Coordinates	56°09′″N40°25′″N
Name	Guy Granville Simonds
Death date	May 15, 1974
Birth place	Bury St Edmunds, England
Death place	Toronto, Canada
Allegiance	Canada
Branch	Canadian Army
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands	Chief of the General StaffFirst Canadian ArmyII Canadian Corps
Battles	World War II- Operation Husky- Invasion of Italy- Invasion of Normandy- Battle of the Scheldt- Operation Veritable- Liberation of the Netherlands
Awards	Companion of the Order of CanadaCompanion of the Order of the BathCommander of the Order of the British EmpireDistinguished Service OrderCanadian Forces Decoration
Laterwork	}}

Lieutenant General Guy Granville Simonds, CC, CB, CBE, DSO, CD (April 23, 1903 - May 15, 1974) was a Canadian Army officer who commanded the II Canadian Corps during World War II. He served as acting commander of the First Canadian Army, leading the Allied forces to victory in the Battle of the Scheldt in 1944. In 1951 he was appointed Chief of the General Staff, the most senior member of the Canadian Army.

Family Background

Simonds came from a military family: his great-grandfather had been in the Honourable East India Company, and his grandfather had been a major general. The Simonds family was related to Ivor Maxse and Lord Milner. On his maternal side, his grandfather William Easton was a wealthy Virginian horse breeder, who had moved to England, renting Ixworth Abbey. Eleanor "Nellie" Easton, his mother, was one of five daughters, of which four married army officers.

Guy was born in Bury St Edmunds, England on April 23, 1903.

His father Cecil, a major, resigned from the army in fall 1911 (when Guy was 9) and moved his family to British Columbia, working as a surveyor for a railroad. Cecil's expectations of having his own survey company were frustrated by the requirement to pass local professional examinations. Re-joining the army at the start of World War I, Cecil was wounded in 1918, and demobilized in 1919 with the rank of colonel. The family spent the war in a rented house in Victoria. Guy's mother sold family possessions to make ends meet. Guy had to quit school for two years at age fourteen to help support the family. Graham speculates that the period of fatherlessness made him a "loner" and self-reliant.

Simonds had three siblings, Cicely, Peter and Eric. Eric (anecdotally an excellent rifle shot, having won prizes at Bisley) became a test pilot, but died in an air accident in July 1937 in England. Cicely worked as a secretary in the admiralty during the war. She and her daughter were killed by a V-1 (flying bomb) attack in June 1944.

Education

Guy attended Collegiate School in Victoria and then Ashbury College in Ottawa beginning in 1919.

He studied at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario between 1921 and 1925, cadet number 1596. Simonds' class was the last to be selected from nationwide exams (Simonds having placed second) and the first after the war to enter a four-year course. At graduation he was awarded the Sword of Honour, judged the best "all rounder", placed second academically, and was generally considered the best horseman in the class.

He was commissioned into the Canadian Army in 1926 as a junior officer in the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery first with B battery in Kingston, then C Battery in Winnipeg. In September 1932 (just weeks after his wedding) with the rank of brevet captain, he attended the Long Gunnery Staff Course in England. He was accompanied to England by his wife, and his first child was born there. He returned to Kingston in 1934. In 1936 and 1937 he attended the Staff College, Camberley. Promoted to major, he returned to the Royal Military College of Canada as Associate Professor of Artillery and later as Instructor in Tactics.

Wartime career

In 1939 he became a GSO II (operations) with 1st Canadian Infantry Division and was posted to the UK in December. In July 1940, he went on to be Commanding Officer of 1st Field Regiment Royal Canadian Artillery, his first command since leaving C battery. In November 1940 he was appointed commandant of the Canadian Junior War Staff Course (an intensive 14 week program that compressed one year of the Camberly course), intended to fill the shortage of trained staff officers. He then became he became GSO I with 2nd Canadian Infantry Division under Victor Odlum.

Shortly thereafter, in August 1941 he was made acting Brigadier General Staff of I Canadian Corps under McNaughton and Pearkes. Later he was confirmed as brigadier and stayed in the BGS role under Harry Crerar until mid-July 1942. Crerar, however, had opposed Simonds' appointment and considered his removal. During his time as BGS, numerous exercises, including Bumper (Sept.1941) and Tiger were conducted, with Simonds catching Montgomery's eye on both occasions.

In July and August 1942 Simonds was involved in planning for an abortive Churchill-inspired attack on Norway, codenamed "Jupiter", thereby avoiding the Dieppe Raid debacle.

In September 1942, he was made Commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade in 1st Canadian Infantry Division.

In January 1943 Simonds became chief of staff of 1st Canadian Army again under McNaughton. The army performed poorly in exercise Spartan (March 1943). Simonds suggested that McNaughton separate his "political" functions (CMHQ) from "fighting" headquarters (1st Canadian Army). McNaughton grew angry, and within 48 hours Simonds was on attachment to 8th Army in Tunisia.

Divisional Command and Italy

On April 20, 1943 (three days before his fortieth birthday) Simonds was promoted to major general and appointed General Officer Commanding 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, having risen from major to major general in three-and-a-half years - faster than any other officer in the Canadian army. Just nine days later he was transferred to command 1st division, replacing Harry Salmon who had died in a plane crash while planning operation Husky.

In this last post he led the Division through the Invasion of Sicily. At this point, he was the youngest Canadian to lead a division in action.He came under fire for the first time July 16, 1943 after nearly 17 years in the army.

He was appointed the GOC of the recently arrived 5th Canadian (Armoured) Division in Italy in the autumn of 1943. Simonds viewed this, along with the arrival of Crerar and I Canadian Corps, as something of a comedown, although this was not the intent of CMHQ. Simonds was furious when he learned that to save shipping, his new division would have to take old equipment from 7th Armoured Division.

Corps Commander

In January 1944 he was made General Officer Commanding II Canadian Corps, which went on to take part in the Normandy landings and advance through France. At age forty-one, Simonds, was purported to be the youngest corps commander in the British Empire. Simonds made numerous personnel changes: The Chief Engineer, Chief Medical Officer and the Commander Corps Royal Artillery (CCRA) were sacked, and F. F. Worthington was replaced as commander of 4th Canadian Armoured Division. Once II Corps was activated, Simonds would direct four major attacks in five weeks: Operations Atlantic, Spring, Totalize and Tractable.

For Totalize (beginning August 7), which involved a night attack, numerous navigation aids were devised, along with heavy bomber support. Having learned from Operation Spring, Simonds devised the "Kangaroo", an early armoured personnel carrier converted from non-operational armoured vehicles "defrocked Priests". Granatstein characterizes the plan as "brilliant if too complicated", in that it did not account for the inexperience of the troops.

