Simon Phillip Cowell was born on 7 October 1959 in Lambeth, London, and raised in Elstree, Hertfordshire. His mother, Julie Brett (nee Josie Dalglish; 1925-2015), was a ballet dancer and socialite, and his father, Eric Selig Phillip Cowell (1918-1999), was an estate agent, property developer, and music industry executive. Cowell's paternal grandmother was a Polish immigrant. His father was from a mostly Jewish family, though he did not discuss his background with his children, and his mother was from a Christian background.
On 16 March 2006, American Inventor debuted on ABC. Cowell co-produced the show with Peter Jones who had devised the concept. Fledgling entrepreneurs from across the United States competed to see who could come up with the best new product concept. The 2006 winner, Janusz Liberkowski, received $1 million and the opportunity to develop his idea into a business. The show returned one more time in 2007 for a second season. In 2006, Cowell executive-produced Celebrity Duets, which was described as "an Idol show for Hollywood superstars." The show was hosted by Wayne Brady, and its judges were Marie Osmond, Little Richard and David Foster. Cowell was also the executive producer of Grease Is the Word for ITV. This show set out to find performers to play Danny and Sandy in the 2007 West End revival of Grease. It was hosted by Zoe Ball and judged by Britons David Ian and Sinitta and Americans David Gest and Brian Friedman. The musical theatre casting concept had already been introduced by the BBC with the ratings hit How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?, but Cowell's show was not the hoped-for success. He himself said, "It has been slaughtered by the critics - and rightly so. It is far too similar to our other formats." Cowell collaborated with UK production company Shed Media to produce 2008 ITV drama series Rock Rivals, which is based on an X Factor type show. In 2011, Cowell also created his first game show, titled Red or Black? and hosted by Ant & Dec, for ITV. Series 1 was broadcast over seven nights in one week (excluding Tuesday), from 3 to 10 September. The show was recommissioned by ITV for a second series in 2012, which aired weekly. In 2013 Cowell, in partnership with YouTube, launched a video-sharing competition called The You Generation. In 2013, Simon was executive producer for ITV cookery series Food Glorious Food, which was hosted by Carol Vorderman. He will do the same for an upcoming game show called Keep it in the Family, presented by Bradley Walsh.

Q: What other talent shows has Cowell been involved with?
A: American Inventor

Q: What was his role in Celebrity Duets?
A: executive-produced
Are there any other interesting aspects about this article?
In 2013 Cowell, in partnership with YouTube, launched a video-sharing competition called The You Generation. Cowell was also the executive producer of Grease Is the Word for ITV. Cowell was also the executive producer of Grease Is the Word for ITV. Cowell was also the executive producer of Grease Is the Word for ITV. Cowell collaborated with UK production company Shed Media to produce 2008 ITV drama series Rock Rivals, which is based on an X Factor type show.
Cowell collaborated with UK production company Shed Media to produce 2008 ITV drama series Rock Rivals, which is based on an X Factor type show.