Cliff Simon (born 7 September 1962) is a South African athlete and
actor, best known for his portrayal of Ba'al in Stargate SG-1.Simon
was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, the fourth child of Emmanuelle
and Phylis Simon. Both of his parents are of Jewish ancestry from
Poland and Lithuania. From a very young age, Cliff aspired to be the
first South African swimmer to win an Olympic Gold medal. His mother,
a swimming teacher, taught him from a very young age, and at age 6 he
began to show talent as a gymnast. By age 15, Cliff had reached a
national level in South Africa in both swimming and gymnastics, but he
decided to discontinue training in gymnastics to better focus on
swimming.In 1975, his parents decided to emigrate to the United
Kingdom, due to the then-current turmoil in Africa. It was there that
Simon completed his schooling and was chosen to swim in the British
International squad. He competed in Olympic trials and qualified for
the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The University of Houston and
Southern Methodist University in Texas offered him scholarships, where
he trained with the United States swimming team, the Mustangs. This
would have culminated in him competing in the 1984 Olympic Games.
However, after three years of intense training, he decided to quit and
return to South Africa, due to his concerns that he was missing out on
his social life.
actor, best known for his portrayal of Ba'al in Stargate SG-1.Simon
was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, the fourth child of Emmanuelle
and Phylis Simon. Both of his parents are of Jewish ancestry from
Poland and Lithuania. From a very young age, Cliff aspired to be the
first South African swimmer to win an Olympic Gold medal. His mother,
a swimming teacher, taught him from a very young age, and at age 6 he
began to show talent as a gymnast. By age 15, Cliff had reached a
national level in South Africa in both swimming and gymnastics, but he
decided to discontinue training in gymnastics to better focus on
swimming.In 1975, his parents decided to emigrate to the United
Kingdom, due to the then-current turmoil in Africa. It was there that
Simon completed his schooling and was chosen to swim in the British
International squad. He competed in Olympic trials and qualified for
the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The University of Houston and
Southern Methodist University in Texas offered him scholarships, where
he trained with the United States swimming team, the Mustangs. This
would have culminated in him competing in the 1984 Olympic Games.
However, after three years of intense training, he decided to quit and
return to South Africa, due to his concerns that he was missing out on
his social life.
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