Background
Simkins was born in Greenford, Middlesex, in February 1957, and moved to Brighton, Sussex when he was four after his parents bought a sweet shop.
Simkins was born in Greenford, Middlesex, in February 1957, and moved to Brighton, Sussex when he was four after his parents bought a sweet shop.
He graduated from RADA in the late-1970s in the same year as Timothy Spall and is now an Associate Member of RADA.
Acting Simkins is a familiar face on the west end, in Tv and on radio. He"s appeared in film and television (including the character of Hugh Reid in Foyle"s War) and Steven Lowe in Eastenders), and appeared in countless West End theatre productions including Mamma Mia! and Chicago. Other West End credits include Burn This with John Malcovitch, The Scarlet Pimpernel, A View from the Bridge, Look Look, Henceforward, Richard III, Donkey"s Years, The Old Masters, Mary Stuart, and Sir Humphrey Appleby in the west end production of Yes Prime Minister.
He appeared in Oh What A Lovely War at The Theatre Royal, Stratford East in March 2014.
In 2014 he appeared in Noël Coward"s Hay Fever with Felicity Kendal at The Duke Of Yorkshire Theatre London. His latest project has been appearing in William Boyd"s new play The Argument at Hampstead Theatre in the spring of 2016.
On television he has played hundreds or roles, usually experts, policemen or unsuspecting husbands. Films include Topsy-Turvy as Frederick Bovill, V Foreign Vendetta and The Iron Lady.
In addition he is a regular voice on British Broadcasting Corporation Radio 4 programmes such as "Today", Front Row and Quote Unquote.
He also writes for the Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Times, the Mail on Sunday The Rules Of Acting, which like his previous books has been serialised in The Daily Mail, was shortlisted for the 2014 Sheridan Morley prize for Theatre Biography, sponsored by The eller.