Simon West

Simon Alexander West (born 17 July 1961) is an English film director and producer. He has primarily worked in the action genre, most notably as the director of the films Con Air, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, The Mechanic, and The Expendables 2. Outside of action, he also directed the films The General's Daughter and When a Stranger Calls. Prior to his film career, West served as the director for music videos, including "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley. Early life West was born in Letchworth, Hertfordshire. He began his career as an assistant film editor with the BBC Film Department, where he worked on dramas and documentaries. He then left the BBC to work on commercials and music videos. His daughter Lillie West of the band Lala Lala described the experience being a filmmaker's daughter to Paper Magazine in a 2018 interview, “My dad is a filmmaker, and he has filmed pretty much every moment of my life from when I was born.” Career 1990s West's directorial debut in 1997 with Con Air, starring Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, and John Malkovich.