Simon Cornwell (born 7 March 1957) is co-chief executive of The Ink Factory together with his brother Stephen Cornwell.[1] They are two of the four sons of the British spy David Cornwell, better known under his pen name John le Carré.[2][3] The company oversees dramatic adaptations of le Carré's novels for the screen and stage.[4][5]
Early life
Simon Anthony Vivian Cornwell was born on 7 March 1957 in Somerset, England, to Ann Martin and David Cornwell, who had met as teenagers. Simon is the oldest of their three sons, the other two being Stephen, his co-CEO of The Ink Factory, and the journalist Tim Cornwell (1962-2022).[6] The couple divorced in 1971 and in 1972 David married his literary agent Jane Eustace and had his fourth son with her, the novelist Nick Harkaway.[2]
Growing up, Cornwell traveled around Europe before settling in Crete, a Greek island, where his father pursued a career as a writer. He then attended the small Frilsham preparatory school in Berkshire (closed in 1968) before going on to the prestigious Westminster School in London.[1]
Cornwell attended the University of Oxford, where he studied modern languages. He later worked on the Thai-Laos-Cambodia border for the International Rescue Committee. He helped build Khao-I-Dang, a temporary refugee camp. He also studied management at the University of Yale in the United States.[1]
Career
Among the le Carré works that Cornwell has shepherded to the television is the novel The Night Manager, as both English[7] and Hindi-language television series.[5]
His latest producing work is The Little Drummer Girl miniseries, which is based on le Carré's novel of the same name, starring Florence Pugh and Alexander Skarsgård, and directed by Park Chan-wook.[1]
He also executive produced an upcoming series entitled Legacy of Spies, which the first season will be based on le Carré's 1963 novel The Spy Who Came in From the Cold while also drawing on material from his 2017 novel A Legacy of Spies. His brother Stephen Cornwell and Clarrisa Ingram serve as writers, and Michael Lennox and Claudia Llosa serve as directors of the series.[8]
Prior to serving as Co-CEO of The Ink Factory, Cornwell worked at Boston Consulting Group, developed a company that combined live games with television, and worked as a venture capitalist at Amadeus Capital.[1]
Filmography
Film
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | A Most Wanted Man | Yes | |
| 2016 | Our Kind of Traitor | Yes | |
| Message from the King | Yes | ||
| Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk | Associate | ||
| 2018 | Hotel Artemis | Yes | |
| 2023 | The Pigeon Tunnel | Yes | |
| TBA | Gold Mountain † | Yes | [9] |
Television
| † | Denotes television productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Executive producer |
Network(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–present | The Night Manager | Yes | BBC (United Kingdom) AMC (United States; series 1) Amazon Prime Video (Worldwide[a]; series 2) |
British series |
| 2018 | The Little Drummer Girl | Yes | BBC (United Kingdom) AMC (United States) |
|
| 2023 | The Night Manager | Yes | Disney+ Hotstar (India) | Indian series |
| TBA | Legacy of Spies † | Yes | BBC (United Kingdom) MGM+ (United States) |
[8] |
Notes
- Excluding the United Kingdom
References
- "Simon Cornwell: The secret agent's son | Royal Television Society". rts.org.uk. 2018-08-31. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
- Scott, Interviews by Caroline (2024-12-22). "John le Carré's sons on their father's affairs". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
- Mensah, Katelyn. "John le Carré's sons on the journey of making The Pigeon Tunnel | Radio Times". www.radiotimes.com. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
- Ramachandran, Naman (2025-05-21). "John Le Carre's 'The Spy Who Came In From the Cold' Sets London West End Bow". Variety. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
- Shackleton, Liz (2023-02-09). "The Ink Factory's Simon Cornwell, Sandeep Modi On Hindi Adaptation Of 'The Night Manager' & Potential For Second Season". Deadline. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
- "Obituaries: Tim Cornwell, respected Scotsman arts correspondent". The Scotsman. 2022-06-08. Retrieved 2026-05-16.
- Daswani, Mansha (2020-04-23). "The Ink Factory's Simon Cornwell". WORLD SCREEN. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
- "Hugh Laurie and Joe Alwyn join John Le Carré's Legacy Of Spies as further casting announced". www.bbc.co.uk (Press release). 10 June 2026. Retrieved 21 June 2026 – via BBC.
- Kroll, Justin; Wiseman, Andreas (13 May 2026). "Chedi Chang, Sophia Xu, Yao, Zine Tseng And Owen Teague To Star In Ang Lee's 'Gold Mountain' As Production Gets Underway". Deadline. Retrieved 21 June 2026.