Coordinates	40°37′29″N73°57′8″N
Common name	Monaco
Native name	''Principatu de Múnegu'' (Monégasque) ''Principauté de Monaco'' (French)
Conventional long name	Principality of Monaco
Image coat	Coat of Arms of Monaco.svg
Map caption
National motto	''"Deo Juvante"''(Latin)"With God's Help"
National anthem	File:Monaco National Anthem.ogg''Hymne Monégasque''
Capital	Monaco
Largest settlement type	Most populated ''quartier''
Largest settlement	Monte Carlo
Official languages	French
Languages type	Common languages
Languages	Monégasque, Italian and English
Ethnicities	French 47%, Monegasque 16%, Italian 16%, other 21%
Government type	Constitutional monarchyPrincipality
Leader title1	Prince
Leader title2	Minister of State
Leader title3	President of the National Council
Leader name1	Albert II
Leader name2	Michel Roger
Leader name3	Stéphane Valeri
Area km2	1.98
Area sq mi	0.76
Area rank	234th
Area magnitude	1 E6
Percent water	0.0
Population estimate	35,986
Population estimate year	2011
Population estimate rank	211th
Population density km2	15,142
Population density sq mi	39,217
Population density rank	1st
Population census	35,352
Population census year	2008
Gdp ppp	$6.888 billion
Gdp ppp year	2011
Gdp ppp rank	n/a
Gdp ppp per capita	$186,175
Gdp ppp per capita rank	n/a
Gdp nominal	US$6.581 billion
Gdp nominal year	2011
Gdp nominal rank	n/a
Gdp nominal per capita	$151,630
Gdp nominal per capita rank	n/a
Hdi year	2010
Hdi	0.946 (1st)
Hdi category	very high
Sovereignty type	Independence
Established event1	House of Grimaldi
Established date1	1297
Established event2	Constitution
Established date2	1911
Currency	Euro
Currency code	EUR
Time zone	CET
Utc offset	+1
Time zone dst	CEST
Utc offset dst	+2
Demonym	Monégasque or Monegasque
Cctld	.mc
Calling code	+377
|drives on	right
Footnote1	Monaco is a city-state.
Footnote2	GDP per capita calculations include non-resident workers from France and Italy. }}

Monaco (), officially the Principality of Monaco (; Monégasque: ''Principatu de Múnegu''; ; ), is a sovereign city state on the Côte d'Azur (French Riviera). It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011. Monaco boasts the world's highest GDP nominal per capita at $151,630 and is the most densely populated country in the world. Monaco also has the world's highest life expectancy at almost 90 years, and the lowest unemployment rate. After a recent expansion of Port Hercule Monaco's total area is , with new plans to extend the district of Fontvieille, with land reclaimed from the Mediterranean Sea.

Monaco is a principality governed under a form of constitutional monarchy, with Prince Albert II as head of state. The House of Grimaldi has ruled Monaco since 1297, and the state's sovereignty was officially recognized by the Franco-Monegasque Treaty of 1861. Despite Monaco being independent and pursuing its own foreign policy course, its national defence is the responsibility of France.

Administrative divisions

Overview

Monaco is the second smallest country (by size) in the world; only the Vatican City is smaller. Monaco is also the world's second smallest monarchy, and is the most densely populated country in the world. The state consists of only one municipality (''commune''). There is no geographical distinction between the State and City of Monaco, although responsibilities of the government (state-level) and of the municipality (city-level) are different. According to the constitution of 1911, the principality was subdivided into three municipalities:

Monaco (Monaco-Ville), the old city on a rocky promontory extending into the Mediterranean, known as the Rock of Monaco, or simply Le Rocher (the Rock), where the palace is located;

Monte Carlo, the principal residential and resort area with the Monte Carlo Casino in the east and northeast;

La Condamine, the southwestern section including the port area, Port Hercule.

The municipalities were merged into one in 1917, after accusations that the government was acting according to the motto "divide and conquer," and they were accorded the status of wards (''quartiers'') thereafter.

Fontvieille was added as fourth ward, a newly constructed area reclaimed from the sea (in the 1970s) also a new district inside of Fontvieille is planned;

Moneghetti became the fifth ward, created from a part of La Condamine;

Larvotto became the sixth ward, created from a part of Monte Carlo;

La Rousse/Saint Roman (including Le Ténao) became the seventh ward, also created from a part of Monte Carlo.