Tractable (August 14) used a smoke screen in an attempt to shield armour from German anti-tank weaponry.

In September 1944, Simonds temporarily took charge of First Canadian Army from General Harry Crerar, who was recovering from a bout of dysentery, and led the liberation of the mouth of the Scheldt River. When Crerar resumed command with the First Army, Simonds resumed his command of II Canadian Corps for the liberation of North-Western Europe. [[Image:1st Canadian generals.jpg|left|thumb|310px| Seated from left: Stanisław Maczek (Polish Army), Guy Simonds II Canadian Corps, Harry Crerar 1st Canadian Army, Charles Foulkes I Canadian Corps, Bert Hoffmeister 5th Canadian (Armoured) Division;

Standing from left: Ralph Keefler 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, Bruce Matthews 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, Harry Foster 1st Canadian Infantry Division, Robert Moncel (for Chris Vokes 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division, S.B. Rawlins, 49th British Division]]

Post war Army

From 1946-1949 he was Chief Instructor at the Imperial Defence College, "a signal honour for a Canadian". He returned to Canada in 1949 to take a role as Commandant of the Royal Military College of Canada. In 1951 he was appointed Chief of the General Staff.

Retirement and later years

After retiring from the army, he worked for Halifax Insurance Company, and Toronto Brick and Associates. He was active with Royal Life Saving Society of Canada, the Gurkha Appeal, the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires and was chairman of the National Ballet of Canada.

He criticized the government for seeking closer ties with the US, and opposed the reliance on nuclear weapons, advocating strong conventional forces. Simonds proposed the use of aerial supply to reduce the vulnerability of army divisional supply chains. Dubious of air-power advocates, he foresaw the increasing use of missiles. He believed in the "integration" of defense headquarters, but opposed the Hellyer "unification" of the armed forces.

A street was named after him in Antwerp. Simonds was honorary colonel of the Royal Regiment of Canada at the time of the regiment's 100th anniversary in October 1962. He was offered an honorary degree from RMC which he declined, as he had opposed the degree program, fearing the long tenure of civilian instructors would unduly influence the curriculum. On October 29, 1971 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada.

Diagnosed with lung cancer, he died in Toronto on May 15, 1974. He was buried in Toronto's Mount Pleasant Cemetery after a service at Grace Church-on-the-Hill.

Married Life

On August 17, 1932 he married Katherine "K" Lockhart Taylor, the daughter of a Winnipeg businessman. K was a spirited young woman, having taken flying lessons, a motor mechanics course, and eventually teaching Guy to how to drive. As a subaltern, Simonds had to ask special permission to marry. They had a daughter, Ruth, born in England in June 1933, and a son Charles born in Kingston in 1934.

While overseas in World War II, Simonds had an affair, which K subsequently discovered while in England in 1946. They separated shortly thereafter, but were not divorced until much later.

Shortly before retirement, Simonds met Dorothy "Do" Sinclair (the widow of George Graham "Gus" Sinclair, whom he married on January 16, 1960.

Assessment

In his book "The Normandy Campaign" Victor Brooks lists Simonds as the most effective corps-level commander of the Allied Forces in Normandy. He wrote:

Max Hastings states: "one of the outstanding Allied corps commanders in Europe, a dour, direct officer who brought unusual imagination to bear on every operational plan for which he was responsible."

Notes

References

External links

Order of Canada Citation

'The Role of the Land Forces in Modern Warfare' An Address by Lieutenant General Guy G. Simonds, C.B., C.B.E., D.S.O., C.D. Chief of the General Staff, Canadian Army to the Empire Club on Thursday, February 14th, 1952

Royal Canadian Artillery Museum Great Gunners Guy Simonds

Reference to William Easton, maternal grandfather

Reference to Gus Sinclair

Grace Church on the Hill

Find a Grave

Mount Pleasant Group

Bio from WWII Database

Photo at Canadian Military History Gateway

Video Clip from Front Page Challenge

Category:1903 births Category:1974 deaths Category:Canadian generals Category:Canadian military personnel of World War II Category:Companions of the Order of Canada Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Category:Recipients of the Canadian Forces Decoration Category:People from Bury St Edmunds Category:Military history of Canada Category:Royal Military College of Canada people

da:Guy Simonds de:Guy Simonds fr:Guy Simonds nl:Guy Simonds pl:Guy Simonds pt:Guy Simonds sl:Guy Granville Simonds

Coordinates	56°09′″N40°25′″N
birthname	Eion Francis Hamilton Bailey
birth date	June 08, 1976
birth place	Santa Ynez Valley, California, United States
occupation	Actor
yearsactive	1997–present }}

Eion Francis Hamilton Bailey (born June 8, 1976) is an American actor, perhaps best known for appearing in the HBO miniseries ''Band of Brothers'' as Pvt. David Kenyon Webster and in the films ''Fight Club'', ''Center Stage'', ''Mindhunters'' and ''Sexual Life''. He currently has a recurring role on the USA Network TV show ''Covert Affairs''.

Biography

Eion Bailey grew up in the Santa Ynez Valley of California. His father owned a small airline service which flew people around the state. Eion tagged along on flights and his father gave him flying lessons after dropping off passengers. His first lesson was at the age of twelve.

When not flying or playing baseball, Eion and his friends frequented Solvang, a small tourist town nearby. He struggled in school until he found his calling in his high school drama department. Eion was soon performing in each school play and went on to study formally at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. Bailey also briefly attended Santa Barbara City College.

In 2007, Bailey was awarded a Daytime Emmy for his performance in the television movie ''Life of the Party''. Bailey has also had recurring guest-starring roles on the TV series ''Dawson's Creek'' and ''ER''.

Philanthropy

During a trip to Peru, Bailey saw a group of children travel 24 miles on foot to school. This led to the creation of Imagine This! TV, a reality TV show chronicling one week philanthropic projects for people all around the world. The network uses an open-source collaboration platform that encourages input from its viewers. Bailey is currently working on getting broadcast distribution for the TV show.

