Simon Rex
Template:Short description Template:Redirect Template:Pp-move Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox person Simon Rex Cutright (born July 20, 1974),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> known professionally as Simon Rex and his stage name Dirt Nasty, is an American actor and rapper. Rising to fame as an MTV VJ, Rex later became an actor known for What I Like About You, starring in three films of the Scary Movie franchise, and National Lampoon's Pledge This!. He later developed a rap persona, Dirt Nasty, and had several solo albums and co-founded the hip-hop group Three Loco. In 2021, he received critical acclaim for his lead role in Sean Baker's drama film Red Rocket, winning the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead.
Early life
[edit]Rex was born in San Francisco, California, and raised in Alameda,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the son of Zoe, an environmental consultant, and Paul, a relationship coach.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His mother is Jewish and he has identified as Jewish.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Rex was an only child who grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Rex's father was a breath-work coach (in the tradition of alternative psychologist Stanislav Grof) who left the family when Rex was little. At age 18, he was attending community college and working at a potato-sack factory when he began dating and living with a model in Oakland.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
Career
[edit]Early work in porn and on MTV (1993–1998)
[edit]In 1993, aged 19, Rex responded to an advertisement in a Los Angeles magazine and agreed to be photographed nude for photographer Brad Posey and his Club 1821 studio. The following year, under the alias "Sebastian", he appeared in solo masturbation scenes for three gay Club 1821 pornographic films: Young, Hard & Solo #2, Young, Hard & Solo #3, and Hot Sessions III. Archive footage of Rex was also used in the 2000 films Hot Sessions 11 and Hot Sessions 12.<ref name="ferguson">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
One day, while Rex was driving his girlfriend to a casting audition and also watching her child as she prepared to audition, a casting director spotted him sitting in the waiting room and the next day he was on a flight to Milan to work as a model.<ref name=":0" /> In 1994, Rex went on a modeling tour for Tommy Hilfiger, before going on to appear in mainstream modeling gigs for Calvin Klein Inc, Versace, and Levi's.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ferguson" />
In 1995, MTV hired Rex to work as a VJ and kept him on the air for over two years before he and two other VJs were let go.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Television and film (1999–2017)
[edit]In 1999, he was cast in the comedy-drama television series Jack & Jill, which aired on The WB channel for two seasons. He appeared as Eli in the TV show Felicity and television guest appearances followed including Baywatch, Everwood, and Summerland.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Starting in 2002, Rex starred with Amanda Bynes in the sitcom What I Like About You.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2006, he appeared on the Lifetime primetime telenovela Monarch Cove, which ran for fourteen episodes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> From television into film, Rex has held the lead role in feature films including Scary Movie 3, 4, & 5,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Hotel California,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Karate Dog,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> King of the Avenue,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Superhero Movie. Rex more recently starred alongside comedian Nick Swardson in the Comedy Central show, Typical Rick, which ran for two seasons from 2016 to 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Music (2005–2020)
[edit]Rex entered the music industry in 2005 as a rap artist after becoming friends with and discovering Mickey Avalon.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Rex adopted his alter ego Dirt Nasty<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and formed the rap group Dyslexic Speedreaders with Avalon & Andre Legacy. Rex both produced and was featured on the group's hit song "My Dick".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Again the group paired with Lil Jon to create the song "What Do You Say" which was featured in 2009's blockbuster comedy film, The Hangover.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Rex was an investor in the New York City nightclub The Plumm with partners Noel Ashman, Samantha Ronson, Chris Noth, and others. It opened in 2006 and closed in 2009.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2007, Dirt Nasty released his self-titled debut album which included the songs 1980, Cracker Ass Fantastic & Dropping Names.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His second album, 2011's Nasty as I Wanna Be, featured Ke$ha, LMFAO, Too Short, and Warren G.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Rex's other musical projects under his Dirt Nasty alias include his third album Palatial, and the supergroup Three Loco which features Andy Milonakis and Riff Raff. As Three Loco, the group teamed up with producer Diplo and released the group's eight-song EP on Diplo's Mad Decent label.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Dirt Nasty appeared in Season 1, episode 5 of Paris Hilton's My New BFF where the girls had to play "Seven Minutes in Heaven" with him.
