John Ronald Simm (born 10 July 1970) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Sam Tyler in Life on Mars and the Master in Doctor Who, and has starred in many television dramas including Cracker, The Lakes, Sex Traffic, State of Play, Crime and Punishment, and Exile. He has been nominated twice for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor and is a Laurence Olivier Award nominee. He has appeared in films such as Wonderland, Human Traffic, and 24 Hour Party People. In 2010, he played Hamlet at the Crucible Theatre.
I do get a lot of Doctor Who (2005). God almighty, I'll be so happy when that's gone from my life. I'm not the Master. I'm not that evil Time Lord who rules the galaxy. I'm just in Tesco with my kids. Leave me alone.
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Critics should be to actors what ornithologists are to birds: they can write all they want, but it shouldn't affect them.
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I spent most of my youth in Manchester, in clubs and football grounds and the Manchester Apollo.
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[in 2011] I'm incredibly proud of Life on Mars (2006) and Doctor Who (2005). They're just a blast to do. Why not? You do the serious stuff, the classical stuff, the populist stuff and sci-fi stuff. You're an actor, try everything.
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I'm not a people person. I'm not sociable. I have been and I can be, but not as a general rule.
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It's horrible to get a cameraphone shoved in your face every time you walk out the door.
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I used to be mouthy. It was all to do with being a northerner and from Manchester, which was suddenly a big deal when I was in my 20s. When I read some of the interviews I did back then, I cringe.
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I'm good at being on my own. As a kid, I was always in my room alone, so I have a high threshold for it. If I'm bored, I'll read. Hanging around doesn't go well with me.
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There's something really interesting about having those close friends that you've had incredible times with but growing up and away from them. The underlying tensions, the shifting in the group dynamic, the little lies you tell to big yourself up: it's something that happens to us all.
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Twitter has restored my faith in humanity. I thought I'd hate it, but while there are lots of knobheads, there are even more lovely people. It delights me how witty and friendly most people are.
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When I got to 40, I was happy. Now I can wear what I like, listen to what I like, don't have to try and be cool. I'm someone's dad and it doesn't matter any more. That's an enormous freedom.
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Success, however you judge what that even means, brings with it certain pressures.
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You never undertake a project because you think other people will like it - because that way lies madness - but rather because you believe in it.
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I can't watch shows like The X Factor (2004), for instance. I just squirm for the people involved, for the way they're being used. It's the cruellest, most ridiculous show on television. It's ruined music, ruined everything.
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I love Manchester. I always have, ever since I was a kid, and I go back as much as I can. Manchester's my spiritual home. I've been in London for 22 years now but Manchester's the only other place, I think, in the country that I could live.
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I think I can be closed in. I can close this outer shell, cut myself off and be quite cold. I can cut other people off if I need to. I don't think I'm angry, though... Maybe my wife would disagree.
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Fact
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He took the part of the Master in Doctor Who (2005) because his kids were very big fans of the series.
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Trained at Drama Centre, London. He was one of the younger members of Group 28, training between 1989 and 1992.
Voted Best Guest Actor by readers of Doctor Who Magazine for his roles as Harold Saxon and the Master in the 2007 Season of Doctor Who (2005).
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Supports Manchester United Football Club and sometimes has a reference to this inserted into the characters he plays (particularly Sam Tyler in Life on Mars (2006) and Cal McCaffrey in State of Play (2003)).
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Sang the acoustic version of New Order's "Blue Monday" in 24 Hour Party People (2002) during the split-screen scene.
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