Filmography

''Significant Others (1998) ''Fight Club (film) ''The Young Unknowns'' ''Band of Brothers (TV miniseries) ''The Scoundrel's Wife'' ''And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself'' ''Mindhunters'' ''Life of the Party (2005 film) ''A House Divided'' ''The Canyon'' ''Covert Affairs'' ''30 Rock''

Year !! Film !! Role !! Other notes
rowspan=2	1997	Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series)>Buffy the Vampire Slayer''	Kyle DuFours
''A Better Place''	Ryan
rowspan=2	1998	Significant Others'' ||	Cambell Chasen	Television series
''Dawson's Creek''	Billy Konrad
1999	Fight Club'' ||	Ricky
rowspan=3	2000	|	Joe
''Center Stage''	Jim Gordon
''Almost Famous''	Jann Wenner
2001	Band of Brothers'' ||	Pvt. David Kenyon Webster	Miniseries
2002	|	Ensign Jack Burwell
rowspan=3	2003	|	Frank Thayer	Television film
''Seven and a Match''	Sid
''Without a Trace''	Christopher Mayes
2004	|	Bobby Whitman
rowspan=3	2005	Life of the Party'' ||	Michael
''Sexual Life''	David
''ER (TV series)	ER''	Jake Scanlon
rowspan=4	2006	|	Romi Meir
''CSI: NY''	Dean Lessing
''Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King''	Lonnie Freeman
''Orpheus (TV film)	Orpheus''
rowspan=3	2009	|	Nick
''Cold Case (TV series)	Cold Case''	Patrick 'The Rifle' Lennox
''(Untitled) (2009 film)	(Untitled)''	Josh
rowspan=1	2010	|	Ben Mercer	recurring
rowspan=2	2011	|	Anders	Episode: "It's Never Too Late for Now"
''Law & Order: Criminal Intent''	Adam Winter

References

External links

Category:1976 births Category:Living people Category:American film actors Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:Actors from California Category:Daytime Emmy Award winners Category:American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni

de:Eion Bailey fr:Eion Bailey it:Eion Bailey pl:Eion Bailey pt:Eion Bailey sv:Eion Bailey

Coordinates	56°09′″N40°25′″N
character name	Cat-Man
converted	y
publisher	Holyoke Publishing
debut	''Crash Comics Adventures'' #4 (Sept. 1940)
creators	Charles M. QuinlanIrwin Hasen
alter ego	David Merryweather
species
homeworld
alliances
partners	Kitten
supports
aliases
powers	Super-strength, agility, night vision, nine lives }}

character name	Kitten
converted	y
publisher	Holyoke Publishing
debut	''Cat-Man Comics'' #5 (Dec. 1941)
creators	Charles M. QuinlanIrwin Hasen
alter ego	Katie Conn
species
homeworld
alliances
partners	Cat-Man
supports
aliases
powers	Trained fighter }}

Cat-Man and Kitten (also Catman and Kitten and The Cat-Man and the Kitten) were a pair of superhero characters created by Charles M. Quinlan and Irwin Hasen and first published in 1940 by now-defunct Holyoke Publishing. Due to circumstances in World War II, a radically altered version of the characters would be published in Australia during the war and reprinted in the 1950s. AC Comics would later revive the characters in the 1980s.

Golden Age

In 1940, Tem Publishing Co. (one of Holyoke's several imprints) published a periodical titled ''Crash Comics''. Issue #4 featured the origin and first appearance of the Cat-Man. David Merrywether (Cat-Man) was raised in Burma by a tigress after his parents had been killed. From living with tigers for years, he gained superhuman abilities, such as super-strength, enhanced agility, natural night vision, and the legendary "9 lives" of cats. Eventually, David returned to the U.S. where he was horrified by criminals preying on the innocent. To stop this, he became a private investigator. Later, he would become an officer in the US Army. Assigned to stateside duties, he donned an olive and orange costume with a black cat-head symbol and became Cat-Man.

''Crash Comics'' was replaced by ''Cat-Man Comics'' in May 1941, although, like its predecessor, this new title was a superhero and adventure anthology merely headlined by the titular character. In issue #5 (also numbered vol. 2, #10), Cat-Man encountered Katie Conn, an 11-year-old circus acrobat who fell under the guardianship of her unscrupulous uncle after her parents died in a fire. The uncle forced Katie to steal things for him. Cat-Man intervened on her behalf and made sure her uncle was brought to justice. Since she no longer had a guardian, David adopted Katie. She tried to help him fight crime, sewing a matching red and yellow costume and calling herself the Kitten. At first, David tried to keep her from helping him, but Katie eventually proved herself and the two became partners. As the series continued, Katie matured and David was promoted to the rank of captain.

In ''Cat-Man Comics'' #8, Cat-Man sent Katie to a summer camp where she ran into Mickey Mathews, sidekick of the Deacon, another hero featured in ''Cat-Man Comics''. They had several adventures together as the "Little Leaders." When Cat-Man and Kitten moved to Central City (the Deacon's home town) they continued having adventures both in and out of costume. The "Little Leaders" feature lasted until ''Cat-Man Comics''' cancellation.

''Cat-Man Comics'' ran for 32 issues through 1946, when Holyoke folded. Eventually, the characters fell into the public domain.

Australian revision

Cat-Man would appear in a radically altered, black-and-white version by Australian publisher Gordon & Gotch when American import laws during World War II hindered access to the Holyoke comics. In this Australian revision, Cat-Man had no secret identity or powers, and continued to wear the ''Crash Comics'' outfit. However, Cat-Man was a superb fighter and a brilliant inventor, armed with a Luger pistol, a pair of night vision goggles with the ability to temporarily blind foes with a light that emanated from the goggles, and a utility belt similar to Batman's.

Cat-Man was based in a mountaintop headquarters, with his primary area of operations being that of the Australian outback. However, when situations needed, he would range all over the globe to fight crime. When he did so, he was assisted by his male sidekick, Kit; his fiancée, Terri West, an employee of the United Nations; and her father, Professor West, a famous scientist.

The Australian Cat-Man would run for a shorter period than its predecessor, spanning twelve issues. In the 1950s, Tricho would reprint them as ''Catman Comics'' #13-22. The characters also appeared in the ''Giant Phantom Comics'' series.

Modern Age

AC Comics

In the 1980s, publisher AC Comics created a retconned version of the characters as part of their universe. In this version, Katie's change from a young girl to an adult was given an explanation: mortally wounded by one of their enemies, Katie's life was saved when Cat-Man transferred one of his 9 lives into her. However, this had the effect of automatically aging her into adulthood, although she still retained a child's mentality, causing Cat-Man some consternation in his secret identity. Eventually, her emotional maturity caught up with her physical form, and the pair were married. They soon after decided to enter the Vault of Superheroes, a suspended animation program being run by the US government to preserve heroes should they be needed in the future.

Released from the Vault in the 1980s, they adapted to modern life and became allies to Miss Victory and the members of Femforce. Unfortunately, their primary nemesis, Dr. Macabre, was also revived from a similar hibernation and continues to pose a threat to the Merryweathers.

AC Comics has printed modern stories of Cat-Man and Kitten in its ''Men of Mystery'' anthology; it also reprints some of the Holyoke stories that do not contradict its current continuity.

Due to the female-oriented nature of the AC Comics universe, the duo is sometimes billed as ''Kitten and Cat-Man''.

