Simon John Pegg was born SImon John Beckingham on February 14, 1970, in Gloucester, England. His father was a musician/keyboard salesman, his parents divorced when he was seven. A natural performer, he began showcasing his musical talent at the age of 5 when his parents bought him a miniature drum kit for his birthday. Eleven years and an ear-wrenching racket later, Pegg took his show on the road as the drummer for a band called God’s Third Leg.

Although the group’s tenure was short-lived, it gave Pegg the confidence to pursue a career in showbiz, and he eventually attended Bristol University, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in theatre, film and television.

simon pegg makes his tv debut

With his degree in hand, Pegg moved to London in 1993 and began pursuing a career in stand-up comedy. Luckily, it didn’t take long before his imaginative routine caught the attention of local casting directors, and Pegg made his television debut in 1995 in the popular comedy series Six Pairs of Pants. His solid performance soon led to additional television work, and Pegg spent the next three years appearing in shows such as Asylum, We Know Where You Live and I’m Alan Partridge.

simon pegg writes and creates spaced

Simon Pegg kicked his career up a notch in 1998 when he landed the recurring role of Jools in Faith in the Future, an amusing show about a bickering mother and daughter. Unfortunately, the program was terminated at the end of the season, leaving Pegg to contemplate his own future. Longing for more creative control, Pegg teamed up with fellow actor Jessica Stevenson to create and cowrite Spaced, a hilarious sitcom about a pair of young Londoners who masquerade as a couple.

The show soon found a home on Channel 4, where its fast-paced writing and editing made it a hit with viewers and critics alike. In fact, Simon Pegg was nominated for a British Comedy Award as Best Male Comedy Newcomer, and the program won two other British Comedy Awards before wrapping up production at the end of 2001.

Pegg’s growing profile led to a boatload of job offers, and he cashed in with well-received roles in small-screen fare like Band of Brothers and Big Train, as well as in the films 24 Hour Party People (2002) and The Reckoning (2003).   

simon pegg makes shaun of the dead

Next up for Simon Pegg was Shaun of the Dead (2004), a hilarious homage to the zombie movie genre that he cowrote with director Edgar Wright. “I always loved horror and that's sort of the reason we decided to make the film,” Pegg said at the time. “We were nourished on those sorts of films, so it was a labor of love.” The gory flick became an instant critical darling and went on to capture six awards, including an Empire Award for Best British Film. Pegg was also feted by the Evening Standard British Film Awards with the prestigious Peter Sellers Award for Comedy.

simon pegg in mission: impossible 3

Shaun of the Dead made Pegg an international star, and he responded with roles in Land of the Dead (2005), Big Nothing (2006), and most improbably of all, Mission: Impossible III (2006). “I got a call from [director] JJ [Abrams] out of the blue,” Pegg says. “He said he'd enjoyed Shaun of the Dead and how would I like to be in the movie. It was a no-brainer really. I had to have a little sit-down after our conversation, just to get the heart rate down.”

Simon Pegg next starred in Hot Fuzz (2007), a film he cowrote once again with Edgar Wright. "We wanted our next film to be something that had a bang, to follow Shaun," Pegg explains. "It was like, 'OK, let's set ourselves a real task and make British cops cool again.' The fact is, British police aren't that cool. As movie cops go, there are a lot cooler out there… But I think it'll work."

Next, Pegg filmed Run, Fat Boy, Run (2007), starring Hank Azaria and Thandie Newton, and the highly anticipated How to Lose Friends & Alienate People (2008).

What else do you need to know?

Above was taken from Askmen.com

“I think, at its best, the American sense of humor is the same as the British sense of humor at its best, which is to be wry and ironic and self-deprecating.”
- Simon Pegg.