Born in the United Kingdom, Simon West started at the BBC as an assistant editor and worked on several productions. He then directed numerous commercials before making his mark in Hollywood in 1997 with his first film, Con Air, in which he directed Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, Steve Buscemi, and John Malkovich. Two years later, he directed the thriller The General’s Daughter with John Travolta in the lead role, followed by Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2000), an adaptation of the video game franchise in which Angelina Jolie portrayed the iconic archaeologist.
Simon West became the only action film director whose first three films all grossed over $100 million at the U.S. box office. After this success, he stepped away from cinema for five years to direct episodes of TV series like Keen Eddie, Close to Home, and the TV movie Under Pressure. In 2006, he returned to the big screen with When a Stranger Calls, a remake of Fred Walton’s 1979 film. After several more TV projects, he directed Jason Statham in The Mechanic in 2011, before being chosen the following year to direct the second installment of the Expendables saga.
He then reunited with Nicolas Cage for Stolen (2012), worked with Jason Statham again for Wild Card (2015), and turned to musical comedy with Gun Shy, directing Antonio Banderas. His new film, Old Guy, starring Christoph Waltz, Lucy Liu, and Cooper Hoffman, is presented this year at Reims Polar and marks his return to action-police films.