Dynamite Entertainment

In 2008, Cat-Man and Kitten appeared in flashbacks in Dynamite Entertainment's ''Project Superpowers''. In the ''Project Superpowers: Chapter Two Prelude'' one-shot, it was stated that the two heroes would appear in future issues in this line — Cat-Man as a feral being called Man-Cat, and Kitten as part of a team of kid heroes and sidekicks.

''Project Superpowers: Chapter Two'' showcased an increasing line of public domain superheroes including Cat-Man and Kitten. After being freed from the urn, the Kitten finds herself allied with several teen sidekicks, including the Boy King and his Giant. The group of young heroes sets out to find some of their missing mentors and begin to discover they were not just blessed with increased abilities, but in some instances cursed by them. Kitten discovers Cat-Man living like a feral beast in the jungle. His senses, strength, and agility increased to the level of the great cats he emulated. Unfortunately, his intelligence and demeanor regressed to a similar state and the teen heroes had to snare Cat-Man like a wild beast.

Cat-Man and Kitten become pivotal characters in one of the side stories throughout this series. By series end, Cat-Man regains enough of his senses for Kitten to know the man is still inside the beast.

In other media

An entirely different character named Catman from an alternate reality was featured in ''Justice League'', in the two-part episode "Legends," an homage to the Golden Age Batman and Wildcat.

A entirely different character named "Kitten" appears in the ''Teen Titans'' animated series. She is a cat-themed villain and the daughter of Killer Moth. She is also in love with Robin.

Adam West appears, in animated form, in several episodes of ''The Fairly OddParents'' as himself, and sometimes a superhero named Catman. In this version, his costume looks more similar to the DC Comics villain Catman, but personality-wise is a lot like the Batman of the 1960s ''Batman'' television series (in which West played Batman).

References

External links

Golden Age Cat-Man and Australian Cat-Man at the International Catalog of Superheroes

Category:Comics characters Category:Golden Age superheroes Category:Fictional characters with superhuman strength

it:Cat-Man e Kitten

Coordinates	56°09′″N40°25′″N
name	Richard Simmons
birth date	July 12, 1948
birth place	New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
birth name	Milton Teagle Simmons
occupation	Physical fitness expert, voice actor
years active	1974–present
height
husband	Mark Driscoll
website	www.RichardSimmons.com }}

Milton Teagle Simmons (born July 12, 1948), known professionally as Richard Simmons, is an American fitness personality who promotes weight-loss programs, most famously through his Sweatin' to the Oldies line of aerobics videos and DVDs and is known for his eccentric, outgoing and frequently flamboyant personality. Currently, he also provides the voice of Coach Salmons on the Disney Channel animated series ''Fish Hooks.''

Simmons began his career by opening a gym called Slimmons in Beverly Hills, California, catering to the overweight, and he became widely known through exposure on television and through the popularity of his consumer products. He became a cultural icon, often parodied, and a frequent guest of late night television talk shows such as ''The Late Show With David Letterman''. Today, Simmons continues to promote health and has broadened his activities to include political activism, notably in support of a bill mandating non-competitive physical education in public schools as a part of the "No Child Left Behind" act.

Early life

Richard Simmons was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Simmons was born to show business parents and raised Catholic in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. He attended Cor Jesu High School (now Brother Martin High School). He was obese throughout his adolescence and by the time he graduated from high school, he weighed 268 pounds.

His first job, in New Orleans, was selling pralines at Leah's. After starting college at the University of Southwestern Louisiana, he transferred to Florida State University. While enrolled there, he studied as an exchange student in Florence, Italy. He graduated with a BA in Art. After graduation, Simmons moved to New York City where he worked in advertising, as a waiter, and for cosmetics companies Revlon and Coty Cosmetics.

Fitness career

Upon moving to Los Angeles in the 1970s, Simmons worked as the Maître d' at Derek's, a restaurant in Beverly Hills. He developed an interest in fitness, but was dissatisfied with the unhealthy fad diet methods and the established gyms and exercise studios of the day which favored the already fit customer. It was his interest in fitness that helped him lose .

Simmons later opened his own exercise studio, originally called ''The Anatomy Asylum'', where emphasis was placed on healthy eating in proper portions and enjoyable exercise in a supportive atmosphere. The business originally included a salad bar restaurant called "Ruffage," the name a pun on the word ''roughage'' (dietary fiber), though it was eventually removed as the focus of the ''Asylum'' shifted solely to exercise. Now called ''Slimmons'', the establishment continues operations in Beverly Hills, and Simmons teaches motivational classes and aerobics throughout the week.

On February 16, 2010, Simmons appeared on the ''Dr. Oz Show''. At that time it was stated that Simmons has kept off his own 100+ pound weight loss for 42 years, has been helping others lose weight for 35 years, and that in the course of his fitness career has helped humanity lose approximately 12,000,000 pounds. Simmons now uses the web as a method of outreach by running his own membership based website, and also indicates on his home page that he has established official pages on numerous social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and YouTube.

Media appearances

Simmons began to draw media attention due to the success of his health club that began with an appearance on the television show ''Real People'' where he was shown at work. He introduced customers whom he had helped to lose weight. He later made guest appearances on the celebrity game shows: ''Battlestars'', ''Body Language'', ''Super Password'', the ABC version of ''Match Game'', the syndicated version of ''Hollywood Squares'', ''Win, Lose or Draw'' and Nickelodeon's ''Figure It Out''.

Positive viewer reaction landed Simmons a recurring role as himself on the American soap opera ''General Hospital'', over a four-year period. This in turn led to further media notoriety, as well as personal appearances in shopping malls, where he taught exercise classes. In the early 1980s, Simmons hosted two shows; ''Slim Cookin'', and an Emmy Award-winning talk show, ''The Richard Simmons Show'', in which he focused on personal health, fitness, exercise, and healthy cooking.

Simmons has appeared as himself on numerous TV shows, including ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'', ''CHiPs'', ''Saturday Night Live'', The Larry Sanders Show and on an episode of ''Arrested Development'', "Bringing Up Buster". In 1999, he hosted a short lived TV show called ''DreamMaker''. Eight years later he filmed a pledge drive special for PBS, called ''Love Yourself And Win''.

Simmons has been featured in TV advertisements for Sprint, Yoplait, Herbal Essence Shampoos,and toward the end of 2007, he appeared in a "This is SportsCenter" commercial on ESPN as the show's "conditioning coach." In Canada, Simmons appeared in an advertisement for Simmons mattresses. The mattress company hired the exercise celebrity because of the similarity in name, and for his appeal to the company's target audience of women over 35. Beyond this, there is no further business partnership between the two.

For three years, he hosted a radio show on Sirius Stars, Sirius Satellite Radio channel 102, called ''Lighten Up with Richard Simmons''. The show is no longer in production.

