Simon Pegg – Comedian Zombie Hunter and Mission Impossible 4 Special Agent

Simon Pegg, the acclaimed British actor and comedian, isn’t the first person you’d think about when asked to describe an action hero. Pegg, originally from Gloucestershire, England, surprised fans and colleagues alike when it was announced that he would act alongside Tom Cruise on Mission Impossible 3. And now, he’s back on Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol (or Mission Impossible 4) assisting Cruise as technical specialist Beji Dunn.

Simon Pegg’s first steps in comedy and acting

After graduating from the University of Bristol, Pegg went on the road as a stand-up comedian, preforming wherever he could.  After a series of performances in festivals in Australia and New Zealand, Pegg appeared in many British television shows including Hippies and Six Pairs of Pants.

In 1999 Pegg brought his best friend, actor Nick Frost, to work with him on the successful comedy Spaced. After Spaced, Pegg and Frost worked together on almost all of Pegg’s projects, including the hit movie Shaun of the Dead, a parody on the George A. Romero zombie movies. Romero was so impressed with Pegg’s performance that he invited him to appear on his latest zombie film, Land of the Dead.

Not only Romero was impressed with Pegg. After watching Shaun of the Dead, Mission Impossible 3 director JJ Abrams (Mission Impossible 4 movie producer) offered Pegg the role of Benji Dunn on the Mission: Impossible movies. Pegg agreed and soon found himself in the studio working with Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames and Abrams.

Appearances on American Movies

After the success of Mission Impossible 3, Pegg began appearing on American movies such as Big Nothing, Run Fatboy Run, Paul, and even in the JJ Abrams film Star Trek. Pegg didn’t forget his friends and in 2006 starred with Nick Frost in the successful comedy Hot Fuzz.

Pegg didn’t only star in movies, though. Pegg’s likeness was used by artist Darick Robertson for the comic book The Boys.

photo from Wikipedia

Back to the Silver Screen on Mission Impossible 4

Pegg is working with Cruise and Rhames again on Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol. Pegg, the only character besides Cruise and Rhames to appear in more than one Mission: Impossible film, is also working with newcomers Paula Patton, Josh Holloway and Jeremy Renner.

In a recent interview Pegg said that he thinks Mission Impossible 4 is “going to be awesome!”. You have to agree with that, don’t you?