Cliff Simon - Better and Better by Hanlie Koekemoer
I am a complete sci-fi fan. I think I would like to share my passion for sci-fi with most South Africans but sadly according to the public broadcaster, thats just not so! We are bombarded with moronic, puerile rubbish, so much so that in the past circa 2004 it was near desperation! SABC had no science fiction on it having dumped the Stargate series at season 3, Star Trek was out, FarScape was nowhere to be seen and even e-tv had dropped the excellent, original Babylon 5! Juslike jong! Brandy and Coke was the only solace. The drought was bad. M-Net was and still is the only channel that comes to our rescue! I got the idea to order the StarGate SG-1 season 4 on DVD from overseas.It was one of the bestest ideas I have ever had. Now I am a Season fundi. Warning though - see the little yellow box! You will be ecstatic with the absence of the axis of evil - advertising! No adverts while you watch it makes it so much more enjoyable - a real pleasure. So there I was watching Stargate SG-1 season 5 (bought the next season!) delighting in the whole experience including the greatest collection of collagen lips ever seen when hang on, isn't that Mitch? You know, Gregory Mitchell from Nicor in Egoli? I couldn't believe it! It was him and he was simply superb. Cliff Simon who played Mitch in Egoli was now appearing in Stargate SG-1. A local boytjie making it extra good so to speak. Earlier, we had seen Sue-Anne Braun as the Goa'uld Hathor who Richard-Dean Anderson (Rick see later) really enjoyed killing. Here was Cliff Simon acting as the Goa'uld Lord Baal. And doing a splendid job.
My first acquaintance with Cliff Simon was as a young horny schoolgirl - I will never forget that Cosmopolitan Hunk of the Month Cliff Simon. Wooga Nooga! I became an ardent fan there and then. Cliff has a without a doubt an incredible body - muscular, lithe and very attractive the stuff that the schoolgirl dreams are made of - he looked like my dream man - so handsome! When Cliff went on to win Mr. South Africa I knew there were to be greater things destined for this fine thespian! He, as you probably all know and remember, was with Egoli for 6 years with the character Gregory Mitchell. We had plenty to see of Cliff but I always felt that Cliff was annoyed with the fact that all of us - including myself - preferred to perv rather than to enjoy Cliff's acting ability. Egoli is a soap-opera so the chance for meaty roles is not great because of the limited time of the show.
But, here in Stargate SG-1 Cliff's acting abilities really shine! Now I don't want to give away too much because M-Net is currently screening Stargate SG-1 on the Action-X channel. He appears in the episodes Summit & Final Stand which are superb in their visible extra budget (I think the budget really increased from series 4 on - Stargate SG-1 is currently at zenith with Season 9 being the best ever I have heard) special effects! Outstanding is a word that comes to mind. We get to see all those nasty Goa'ulds like Baal and the mesmerizing Osiris. It is with this show that the producers of the show seem to allow development of the characters. Cliff Simon's Baal is a triumph of fine acting. Cliff we have read, really enjoys playing the baddie Baal and it shows. This character has depth and substance something that Cliff brought to the show. When watching the others play Goa'ulds you get the impression that they are trying to make a grand thing of it but Cliff becomes the Goa'uld Baal!
Baal is a nasty guy, make no mistake and Cliff delivers! But, at the same time he keeps the character interesting by providing a glint of his humor revealed in his most beautiful eyes which Cliff makes quite dark and black looking for the role - truly menacing.
There is a fantastic scene where Lord Baal chows down on some of his fellow Goa'ulds - it makes you squirm and it is revolting. Yet I cannot help but wonder how many takes it took because there is a sense of humor about it all! Likewise when he is busy peppering MacGyver oops Colonel O'Neill (Richard Dean Anderson) with savage tenacity using daggers, you cannot help but wonder if Baal is really enjoying it! All in all I would say that Baal is one of the most enjoyable Goa'uld characters to watch next to Osiris. The others including Anubis and especially Anubis come across as rather effete - as one of my friends calls Anubis the moffie from outer space - because he is just so over the top drama queenish. I would - after watching his hand and wrist movements have to agree. I think many of these actors failed to understand their characters - perhaps sci-fi is not their genre but Cliff Simon excels in his interpretation of the role - without a doubt.
And, if you think I am wrong and waxing too lyrical about Cliff Simon, take a look at the web. Type Cliff Simon into google and you will see the accolades and acclaim he has and is winning. It just makes you wonder why no-one here has made use of such talent! Cliff is a talented and gifted person which his bio reveals.
He was born a Vaalie (ag shame!) went to finishing school in London my dear and returned to be in - girls wait for it - our airforce!!! Sigh - thereafter at some point he was an international and Olympic qualifying swimmer and a national gymnast. Now you know why he has such a wonderful physique!
He worked in Europe for twelve years as a professional model and dancer, and performed for a year at the Moulin Rouge in Paris as an acrobat dancer and understudy to the principal singer.
He returned to South Africa in 1987 where he took up modeling full time, winning the Mr. South Africa title in 1992. Shortly after winning the title he studied acting and began work on Egoli: Place of Gold, where he was a permanent cast member for six years. Cliff moved to the United States with his wife Colette in 2000. Since then, he has worked on various projects including a guest appearance on Nash Bridges and a recurring guest appearance on Stargate SG-1. We certainly hope that Baal becomes a rather permanent fixture on Stargate SG-1!
Cliff has a real-life warm and friendly character. You can see this at play at his website. You will - as a fan - find everything you could possibly need at Cliff's website - cliffsimon.com. You simply cannot miss visiting his fantastic site. Cliff as you would expect, has made many friends - he calls Richard-Dean Anderson Rick! Lucky him. From an interview with The Sci-Fi World website: "its always fun to work with such a great cast and crew" - how I would love to work on that set of Stargate's!
Besides Egoli and Stargate-SG1, Cliff has appeared in the film Operation Delta Force 5: Random Fire (1999). We are confident that Cliff's career will expand and grow to delight his fans and prospective fans the world over!
Cliff is like good red wine - he gets better and better with each passing year. Congratulations Cliff on your phenomenal success! Mazeltov! Thank you for all the wonderful entertainment and may you continue to surpass all your expectations and to provide us with glorious entertainment!
- xxxOxxx
Hanlie Koekemoer
Hanlie Koekemoer would like to thank Cliff Simon, Tracy Saraber (webmaster of cliffsimon.com), Gisela Arndt of Franz Marx Productions and Ady Dodds of M-Net for their kind help and photographs etc.
Recommended websites to visit:
Cliff Simon dot Com
Stargate SG-1
Egoli - Place of Gold (Franz Marx Productions)
Originally published in the June/July 2006 issue of Durbs Magazine Online.
Continue on to Q & A.