Subsequently, three additional wards were created:

Saint Michel, from a part of Monte Carlo;

La Colle, from a part of La Condamine;

Les Révoires, from a part of La Condamine.

An additional ward was planned by new land reclamation, to be settled beginning in 2014; however, Prince Albert II announced in his 2009 New Year Speech that he had ended plans due to the current economic climate. However a new expansion of Fontvieille is expected to be complete by 2015.

Traditional quarters and modern geographic areas

The traditional four quarters of Monaco are: Monaco-Ville, La Condamine, Monte Carlo and Fontvieille. These quarters and Moneghetti are the five "modern geographic areas", defined by the Monaco Department of Tourism which is situated in Monaco-Ville.

Wards

Currently the principality is subdivided into ten wards (with their official numbers; Le Portier, the proposed ward, was anticipated as number 11):

Ward (country subdivision)City blockMonaco-VilleMonte CarloSaint Roman (community)LarvottoSaint Michel, MonacoLa CondamineLa Colle, MonacoLes Révoires (''Hector Otto-Honoré Labande'')MoneghettiFontvieille, MonacoLe Portier Monaco

No.	Ward ||	Area(km²)	Population(Censusof 2008)	Densitykm2	CityBlocks''(îlots)''||Remarks
colspan="7" style="text-align:center; background:#efefef;"	Former municipality of Monaco
05	|	0.19	1,034	5597	19	Old City with palace
colspan="7" style="text-align:center; background:#efefef;"	Former municipality of Monte Carlo
01	Monte Carlo/Spélugues (''Bd. Des Moulins-Av. de la Madone'')||	0.30	3,834	10779	20	the casino and resort area
02	La Rousse/Saint Roman (''Annonciade-Château Périgord'')||	0.13	3,223	30633	15	in the northeast, incl. Le Ténao
03	Larvotto/Bas Moulins (''Larvotto-Bd Psse Grace'')||	0.34	5,443	16570	15	eastern beach area
10	Saint Michel (''Psse Charlotte-Park Palace'')||	0.14	3,907	26768	24	central residential area
colspan="7" style="text-align:center; background:#efefef;"	Former municipality of La Condamine
04	|	0.27	3,947	16213	27	port area in the northwest
07	La Colle (''Plati-Pasteur-Bd Charles III'')||	0.11	2,829	15005	15	Cap-d'Ail>Cap d'Ail
08	|	0.08	2,545	33203	11	containing the Jardin Exotique de Monaco
09	Moneghetti/ Bd de Belgique (''Bd Rainier III-Bd de Belgique'') ||	0.10	3,003	28051	18
colspan="7" style="text-align:center; background:#efefef;"	New land reclaimed from the sea
06	Fontvieille ||	0.35	3,901	10156	9	started 1971
11	|	0.12(1)	–	-	-	plans put on hold by Prince Albert II in 2009
	|	2.05	35,352	16217	173

''Note: for statistical purposes, the wards of Monaco are further subdivided into 173 city blocks (îlots), which are comparable to the census blocks in the United States''.

History

Monaco's name comes from the 6th century BC nearby Phocaean Greek colony. Referred to the Ligurians as ''Monoikos'', from the Greek "μόνοικος", "single house", from "μόνος" (''monos'') "alone, single" + "οἶκος" (''oikos'') "house", which bears the sense of a people either settled in a "single habitation" or of "living apart" from others. According to an ancient myth, Hercules passed through the Monaco area and turned away the previous gods. As a result, a temple was constructed there, the temple of Hercules Monoikos. Because the only temple of this area was the "House" of Hercules, the city was called Monoikos.

Following a land grant from Emperor Henry VI in 1191, Monaco was re-founded in 1215 as a colony of Genoa. Monaco was first ruled by a member of the House of Grimaldi in 1297, when Francesco Grimaldi ("''Il Malizia''", translated from Italian either as "The Malicious One" or "The Cunning One") and his men captured the fortress protecting the Rock of Monaco while he was dressed as a Franciscan monk – a ''Monaco'' in Italian, although this is a coincidence as the area was already known by this name. Francesco, however, was chased off only a few years afterwards by the Genovese forces, and the struggle over "the Rock" continued for another century.