Simmons was a frequent guest on ''The Howard Stern Show'' in the 1990s. While he resolved at one point to refuse future appearances after Stern insulted him one too many times, he finally reappeared on Stern's show on November 16, 2006. He made a follow-up appearance on April 10, 2007, where a comment Stern made led Simmons to run out of the studio, crying hysterically. Simmons was also a frequent guest on ''Late Night with David Letterman'' (NBC) and ''The Late Show with David Letterman'' (CBS). On November 22, 2000, they had a falling out after an incident that occurred on that night's show. Simmons (while dressed as a turkey) was sprayed in the face by Letterman with a fire extinguisher after Simmons grabbed Letterman as if to hug or kiss him, causing Simmons to have a severe asthma attack. Simmons did not appear on the Letterman show for six years, finally returning on November 29, 2006. During that appearance, Letterman once again set Simmons up for a prank. While Richard Simmons was demonstrating a steamer branded with his name, Letterman insisted on placing a tray under the steamer which Simmons did not believe belonged there. When Simmons turned the steamer on, something in the tray exploded and caught fire. Though initially scared, Simmons took the incident in fairly good nature, even joking that he "felt like Michael Jackson" (referring to a mishap where Jackson's hair was set on fire by a pyrotechnics accident). Simmons also appeared on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno''. He and Leno went door-to-door to market Simmons' health program, only to have people spew as many insults at him as they could.

Simmons appeared as a guest on the U.S. version of ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?''

Simmons appears on tracks 1 and 10 of Bob Rivers's 1997 holiday album ''More Twisted Christmas''.

Simmons has appeared multiple times on ''The Glenn Beck Program'' on HLN. Simmons is featured heavily in the film clip of 'Hawker Boat' by Tobacco, taken from the album ''Fucked Up Friends''. Simmons provided the voice for Coach Salmons, a reoccurring character modeled after his own likeness, for the first season of Disney Channel's animated television series ''Fish Hooks'', a Disney Channel Original Series that premiered on September 24, 2010. On December 8, 2010, it was announced that the show has been picked up for a second season. In 2011, Simmons starred in "Fit to Fly with Richard Simmons", an Air New Zealand inflight safety briefing video modeled after his aerobic workouts.

Personal life

Personality

Simmons is noted for his flamboyant, high-energy, motivational demeanor, an attribute he uses to help encourage people to lose weight. His high energy level is always featured in his workout videos. His trademark attire is candy-striped Dolfin shorts and tank tops decorated with Swarovski crystals.

Simmons is known for interacting at a personal level with people using his products. This began by personally answering fan mail he received as a cast member of ''General Hospital''. Simmons still personally answers emails and letters, and makes hundreds of phone calls each week to those who seek his help. He also talked to people on the air during his radio show, and holds weekly live chats in the "clubhouse" area of his website. His appearances also include a "meet and greet" time, so that people can speak to him one on one.

Simmons claims to have few friends, saying "I don't have a lot to offer one person. I have a lot to offer to a lot of people." Aside from his three Dalmatians and two maids, Simmons lives alone in the Hollywood Hills. Although there has been frequent speculation about his sexual orientation due to his campy personality, Simmons has never publicly discussed his sexuality.

Hurricane Katrina response

In September 2005 Simmons appeared on ''Entertainment Tonight'' to discuss the effects of Hurricane Katrina on his family in his hometown of New Orleans and his involvement in aiding those affected by the hurricane. On August 29, 2006 Simmons appeared on ''Your World with Neil Cavuto'' while making a return visit to New Orleans one year after the flooding, a visit he repeated on March 2, 2007, now talking about his recent trip to Washington D.C. to promote and raise awareness about The Strengthening Physical Education Act of 2007 (bill HR 1224).

Print and media

Books

''Never Say Diet'' ISBN 0-517-40284-X

''Never Say Diet Cookbook''

''The Better Body Book''

''Reach for Fitness: A Special Book of Exercises for the Physically Challenged'' Warner Books 1986 ISBN 0-446-51302-4

''Deal-A-Meal Cookbook''

''Richard Simmons' Never Give Up: Inspirations, Reflections, Stories of Hope'' Warner Books, 1984 ISBN 0-446-60085-7

''Farewell to Fat'' Atlantic Books 2002 ISBN 1-57719-102-1

''Sweetie Pie''

''Still Hungry After All These Years: My Story'' Gt Pub Corp 1999 ISBN 1-57719-356-3

''The FoodMover Cookbook''

''Cookin' on Broadway''

''Steam Away the Pounds''

Audio

Audio cassette

''Project Me'' (six tape set)

''Sweatin' and Sharin'''

''Colors of Your Life'' (single tape)

''Colors of Your Life'' (six tape set)

''Secrets of the Winners'' (single tape)

''Take a Walk''

''Take a Hike''

''Take a Classical Walk''

''Walk Across America''

''Walkin' on Broadway''

''Walk Around the World''

''Never Give Up'' (book on tape, read by Simmons)

Compact discs

''Richard Picks the Hits, Volume 1''

''Richard Picks the Hits, Volume 2''

''Country Cardio''

''Oh Happy Day''

''Fitness Fiesta''

''Wicked Workout''

''Big Screen Burn''

''Shimmy Into Shape''

''In the Mood to Lose''

''Classical Chillout''

Vinyl record

''Reach'' (Elektra Records, 1983)

Digital Compact Cassette

''Colors of Your Life (single tape)'' (Goodtimes Entertainment, BASF 90 Min. 1998)

Visual media

DVDs

''Richard Simmons and the Silver Foxes''

''Disco Sweat''

''60's Blast Off''

''80's Blast Off''

''SuperSweatin': Party Off the Pounds''

''SuperTonin': Totally Tonin''

''SuperTonin': Totally Tonin' with Toning Rings''

''Sit Tight''

''Sweatin' to the Oldies''

''Sweatin' to the Oldies 2''

''Sweatin' to the Oldies 3''

''Sweatin' to the Oldies 4''

''Sweatin' to the Oldies 5''

''Love Yourself and Win''

''Boogie Down the Pounds''

''Tonin' to the Oldies''

Video cassette

''Everyday with Richard Simmons''

''The Stomach Formula''

''Get Started''

''Reach for Fitness''

''Richard Simmons and the Silver Foxes''

''Sweatin' to the Oldies''

''Sweatin' to the Oldies 2''

''Sweatin' to the Oldies 3''

''Sweat and Shout'' (also sold as Sweatin to the Oldies 4'')

''Day By Day'' (Volumes 1-12)

''Pump and Sweat''

''Step and Sweat''

''Tone and Sweat''

''Disco Sweat''

''Stretchin' to the Classics''

''Dance Your Pants Off!''

