Athelete and actor Cliff Simon, who was most known and loved for his recurring role as the villain Ba-al on the Stargate SG 1 TV series, died in a kite-boarding accident Tuesday on Topanga beach in Los Angeles. He was only 58.
Born in South Africa, Simon competed in both swimming and gymnastics. After moving to Britain, he competed in Olympic trials in swimming, but then decided to return to South Africa, where he enlisted in the Air Force. After leaving the Air Force, Simon found work teaching windsurfing and water-skiing as a resort, where he was recruited to join a stage show. He performed around the world as a gymnast, then became a dancer at the Moulin Rouge in Paris. He wrote a book based on his experiences, called “Paris Nights: My Year at the Moulin Rouge.”
Returning from Paris, Simon was cast in the South African TV series “Egoli – Place of Gold” before moving to Hollywood. In 1997, he married his girlfriend in a game lodge in South Africa. After being personally affected by the high levels of crime in Johannesburg, he decided to immigrate to the USA, hoping for a better quality of life. This also gave him the opportunity to further his acting career.After a guest spot on “Nash Bridges,” he won the role of “Ba’al,” a Goa’uld system lord. Cliff’s combination of charming bad guy charisma and wicked sense of humor made him a viewer favorite antagonist, keeping his character recurring for six seasons. He returned to the role for the 2008 Stargate SG1 movie, “Continuum.” Simon also guest starred on “Castle,” “NCIS,” “The Americans,” “Days of Our Lives” and “24.”
In 2015, Simon appeared in a video as Ba’al for the conservation group, Sea Shepherd. In July 2015, Cliff was confirmed for a supporting role in the sci-fi/thriller “Project Eden“. In 2019, Cliff presented the travelogue documentary Uncharted Mysteries (Into the Unknown) which premiered on The History Channel in the U.K. on 24 February 2020. Part survival, part mystery, part travel documentary, Cliff travelled solo across the globe, into some of the most extreme and forbidding landscapes searching for hidden clues to some of the most nightmarish myths of all time.