In 1419. the Grimaldis purchased Monaco from the crown of Aragon and became the official and undisputed rulers of "the Rock of Monaco", and it was in 1612 Honore II began to style himself "Prince" of Monaco. In the 1630s, Honore II sought French protection against the Spanish forces and was eventually, in 1642, received in the court of Louis XIII as "Duc et Pair Etranger". The princes of Manaco thus became a vassal of the French kings while at the same time remained a sovereign prince. As the successive princes and their families spent most of their lives in Paris, and through marriages with French nobilities, the House of Grimaldi, Italian in origin, became thoroughly French in character. The principality continued its existence as a protectrate of France until the Great Revolution.

In 1793, French Revolutionary forces captured Monaco and it remained under direct French control until 1814 when the Bourbons returned to the throne. The principality was re-established that year, only to be designated a protectorate of the Kingdom of Sardinia by the Congress of Vienna in 1815. Monaco remained in this position until 1860 when, by the Treaty of Turin, the Sardinian forces pulled out of the principality and the surrounding county of Nice (as well as Savoy) was ceded to France. Monaco became a French protectrate once again. Prior to this time there was unrest in Menton and Roquebrune where the townspeople had been weary of heavy taxation by the Grimaldis, and declared independence hoping for annexation by Sardinia. France protested. The unrest continued until Charles III gave up his claim to the two mainland towns (some 95% of the principality) that the Grimaldis ruled for over 500 years. They were ceded to France in return for 4,100,000 francs. The transfer and Monaco's sovereignty was recognised by the Franco-Monegasque Treaty of 1861. In 1869, the principality stopped collecting income tax from its residents; indulgence the Grimaldis could afford to entertain thanks solely to extraordinary success of the casino. This made Monaco not only the playground for the rich, but the place to live.

20th century

Until the Monegasque Revolution of 1910 forced the adoption of the 1911 constitution, the princes of Monaco were absolute rulers. The long over-due constitution, however, barely reduced the autocratic rule by the Grimaldis and Albert I soon suspended it. In July 1918, the Franco-Monegasque Treaty was signed providing for limited French protection over Monaco. The treaty, endorsed in 1919 by the Treaty of Versailles, established that Monegasque international policy would be aligned with French political, military, and economic interests, and resolved the Monaco Succession Crisis.

In 1943, the Italian army invaded and occupied Monaco, setting up a Fascist administration. Shortly thereafter, following Mussolini's collapse in Italy, the Nazi German Wehrmacht occupied Monaco and began the deportation of the Jewish population. The prominent French Jew René Blum (Paris, 13 March 1878 – Auschwitz, 30 April 1943), who founded the Ballet de l'Opera in Monte Carlo, was arrested in his Paris home and held in the Drancy deportation camp outside Paris, France whence he was then shipped to the Auschwitz concentration camp, where he was killed.

Rainier III, who ruled until 2005, acceded to the throne following the death of his grandfather, Prince Louis II, in 1949. On 19 April 1956, Prince Rainier married the American actress Grace Kelly; the event was widely televised and covered in the popular press, focusing the world's attention on the tiny principality.

A new constitution in 1962 abolished capital punishment, provided for women's suffrage, and established a Supreme Court of Monaco to guarantee fundamental liberties. In 1993, the Principality of Monaco became a member of the UN, with full voting rights. In 2002, a new treaty between France and Monaco specified that, should there be no heirs to carry on the Grimaldi dynasty, the principality would still remain an independent nation rather than revert to France. Monaco's military defence, however, is still the responsibility of France.

On 31 March 2005, Prince Rainier III, too ill to exercise his duties, relinquished them to his only son and heir, Prince Albert Alexandre Louis. Prince Rainier died on 6 April 2005, after a reign of 56 years, and his son, by Princess Grace, succeeded him as Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco.

Following a period of official mourning, Prince Albert II formally assumed the princely crown on 12 July 2005, in a celebration that began with a solemn Mass at Saint Nicholas Cathedral, where his father had been buried three months earlier. His accession to the Monegasque throne was a two-step event, with a further ceremony, drawing heads of state for an elaborate ''levée'', held on 19 November 2005 at the historic Prince's Palace in Monaco-Ville.

Law and government

Monaco has been governed under a constitutional monarchy since 1911, with the Sovereign Prince of Monaco as monarch. The executive branch consists of a Minister of State (the head of government), who presides over a five-member Council of Government. Until 2002, the Minister of State was a French citizen appointed by the prince from among candidates proposed by the French government; since a constitutional amendment in 2002, the Minister of State can be French or Monegasque. However, Prince Albert II appointed, on 3 March 2010, the Frenchman Michel Roger as Minister of State.

