Simon Lucas Baker (born 30 July 1969) is an Australian actor in television and film, as well as a director. He is known for his lead roles in the CBS television series The Mentalist as Patrick Jane and The Guardian as Nicholas Fallin and has starred in several Hollywood films.

Early life
Baker was born in Launceston, Tasmania. His father, Larry, was a mechanic and school caretaker, and his mother, Liz, was a high school English teacher. He has an older sister, two half-brothers and a half-sister. Baker's family moved to New Guinea when Baker was nine months old. His parents' marriage ended when he was two and his father did not get in touch until Baker was an adult. His mother remarried to Tom Denny, a butcher, but Baker did not get on well with his stepfather. His mother and stepfather later divorced.

Baker spent part of his childhood living in the suburbs of Sydney but he mainly grew up in the Northern Rivers coastal town of Lennox Head, New South Wales. He attended high school at Ballina High School and Trinity Catholic College. Baker has been an avid surfer since his youth and he considers surfing and the relationships with his surfing friends an important part of his upbringing.