Born: 10th July 1970 (as John Ronald Simm)
Episodes Broadcast: 2007, 2009-2010, 2017

John Simm was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire and raised in Lancashire. His father was a musician, who encouraged him to sing and learn the guitar. Even before Simm was a teenager, they had begun playing together in clubs. He became interested in acting while in high school and, after a brief foray into musical theatre, he enrolled at the Drama Centre London. After graduating in 1992, Simm won his first television role in an episode of Between The Lines, only to see it wind up on the editing room floor. Later that year, however, he made his on-screen debut in Rumpole Of The Bailey. Simm soon won leading roles in Men Of The World -- for which he and co-star David Threlfall sang the theme song -- and The Lakes. In 1996, his skill with the guitar led him to join the band Magic Alexa. Simm also began to find work on the silver screen, including prominent roles in two 1999 releases: Wonderland and Human Traffic.

At one point a notorious partygoer, Simm increasingly found his behaviour conflicting with his keen desire for privacy. The new century would see him adopt a less raucous lifestyle, and he married actress Kate Magowan in 2004; the family soon included son Ryan and daughter Molly. Simm's acting career continued apace, with lead roles in programmes such as State Of Play, Sex Traffic, and the 2002 adaptation of Crime And Punishment, while guest spots included an episode of Spaced. Meanwhile, his musical skill led him to portray New Order's Bernard Sumner in the 2002 film 24 Hour Party People. Simm moved to Hollywood for a brief time, but he quickly decided against trying to re-establish his career in America. In 2005, Magic Alexa released their first album, only to break up a year later.

Simm became a household name in 2006, when he starred in Life On Mars

Simm became a household name in 2006, when he starred in Life On Mars as a modern-day detective who awakened from a traffic accident to find himself in the Seventies. His character, Sam Tyler, was named for Doctor Who companion Rose Tyler. Never interested in playing the same role for long, Simm left Life On Mars after two seasons. Soon after, he made his West End debut when the award-winning Elling transferred to the Trafalgar Studios. Simm then agreed to join the cast of Doctor Who itself, in part to please his young son. 2007's Utopia would see him take over the role of the Doctor's Time Lord arch-nemesis, the Master, crafting a manic new version of the villain to match David Tennant's energetic Tenth Doctor. Simm's Master seemingly died in the 2007 finale, The Sound of Drums / Last Of The Time Lords, but he agreed to reprise the role for Tennant's final story, The End Of Time, in 2009.

During the 2010s, Simm remained a regular presence on television screens, with credits including Mad Dogs, The Village and Intruders. His international profile was now such that, instead Simm going to Hollywood looking for work, Hollywood came to him, and he was recruited for a recurring role in The Catch. He made a surprise return to Doctor Who in 2017, teaming up not only with his successor as the Master, Michelle Gomez, but also the Cybermen in World Enough And Time / The Doctor Falls. Later in the decade, Simm starred in Collateral and Strangers.

Simm's television projects during the Twenties included Cold Courage and Grace. He also reprised his Master, this time for the 2021 audio drama Masterful from Big Finish Productions, which brought together various incarnations of the evil Time Lord.