Film resurgence (2021–present)
[edit]In 2020, Rex, stuck in a floundering music endeavor with film opportunities having dried up, received a call from director Sean Baker asking him to send in a video audition for the film Red Rocket, after which he was quickly offered the lead role.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":3"/> Rex stated: "Sean Baker gave me a shot when nobody else would ... I didn't really work for over a decade. And I think Sean wanted to prove to people that he could show someone like me could do it."<ref name="RedRocketComeback">Template:Cite web</ref> The film premiered in competition for the Palme d'Or at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and the film - and particularly Rex's performance - received overwhelmingly positive reviews.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Simon Rex Charts His Journey from Hollywood Pariah to 'Red Rocket' Oscar Contender</ref> The film was considered a serious acting career breakthrough for Rex and his comeback in the industry.<ref name="RedRocketComeback"/>
In October 2021, as a result of the attention Red Rocket had garnered, Rex signed with the management firm Range Media Partners. He next appeared in Mack & Rita, starring Diane Keaton, followed by Down Low with Zachary Quinto. Soon after that, he was cast in a number of other films that premiered in film festivals, such as Americana and The Sweet East.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Anthem">Template:Cite web</ref> Other film appearances include Greedy People, Blink Twice, and Everything's Going to Be Great. He was cast in a supporting role in The Leader, a biopic about the Heaven's Gate cult led by Marshall Applewhite.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Rex appeared in the April 2, 2022 episode of Saturday Night Live hosted by Jerrod Carmichael with musical guest Gunna, in the music video "Short-Ass Movies", where in addition to appearing as himself, his face is used for Ernest P. Worrell.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Other activities
[edit]In late 2023, Rex co-founded a re-launched men's skincare brand out of Colorado known as MOX.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As the face of the brand, he regularly promotes MOX products on his social media and during interviews.<ref>Template:Cite Instagram</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal life
[edit]In his late 40s, Rex reconnected with his father. They shared a "psychedelic experience" during which Rex learned his grandfather was a "spiritual leader" who was "not always the most faithful member of his flock."<ref name=":0" />
Rex bought a house in Laurel Canyon after the success of Scary Movie 3. He was living in a guesthouse in the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles when he was offered US$70,000 by British tabloids to falsely claim he had dated Meghan Markle, his co-star in Cuts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Tabloids speculated that he had dated Paris Hilton, but he insisted they were just "friends that held hands."<ref name=":0" />
Rex lives off the grid in Joshua Tree, California, in the middle of the Mojave Desert.<ref name=":0" />
Filmography
[edit]| Template:Dagger | Denotes productions that have not yet been released |
Film
[edit]Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Baywatch | Himself | Episode: "Beachblast" |
| 1999 | Felicity | Eli | 4 episodes |
| Katie Joplin | Tiger French | Main role; 5 episodes | |
| 1999–2001 | Jack & Jill | Michael "Mikey" Russo | Main role; 32 episodes |
| 2002–03 | What I Like About You | Jeff Campbell | Main role (season 1); 21 episodes |
| 2004 | Template:Sortname | Det. Peter Fowler | Television film |
| 2004–05 | Summerland | Sun | 2 episodes |
| 2005 | Cuts | Harrison | 2 episodes |
| Everwood | Cliff Fenton | Episode: "So Long, Farewell..." | |
| 2006 | Monarch Cove | Eddie Lucas | Main role; 14 episodes |
| 2010 | Nick Swardson's Pretend Time | Brian | Episode: "I Just Got Voodoo'd" |
| 2014 | Happyland | Tony | Episode: "Park Maintenance" |
| 2015 | Perception | Roy Meier | Episode: "Meat" |
| NCIS | Scott Bleeker | Episode: "Status Update" | |
| 2016–17 | Typical Rick | Rick | 12 episodes |
| 2020 | The Real Bros of Simi Valley | DJ Womp Womp | Episode: "Lights Out Gringos" |
| 2022 | Saturday Night Live | Himself/Dirt Nasty | Episode: "Jerrod Carmichael/Gunna" |
| 2023 | Bupkis | Ben/Crispy | Episode: "Crispytown" |
| 2024 | It's Florida, Man | Eric Merda | Episode: "Gator" |
| 2025 | Mo | Guy | Season 2 |
Music videos
[edit]| Year | Title | Artist | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | "She Wants to Move" | N.E.R.D | Hot guy |
| 2009 | "Tik Tok" | Kesha | Barry |
| 2010 | "Yes" | LMFAO | Dirt Nasty |
| 2011 | "Sexy and I Know It" | LMFAO | Guy on bicycle |
| 2012 | "Bird on a Wire" | Action Bronson featuring Riff Raff | Dirt Nasty |
| 2016 | "World Wide Lamper" | Kool Keith featuring B.a.R.S. Murre & Dirt Nasty | Dirt Nasty |
| 2020 | "Burning Man" | Jonah and Jeff Wittek | Dirt Nasty |
| 2024 | "Lucky" | Halsey | Love interest |
| 2024 | "BBA" | Paris Hilton featuring Megan Thee Stallion | Party guest |
Discography
[edit]Studio albums
[edit]- Catching Up to Wilt (with Mickey Avalon, Andre Legacy, and Beardo) (2004)
- Dirt Nasty (2007)
- Shoot to Kill (with Mickey Avalon, Andre Legacy, and Beardo) (2008)
- The White Album (with DJ Stretch Armstrong) (2010)
- Nasty as I Wanna Be (2010)
- Palatial (2013)
- The White Boys (with Andre Legacy and Beardo) (2014)
- Breakfast in Bed (with Smoov-e) (2015)
- Dirt Nasty Sux (2016)
Mixtapes
[edit]- The White Album (2010)
- Shoot to Kill Mixtape (with Mickey Avalon, Andre Legacy, & BEARDO) (2008)
Extended plays
[edit]- Extended Package (with Jack Splash as Chain Swangaz) (2011)
- ¡Three Loco! (with Andy Milonakis and Riff Raff) (2012)
Guest appearances
[edit]- Mickey Avalon – "My Dick" from Mickey Avalon (2005)
- Mickey Avalon – "What Do You Say" from Mickey Avalon (2006)
- Luckyiam – "Nevermind" from Most Likely to Succeed (2007)
- Verb – "1980 Gutter" from The East Side Extraterrestrial EP (2009)
- Mac Lethal – "My Cadillac" from Postcards from Kansas EP
- Kool Keith – "World Wide Lamper" from Feature Magnetic (2016)
- Pete Davidson – "Short Ass Movie" on SNL (2022)
Productions
[edit]- The Grouch & Eligh – "Can't Catch Me" from No More Greener Grasses (2003)
- Luckyiam – "Rap, Rap, Rap" from Most Likely to Succeed (2007)
Awards and nominations
[edit]References
[edit]External links
[edit]- 1974 births
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- American male film actors
- Male models from California
- American male rappers
- Hip-hop albums by American artists
- American male television actors
- Hip-hop musicians from San Francisco
- Jewish American male actors
- Living people
- Male actors from San Francisco
- Nightclub owners
- Rappers from the San Francisco Bay Area
- American video jockeys
- 21st-century American Jews
- 21st-century American male musicians
- 21st-century American rappers