David John Townsend, professionally known as David Simeon, is a British actor born on May 17, 1943, in Chippenham, Wiltshire.
Simeon's acting career began after being accepted into the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he completed his training in 1964. He started working in Wiltshire rep and Birmingham rep before transitioning to theatre and television in the late 1960s.
His first television role was as a murderer in Sexton Blake, which he attributes to his honest face. This led to his move to London and a steady stream of theatre and television work, including small parts in Doctor Who serials Inferno (1970) and The Dæmons (1971).
Throughout the 1970s, Simeon secured guest roles in various television series, such as Paul Temple, Z-Cars, Fawlty Towers, The Pathfinders, and The Liver Birds. In 1973, he landed his first major regular role as Detective Constable Mickey Finn in Hunter's Walk, appearing in 38 episodes until 1976.
In the 1980s, Simeon continued to gain regular roles in television series, including End of Part One (1979-80),impersonating television personalities, Vice Versa (1981),Coronation Street (1981),The New Adventures of Lucky Jim (1982),Jury (1983),and Angels. He also appeared in several episodes of the hospital drama.
In 1988, Simeon had a role in the hit John Cleese film A Fish Called Wanda. During the 1990s and 2000s, he continued to work extensively in theatre and on television, appearing in Coronation Street, Casualty, EastEnders, The Bill, and Lucy Sullivan Is Getting Married.