''Tonin' Uptown''

''Tonin' Downtown''

''Groovin' In The House''

''The Ab Formula''

''No Ifs Ands or Butts''

''Love to Stretch''

''Blast Off''

''Broadway Sweat''

''Tone Up On Broadway''

''Broadway Blast Off''

''Platinum Sweat''

''Sit Tight''

''Latin Blast Off'' (also marketed as ''Sudar Mucho'')

''Mega Mix Blast Off''

''Mega Mix 2 Blast Off''

''Disco Blast Off''

''60's Blast Off''

''80's Blast Off''

''Blast and Tone''

Notes

References

Richard Simmons 2006 Interview on ''Sidewalks Entertainment''

Richard Simmons discusses his physical education campaign with education blogger Kevin Carey

Richard Simmons audio interview on physical education at Education Week

Interview with Richard Simmons

Richard Simmons Pushes to Get Kids Active in School interview with USA Today

Fitness Guru Takes Message to Congress on NPR

External links

The official Richard Simmons website

Richard Simmons is a Diet and Fitness Coach at AOL Coaches

Richard Simmons talks about how to remain motivated at Lemondrop.com

Category:1948 births Category:Living people Category:Aerobic exercise Category:American exercise instructors Category:American health and wellness writers Category:American motivational writers Category:American radio personalities Category:American television personalities Category:American voice actors Category:Florida State University alumni Category:People from New Orleans, Louisiana Category:American restaurateurs

es:Richard Simmons fr:Richard Simmons he:ריצ'רד סימונס ja:リチャード・シモンズ pl:Richard Simmons tr:Richard Simmons

Coordinates	56°09′″N40°25′″N
playername	Andrew Symonds
country	Australia
fullname	Andrew Symonds
nickname	Roy, Symmo
living	true
dayofbirth	9
monthofbirth	6
yearofbirth	1975
placeofbirth	Birmingham
countryofbirth	England
heightcm	187.5
weightkg	94
batting	Right-hand
bowling	Right-arm medium Right-arm off break
role	All-rounder
international	true
testdebutdate	8 March
testdebutyear	2004
testdebutagainst	Sri Lanka
testcap	388
lasttestdate	26 December
lasttestyear	2008
lasttestagainst	South Africa
odidebutdate	10 November
odidebutyear	1998
odidebutagainst	Pakistan
odicap	139
lastodidate	3 May
lastodiyear	2009
lastodiagainst	Pakistan
odishirt	63
club1	Queensland
year1	1994–
club2	Gloucestershire
year2	1995–1996
club3	Kent
year3	1999–2004
club4	Lancashire
year4	2005
club5	Deccan Chargers
year5	2008–2010
club6	Surrey
year6	2010
club7	Mumbai Indians
year7	2011 -
columns	4
column1	Test
matches1	26
runs1	1,462
bat avg1	40.61
100s/50s1	2/10
top score1	162*
deliveries1	2,094
wickets1	24
bowl avg1	37.33
fivefor1	0
tenfor1	0
best bowling1	3/50
catches/stumpings1	22/–
column2	ODI
matches2	198
runs2	5,088
bat avg2	39.75
100s/50s2	6/30
top score2	156
deliveries2	5,935
wickets2	133
bowl avg2	37.25
fivefor2	1
tenfor2	n/a
best bowling2	5/18
catches/stumpings2	82/–
column3	FC
matches3	227
runs3	14,477
bat avg3	42.20
100s/50s3	40/65
top score3	254*
deliveries3	17,633
wickets3	242
bowl avg3	36.00
fivefor3	2
tenfor3	0
best bowling3	6/105
catches/stumpings3	159/–
column4	List A
matches4	424
runs4	11,099
bat avg4	34.04
100s/50s4	9/64
top score4	156
deliveries4	11,713
wickets4	282
bowl avg4	33.25
fivefor4	4
tenfor4	n/a
best bowling4	6/14
catches/stumpings4	187/–
date	21 November
year	2009
source	http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/4/4374/4374.html CricketArchive }}

Andrew Symonds (born 9 June 1975, Birmingham, England) is a former Australian cricket team all-rounder. A two-time World Cup winner, Symonds is a right-handed middle order batsman and alternates between medium pace and off-spin bowling.

Since mid-2008, he spent most of the time out of the team, due to disciplinary reasons, including alcohol. In June 2009 he was sent home from the 2009 World Twenty20, his third suspension, expulsion or exclusion from selection in the space of a year. His central contract was then withdrawn, and many cricket analysts have speculated that the Australian administrators will no longer tolerate him, and that Symonds may announce his retirement.

Early life

One of Symonds' biological parents was of West Indian background and the other was believed to be of Danish or Swedish descent. Symonds' adoptive parents Ken and Barbara moved to Australia shortly after his adoption, when he was three months old. Of the adopted siblings, Louise Symonds participated in Gladiators. He also has two non-adopted siblings. He spent the early part of his childhood in Charters Towers, northern Queensland, where his father Ken taught at the private fee paying All Souls St Gabriels School, which Andrew attended. He showed sporting prowess from a very early age. "Dad was cricket mad. He’d throw balls to me five or six days a week, before school, after school. And we’d play all sorts of games inside the house with ping-pong balls and Christmas decorations." Much of his junior cricket was played in Townsville for the Wanderers club, father and son making the 270-kilometre return trip sometimes twice a week. The family later moved to the Gold Coast, where his parents were on the staff of All Saints Anglican School in Merrimac. Symonds was a student at the school.

Overview of cricket career

Symonds is an aggressive right-handed batsman who can also bowl off spin or medium pace, making him a good all-rounder. He is an exceptional fielder, with a report prepared by Cricinfo in late 2005 showing that since the 1999 Cricket World Cup, he had effected the fifth equal most run-outs in ODI cricket of any fieldsman, with the fourth highest success rate. He is very agile for his size and weight (medium-heavy build; 187 cm tall), has excellent reflexes, is able to take catches well and has a powerful and accurate throwing arm. His nickname is Roy, shortened from the name Leroy, after a coach from early in his career believed he resembled local Brisbane NBL hero Leroy Loggins. In 1995, after playing in his first season for English county Gloucestershire, Symonds won the Cricket Writer's Club Young Cricketer of the Year award. Shortly afterwards Symonds was selected as part of the England A team that was to tour Pakistan in the winter, however, he decided not to go, instead choosing to pursue an international career for Australia. His place on the tour was later taken by Middlesex player, Jason Pooley.

Domestic cricket

Australian State Cricket

Since making his debut for the Queensland state team in the 1994–95 season Symonds has scored more than 5,000 runs and taken more than 100 wickets for his state. Symonds scored 113 and took four wickets in a losing cause in the Sheffield Shield final in 1999 and was named Man of the Match in the 2002 Pura Cup final after scoring 123 runs and taking six wickets.

