 Simon was born Peter Thompson in Sheffield, Yorkshire, and lived with his mother - a nurse in the local hospital - in a guest house next to a newsagent's in a poor part of the seaside town of Bridlington, East Yorkshire.His career began at the age of 12, when he became a presenter for Yorkshire Television's "Junior Showtime".In his early career, Simon was the first actor to play the role of Ronald McDonald on British television in a series of commercials for McDonald's.