Simon Callow wrote extensively about theatre history including biographies of Oscar Wilde Charles Laughton Orson Welles and Richard Wagner. His book Being An Actor published in 1984 critiqued director-dominated theatre while containing autobiographical sections.