English Counties

Symonds has played for three English counties during his career—Gloucestershire, Kent and Lancashire. Symonds first appearance for an English county was with Gloucestershire. Initially he was considered an England-qualified player, however, following his first season of county cricket in 1995 he declared that his allegiances lay with Australia when he chose not to tour Pakistan with the England A team.

It was in this season though that he hit a record 16 sixes in his unbeaten 254 against Glamorgan at Abergavenny. In doing so, he beat the previous mark set by New Zealand's John R. Reid. Wisden reported that the 16th six ''"landed on a tennis court about over the boundary"'' and ''"though he was undoubtedly helped by the short boundaries, it would have been a hugely effective innings on any ground in the world".'' Symonds added four more sixes in the second innings, to beat the old record of 17 in a match, set by Warwickshire's Jim Stewart against Lancashire at Blackpool in 1959.

Between 1999 and 2004 Symonds played for Kent. One of the highlights of his time there came on 2 July 2004, when he hit a 43-ball 112 for Kent Spitfires in a Twenty20 Cup match against Middlesex Crusaders.

In July 2005 he signed for Lancashire for the rest of the English season having finished duties as part of Australia's ODI squad.

In April 2010 he signed for Surrey Lions ahead of the Friends Provident t20.

Indian Premier League

On 20 February 2008 Symonds signed up with the IPL franchise Deccan Chargers from Hyderabad for US$1,350,000 which made him the second most expensive player in the league at that time. The same team also secured Australian team-mate Adam Gilchrist for US$700,000. The IPL commenced on 18 April 2008. On 24 April 2008 Symonds made 117 not out off 53 balls against the Rajasthan Royals. The Royals ended up winning that match as Symonds bowled the last over and conceded 19 runs when the Royals required 17 runs from six balls.

Symonds missed most of the second season of the IPL due to International commitments. However, he played a crucial part in the triumph of his team towards the end of the season.

Symonds started the third season convincingly scoring two 50s in his first three games with the Mongoose Cricket Bat.

In the fourth season, Symonds was contracted by Mumbai Indians for US$850,000.

International career

Although Symonds was originally qualified to play for England due to it being the country of his birth, in 1995 he decided that he wished to pursue an international career for Australia instead. His international debut came on 10 November 1998, when he played in a One Day International (ODI) for Australia against Pakistan at Lahore. As an ODI player, he is known for scoring runs at an excellent strike rate of over 90, with a highest score of 156.

However, at the start of his international career, Symonds struggled to make an impact with the bat and ball, although his fielding was of high quality, and was not a regular member of the playing XI. He cemented his place in the team in Australia's opening match of the 2003 Cricket World Cup, having being controversially given a lifeline before the start of the tournament when captain Ricky Ponting publicly called for his selection in the team after allrounder Shane Watson had to withdraw due to injury. Australia had no choice but to pick Symonds after their squad was depleted at the start of the campaign; Shane Warne was sent home after failing a drugs test, Darren Lehmann was still serving a suspension for racial abuse, and Michael Bevan was injured.

In the first match against Pakistan, Symonds scored 143* to guide Australia from 4/86 to 8/310, and Australia went on to a heavy victory and won all their matches to claim the World Cup. Following this breakthrough series, Symonds became consistently effective and a core member of the ODI team. Symonds is sometimes branded as a one-day International 'specialist' as his ODI record with both ball and bat are far better than that of his Test match averages.

In March 2004, Symonds made his long-awaited Test debut in Australia's tour of Sri Lanka after showing great form in One Day International cricket in 2003. The decision was regarded as speculative and based on ODI form rather than a proven track record in first-class cricket, and he replaced Simon Katich, who had scored a century and unbeaten fifty in Australia's previous Test.

Playing as a batsman, Symonds encountered difficulty against Muttiah Muralitharan on the dusty, spinning Sri Lankan tracks, failing to pass 25 in any of his four innings, and was dropped after two Test matches in favour of Katich. Australia then continued to pursue their policy of selecting six specialist batsmen in the longer form of the game, and Symonds was not recalled in that time.

He was recalled in November 2005 following the injury to Shane Watson, as Australia's search for an all-rounder continued. After five Tests, with a batting average of 12.62 and a bowling average of 85.00, his position in the team was under a cloud until the 2005 Boxing Day Test. On the first day of the match, he was out caught behind for a golden duck. Then, with his batting average threatening to drop under 10 and bowling average pushing 100, Symonds took 3/50 in the South African first innings before blasting 72 off 54 balls in the second innings (including a new Australian record for the fastest Test fifty—40 balls) and taking 2/6.

At the 2006 Allan Border Medal count, Symonds would have won the One Day player of the year award as he polled the most votes, but was ineligible due to a late night of drinking which led to him turning up still inebriated to a match against Bangladesh, after which he was suspended. Symonds won Player of the Series in the 2005–06 Australian VB Series.

While batting in the second Test in the Australian 2006 tour of South Africa, Symonds was struck in the face of his helmet by a bouncer off Makhaya Ntini. Symonds required four stitches on the inside of his upper lip. Struggling for reliable impact, Symonds was again dropped at the end of this series.

Following the retirement of Damien Martyn during the Ashes in 2006–07 Symonds was again recalled to the team. Scoring just 26 and 2 in his first Test back he found himself under pressure to justify his place in the team. In the Boxing Day Test Symonds faced his biggest challenge when arriving at the crease with Australia in deep trouble at 5/84. After a slow start to his innings he proceeded to score his first Test century, combining with his good friend Matthew Hayden to put on a 279 run partnership and bringing up the century with a six. Symonds was finally dismissed for 156. Although selected in Australia's 15-member World Cup squad he was unavailable for selection for the first few matches because he ruptured his biceps while batting against England on 2 February 2007 in the Commonwealth Bank Tri Series. Surgery was performed and Symonds underwent extensive physical rehabilitation. As a result he missed the remainder of that tournament as well as the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy in New Zealand while Australia suffered their longest losing streak in over a decade. Symonds remarkably made a relatively quick recovery after returning for Australia's win in their last preliminary World Cup match against South Africa. He bowled the final ball of the 2007 Cricket World Cup that was hosted in the West Indies.The final was contested between Australia and Sri Lanka and was shortened to 38/36 overs per side due to rain throughout the day. Even the final few overs of the Sri Lanka innings were played in almost darkness.

Allegations of racial taunts

In 2007, crowds at the One Day Series in Vadodara, Nagpur and Mumbai were seen to offend Symonds with monkey chants. After the BCCI initially denied the incident at Vadodara took place, further incidents occurred at the other grounds in the series.

During Sri Lanka's tour of Australia in 2007–08 he had good form with the bat but had an ankle injury which ruled him out of the rest of the Test series.

