The snarky, controversial, and sometimes cruel judgements of Simon Cowell are widely known now due to the popularity of his various shows, but there is more to this acerbic Brit then insults and wars with Paula Abdul.

Born and raised in England, Cowell received his first break through his father's influence; his father was an executive in the music industry. It was as a teenager that Cowell showed his first signs of not getting along with other people, even dropping out of school. Cowell followed in his father's footsteps into music, although there were some reports of him not getting along with others, even in those days. In the 80s he formed his own company with his former boss, Ellis Rich, and E&S Music did better than expected, with several hit records. Cowell was only there for a year, however, before moving on.

Cowell moved on to the indie label Fanfare Records, and this is where he truly got his big start in the industry. He helped build Fanfare into a strong independent business with plenty of big musical hits and albums. Although there were some struggles for Fanfare before it was bought by BMG, Cowell has always shown a good head for making business decisions about music. He became a consultant for BMG and for years that was his work - consulting, making records, and just settling into the music industry.

It wasn't until 2001 when another Simon, Simon Fuller, created a show called "Pop Idol" for england. Cowell joined as a judge and quickly made his stamp due to his direct - even cruel - honesty. This led to the creation of "American Idol" in 2002, and that's when Cowell shot right up in the public eye. Cowell became the most loved/hated judge on the show, despite the built-in fanbases of Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson, because of his scathing judgments and brutal honesty. Whether the fans are booing him for being too mean or cheering him for saying what they're all thinking, people can't seem to get enough of him.



Now that Cowell seemed to find his niche, he jumped right into having his production company SYCOtv, creating "The X-Factor" for British TV. While somewhat like "American Idol," it allows groups to compete rather than just single singers and the judges actively get involved and mentor the contestants. Cowell also became the exec producer for the show "American Inventor," and the creator/exec producer for huge TV hit "America's Got Talent." His next show, "Britain's Got Talent," premiered only a year later with Simon as an active judge.

While Cowell is accused occasionally of being mean and heartless to his contestants, he's been a huge hand in several major charity events, including the "Idol Gives Back" charity show, and he's a big supporter of PETA. He's guest starred in movies and given his voice for television shows, plus published a well selling autobiography titled "I Don't Mean to be Rude, but..."

With various television shows airing all thanks to him, and being the public face of such hits as "American Idol" and "Britain's Got Talent," Cowell is one of the best known music entertainment moguls in the world. His controversial comments and love-me-or-hate-me attitude may not appeal to everyone, but it's certainly given him a unique niche. And even if you choose to hate him, it's hard not to appreciate the effect he's had on the music industry, for better or for worse. And let's face it, sometimes it's just hilarious to see him rip apart those arrogant bad singers in the audition process. Are they serious?!

So what do you think? Simon Cowell - love him or hate him?

See more photos of Simon Cowell here!

Image © Fox Broadcasting

Story by Chelsea Doyle
Starpulse contributing writer

Follow Chelsea on twitter at http://twitter.com/mustbethursday.