Simon Sebag-Montefiore
Acting
Biography
Simon Jonathan Sebag Montefiore, born 27 June 1965, is a British historian, television presenter and author of popular history books and novels. Simon Sebag Montefiore was born in London. His father was psychotherapist Stephen Eric Sebag Montefiore (1926–2014), a great-grandson of the banker Sir Joseph Sebag-Montefiore (1822-1903), the nephew and heir of the wealthy philanthropist Sir Moses Montefiore[3] considered by some "the most important Jew of the 19th century". Simon's mother was Phyllis April Jaffé, (1927–2019) from the Lithuanian branch of the Jaffe family. Her parents fled the Russian Empire at the beginning of the 20th century. They bought tickets for New York City, but were cheated, being instead dropped off at Cork, Ireland. Due to the Limerick boycott in 1904 her father Henry Jaffé left the country and moved to Newcastle upon Tyne, England.[4] Simon's brother is Hugh Sebag-Montefiore. The Montefiore family are descended from a line of wealthy Sephardi Jews who were diplomats and bankers all over Europe and who originated from Morocco and Italy. After the Alhambra Decree was issued against the Jews in Spain of 1492, some of Montefiore's ancestors stayed in the country whilst remaining secretly Jewish. During the reign of Philip II of Spain, one of them became governor of a province of Mexico, where he and his family were denounced by a political rival and tortured by the Inquisition. Two teenaged girls were burned alive in Mexico City while a son escaped to Italy and changed his name to Montefiore. Sebag Montefiore was educated at Ludgrove School and Harrow School where he was editor of the school newspaper, The Harrovian. In the autumn of 1983 he interviewed Margaret Thatcher for The Harrovian.He won an Exhibition to read history at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge where he received his Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD).
Known For
This topical debate series based on Any Questions? typically features politicians from at least the three major political parties as well as other public figures who answer pre-selected questions put to them by a carefully selected audience.
Question Time
The big names behind the big stories. Laura Kuenssberg talks to those making the news, inside and outside politics.
Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg
Timewatch is a long-running British television series showing documentaries on historical subjects, spanning all human history. It was first broadcast on 29 September 1982 and is produced by the BBC, the Timewatch brandname is used as a banner title in the UK, but many of the individual documentaries can be found on US cable channels without the branding.
Timewatch
Journalist Pedro Bial discusses the most important current news in Brazil and in the rest of the world.
Conversa com Bial
This seven-hour miniseries explores the foundations of the greatest empires of all time and the incredible stories of Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Cleopatra.
Ancient Empires
No description available.
História do Comunismo
Russia, 1917. After the abdication of Czar Nicholas II Romanov, the struggle for power confronts allies, enemies, factions and ideas; a ruthless battle between democracy and authoritarianism that will end with the takeover of the government by Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks.
Russia 1917: Countdown to Revolution
Author and historian Simon Sebag Montefiore presents a three-part series that illuminates the history of the sacred, and peerlessly beautiful city - Jerusalem.
Jerusalem: The Making of a Holy City
Vienna was the capital of the Habsburg dynasty and home to the Holy Roman Emperors. From here, they dominated middle Europe for nearly 1,000 years. In this series, historian Simon Sebag Montefiore describes how the Habsburgs transformed Vienna into a multi-national city of music, culture and ideas. Napoleon, Hitler, Mozart, Strauss, Freud, Stalin and Klimt all played their part.
Vienna: Empire, Dynasty and Dream
Simon Sebag Montefiore embarks on a fascinating journey to unlock 2,000 years of Spain's history.
Blood and Gold: The Making of Spain with Simon Sebag Montefiore
Simon Sebag Montefiore uncovers the three identities of the city some call the Centre of the World: Byzantium, Constantinople and Istanbul. This one metropolis has been the capital city of three empires - Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman. Each brought its own faiths, Gods and traditions, and each left its mark on the city in its architecture, traditions and in the living faith-communities who still populate this vast modern metropolis of 14 million people.
Byzantium: A Tale of Three Cities
A diminutive twentysomething 'Soso' (a nickname given to him by his mother) leads a group of revolutionaries in a massive bank heist to rob the Imperial Bank in 1907 Tbilisi. In the process, Soso becomes the man known as Joseph Stalin.
Young Stalin
Author and historian Simon Sebag Montefiore presents a three-part series uncovering the central role played by religion in creating and maintaining the power of the city of Rome.
Rome: A History Of The Eternal City
Plot TBA; to be about the 1942 Moscow meeting between Winston Churchill and Josef Stalln — a pivotal moment that led to the Allied victory three years later.
Untitled Churchill/Stalin Film
Computer animation, historical documents, archive film, and other media help recreate July 20 1944, the day Hitler's generals attempted to assassinate him.