Simon Pegg

Biography:

Simon John Pegg, originally named Simon John Beckingham, was born on February 14, 1970, in Brockworth, Gloucestershire. His mother, Gillian Rosemary, worked as a civil servant, while his father, John Henry Beckingham, was a jazz musician and keyboard salesman. After his parents divorced when he was seven, Pegg adopted his stepfather’s surname when his mother remarried. His brother, Mike, retained the Beckingham name and later starred in the 2020 film The Host.

Pegg attended Castle Hill Primary School, Brockworth Comprehensive Secondary School, and The King’s School, Gloucester. At 16, he moved to Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, where he studied English literature and theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon College. He later earned a BA in theatre, film, and television from the University of Bristol in 1991, with his undergraduate thesis focusing on Marxist perspectives on 1970s cinema. While at university, Pegg performed in a comedy troupe called David Icke and the Orphans of Jesus alongside future comedians like David Walliams, Dominik Diamond, and Jason Bradbury.

Pegg initially pursued stand-up comedy after graduation, drawn to the autonomy it provided over traditional acting. His career transitioned into comedy acting, which led to his breakthrough in television. He appeared in several British TV shows, including Six Pairs of Pants, Asylum, Faith in the Future, Big Train, and Hippies. Between 1998 and 2004, he was a regular on BBC Radio 4’s The 99p Challenge and had roles in Band of Brothers, Black Books, Brass Eye, and I’m Alan Partridge. He also acted in films like The Parole Officer, 24 Hour Party People, and Guest House Paradiso and participated in Steve Coogan’s 1998 live stage show.

In 1999, Pegg co-created and co-wrote the sitcom Spaced with Jessica Stevenson. The show, directed by Edgar Wright, featured Pegg’s close friend Nick Frost as a character written specifically for him. Pegg’s work in Spaced earned him a British Comedy Award nomination for Best Male Comedy Newcomer. A zombie-themed fantasy sequence in the show inspired him and Wright to co-write Shaun of the Dead, a 2004 “romantic zombie comedy” in which Pegg starred. Their success led to cameo roles in George A. Romero’s Land of the Dead and the spin-off show Danger! 50,000 Zombies!.

Pegg has also been involved in audio productions, playing Johnny Alpha in Strontium Dog and appearing in Doctor Who audio dramas before playing the Editor in a 2005 episode of the TV series. He narrated the first season of Doctor Who Confidential.

Ironically, when asked about moving to Hollywood, Pegg jokingly dismissed the idea by naming Mission: Impossible III. However, he later landed a role in the film as Benji Dunn, an IMF technician, a role he has reprised in multiple sequels, including Ghost Protocol, Rogue Nation, Fallout, and Dead Reckoning Part One, with another sequel set for 2025.

Pegg’s other notable projects include starring in Big Nothing (2006) with David Schwimmer and co-writing Hot Fuzz (2007), a comedic homage to police action films. He also appeared in The Good Night and Run Fatboy Run, wrote English dialogue for the animated film Free Jimmy, and co-wrote Paul (2011), a comedy about an alien encounter, reversing his usual on-screen dynamic with Nick Frost.

In 2009, Pegg joined the Star Trek franchise as Montgomery “Scotty” Scott in Star Trek, reprising the role in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) and Star Trek Beyond (2016), which he also co-wrote. His other roles include playing William Burke in Burke & Hare (2010) and voicing Reepicheep in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010). His likeness was the inspiration for the character Wee Hughie in the comic The Boys, and he later wrote the introduction to the first bound volume.

Pegg and Edgar Wright completed the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy with The World’s End (2013). In 2014, he performed with Monty Python in a live stage show. He also appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) as Unkar Plutt and voiced Professor Phineas Nigellus Black in the 2023 video game Hogwarts Legacy.

Pegg has openly discussed his struggles with depression and alcoholism, revealing that he sought treatment before filming Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. He has since remained sober, attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

On a personal note, Pegg is an atheist and has been married to Maureen McCann since 2005. They live in Essendon, Hertfordshire, with their daughter, born in 2009. His close friendships include Coldplay’s Chris Martin, for whom he appeared in the Christmas Lights music video. Martin is also godfather to Pegg’s daughter, while Pegg is the godfather to Martin’s daughter, Apple. Pegg is also the godfather of Martin Freeman’s son.

Despite his Hollywood success, Pegg remains closely connected to his British roots, with his family making brief appearances in his projects like Spaced, Shaun of the Dead, and Hot Fuzz.