During the second Test against India on 2 January 2008 Symonds completed his second Test century, coming to the crease with Australia at 4/119. When Michael Clarke (1) and then Adam Gilchrist (7) were dismissed in quick succession Australia found themselves in poor shape at 6/134. Symonds and Brad Hogg put on a record 7th wicket partnership at the S.C.G (also a record for Australia vs. India) of 173 until Hogg was dismissed for 79. Symonds was the beneficiary of some controversial decisions in the course of his innings. At stumps on the first day, Symonds was not out on 137, and Australia 376/7. By the end of the innings, Symonds finished on 162 not out, when the Australians were finally bowled out for 463. In January 2008, Indian spin bowler Harbhajan Singh received a three-match ban after a complaint that he had racially abused Symonds during the third day of the Second Test at the SCG. It was alleged that Harbahjan called Symonds a "monkey" after Symonds confronted him over touching fellow Australian player Brett Lee. The case was decided by the match referee, Mike Procter, in a hearing held after the match. The BCCI lodged an appeal against the decision. On 29 January 2008, after the hearing of the appeal, at Adelaide by ICC appeals commissioner John Hansen, the racism charge on Harbahjan Singh was not proved and the three Test ban was lifted. However, a lesser charge (Level 2.8 offense) of using abusive language was applied and Harbahjan was fined 50% of his match fee. Hansen later admitted that he "could have imposed a more serious penalty if he was made aware by the ICC of the bowler's previous transgressions"—including a suspended one Test Match ban. The ICC claimed the "database and human errors ... played a part in Harbhajan Singh escaping a more severe penalty during his appeal hearing in Adelaide". Hansen also criticised Symonds in his report accusing him of swearing at Harbahjan after a friendly gesture by Harbahjan towards Brett Lee. It was also reported that senior players had written a letter to John Hansen requesting a downgrading of the charge. The letter was signed by Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting and counter-signed by Michael Clarke, Matthew Hayden and Andrew Symonds. The stump microphone audio from immediately after the alleged incident between Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds was released by Channel Nine.

During the second final of the 2007-08 Commonwealth Bank Series against India on 4 March 2008, Symonds shoulder charged a male streaker who had entered the playing arena. Symonds, who had once considered a career in rugby league with the Brisbane Broncos, may have faced assault charges had the man taken legal action.

Controversy and dismissal

Symonds was set to play for Australia in the August 2008 series against Bangladesh in Darwin, but was sent home to Queensland after missing the team meeting on the Friday while out fishing. Stand-in captain Michael Clarke told the media that Symonds would have to re-evaluate his desire to represent Australia: "The main concern from us is Andrew's commitment, to playing for this team and, in my opinion and I know the rest of the leadership team's opinion, you need to be committed 100 per cent."

He was also not selected for the Australian tour to India in October 2008, as further punishment for his misadventure. After Australia's two-nil series loss, however, he quickly become an integral part of its future plans and was selected to play the Test Series against New Zealand in November. He did not play any significant role in the First Test, which Australia won, but at the end of the Test, on 22 November, was involved in an incident in a Brisbane pub and reported to have been involved in a brawl with another patron who had attempted to hug and have his photo taken with the cricketer. He was subsequently cleared by Cricket Australia to play in the Second Test.

He then played in the first two Tests of the next series against South Africa but performed poorly and was omitted from the team for the Third Test due to injury; at the same time, many critics called for his omission on performance grounds.

In January 2009, Symonds gave an interview with sports comedians Roy & HG, in which he made remarks about the acquisition of New Zealand cricketer Brendon McCullum by the New South Wales Blues to play in KFC Twenty20 final against Victoria, despite McCullum's not having played at all for the Blues previously. Sounding intoxicated, Symonds called McCullum a "lump of shit", and declared that having dinner at the home of team-mate Matthew Hayden was enjoyable because he could glance at Hayden's wife. He was charged by Cricket Australia with violating its code of conduct and was fined, following a hearing with Cricket Australia chief Michael Brown over the 25-minute radio appearance. As a result he was also indefinitely barred from selection until he was deemed to have been successfully rehabilitated, and made to work with a psychologist.

In the meantime, he continued to play for Queensland, but was overlooked for Australia's ongoing international matches, missing three five-match series against South Africa, New Zealand and South Africa respectively. He was finally recalled in April to play ODIs against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.

He was not selected in the 2009 Ashes squad, however, Shane Watson, Andrew McDonald and Marcus North getting the nod instead. In early June 2009, Symonds was sent home from the ICC World Twenty20 tournament in England following a late-night drinking episode after a team dinner. Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland called a press conference to announce Symonds' dismissal, which is likely to mark the end of his international cricket career. and later cancelled.

In June 2009, Symonds told Channel Nine's ''Sixty Minutes'' that he was not an alcoholic but merely a binge-drinker. "I go out and drink hard all in one hit—too fast, too much," he said.

Rugby League

Symonds has been a keen supporter of the Brisbane Broncos since childhood and was considering a switch to rugby league in 2002 when his cricket career was faltering, but ultimately decided to stay in cricket. On 21 June 2009 he played a game for the Wynnum Manly Seagulls against an all star team featuring some noted players including Marcus Bai and Steve Renouf. He has also trained with the Brisbane Broncos in the past. In 2011 he played in the inaugural 'Legend of Origin' match to support victims of the Queensland floods. He played for Queensland alongside such league legends as Gorden Tallis, Wendell Sailor, Mat Rogers and Mal Meninga

Career highlights

;Tests Debut: Against Sri Lanka Galle, 2003–04

Best Test bowling figures: 3/50 (South Africa, Melbourne, MCG, 2005–06).

Best Test batting score: 162* (India, Sydney, SCG, 3 January 2008).

;One-day Internationals Debut: Against Pakistan, Lahore, 1998–99

Best ODI bowling figures: 5/18 (Bangladesh, Manchester, Old Trafford, 2005)

Best ODI batting score: 156 (New Zealand, Wellington, Westpac Stadium, 7 December 2005)

;World Records Symonds holds the world records for the most sixes hit during a first-class innings (16) and during a first-class match (20), both set while playing for Gloucestershire against Glamorgan as a 20 year old. His first innings score was 254 not out.

Notes

References

External links

Category:Australia One Day International cricketers Category:Australia Test cricketers Category:Australia Twenty20 International cricketers Category:Gloucestershire cricketers Category:Kent cricketers Category:Lancashire cricketers Category:Queensland cricketers Category:Australian people of Caribbean descent Category:English emigrants to Australia Category:1975 births Category:Living people Category:Australian people of Black African descent Category:Deccan cricketers Category:Twenty20 Cup centurions Category:People from Birmingham, West Midlands Category:People from the Gold Coast, Queensland Category:Surrey cricketers Category:People educated at All Souls School, Charters Towers

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