Under the 1962 constitution, the prince shares his power with the unicameral National Council (parliament). The twenty-four members of this legislative body are elected from lists by universal suffrage for five-year terms. The principality's local affairs are directed by the Communal Council, which consists of fifteen elected members and is presided over by the mayor.

Economy

One of Monaco's main sources of income is tourism; each year many are attracted to its casino and pleasant climate. Monaco's own citizens are not allowed to gamble in the casino. In 2001, a major new construction project extended the pier used by cruise ships in the main harbour. The principality has successfully sought to diversify into services and small, high-value-added, non-polluting industries, such as cosmetics and biothermics.

The state retains monopolies in numerous sectors, including tobacco and the postal service. The telephone network (Monaco Telecom) used to be fully owned by the state; it now owns only 45%, while the remaining 55% is owned by both Cable & Wireless Communications (49%) and Compagnie Monégasque de Banque (6%). It is still, however, a monopoly. Living standards are high, roughly comparable to those in prosperous French metropolitan areas.

Monaco is not a member of the European Union. However, it is very closely linked via a customs union with France, and as such, its currency is the same as that of France, the euro. Before 2002, Monaco minted its own coins, the Monegasque franc. Monaco has acquired the right to mint euro coins with Monegasque designs on its national side.

Gambling industry

The plan for casino gambling was mooted during the reign of Florestan I in 1846. Under Louis-Philippe's petite-bourgeois regime, however, a dignitary such as Prince of Monaco was not allowed to operate a gambling house. All this changed in the dissolute Second Empire under Napoleon III. The House of Grimaldi was in dire need to generate cash. Menton and Roquebrune, which had been main source of income for the Grimaldis for centuries, now accustomed to much improved standard of living and lenient taxation thanks to Sardinian intervention, clamoured for financial and political concession, even for separation. The Grimaldis hoped the newly legal industry would help alleviate the difficulties they faced, above all the crushing debt the family had incurred, but Monaco's first casino would not be ready to operate until after Charles III assumed the throne in 1856.

The grantee of the princely concession (license) was unable to attract enough business to sustain the operation and, after relocating the casino several times, sold the concession to French casino magnates François and Louis Blanc for 1.7 million francs. The Blancs had already set up a highly successful casino(in fact the biggest in Europe)in Bad-Homburg in the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Homburg, a small German principality comparable to Monaco, and quickly petitioned Charles III to rename a depressed seaside area known as "Les Spelegures (Den of Thieves)". "Monte Carlo (Mount Charles)." They then constructed their casino in the newly dubbed "Monte Carlo" and cleared out the area's less-than-savory elements to make the neighborhood surrounding the establishment more conducive to tourism.

The Blancs opened Le Grand Casino de Monte Carlo in 1858, and the casino benefited from the tourist traffic the newly built French railway system created. Due to the combination of the casino and the railroads, Monaco finally recovered from the previous half century of economic slump, and the principality's success attracted other businesses. In the years following the casino's opening Monaco founded its Oceanographic Museum and the Monte Carlo Opera House, 46 hotels sprang up and the number of jewellers operating in Monaco increased by nearly 500 percent. By 1869, the casino was making such a vast sum of money that the principality could afford not to collect tax from the Monegasques; a master stroke that was to attract affluent residents from all over Europe.

Today, Société des bains de mer de Monaco which owns Le Grand Casino still operates in the original building the Blancs constructed and has been joined by several other casinos, including Le Casino Café de Paris, the Monte Carlo Bay Casino, the Monte Carlo Sporting Club & Casino (Summer Casino) and the Sun Casino. The most recent addition to the list—the first casino to open in Monte Carlo in 75 years—is the Monte Carlo Bay Casino, which sits on 4 hectares of the Mediterranean Garden and, among other things, offers 145 slot machines, all equipped with "Ticket-In, Ticket-Out" (TITO); it is the first Mediterranean casino to utilize this technology.

Tax haven

Monaco levies no income tax on individuals. The absence of a personal income tax in the principality has attracted to it a considerable number of wealthy "tax refugee" residents from European countries who derive the majority of their income from activity outside Monaco; celebrities such as Formula One drivers attract most of the attention, but the vast majority of them are less well-known business people.. This applies to all residents of Monaco of any nationality except French citizens whose residency started after 1957. These French citizens still must pay French income tax.

In 1998, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) issued a first report on the consequences of the tax havens' financial systems. Monaco did not appear in the list of these territories until 2004, when OECD became indignant regarding the Monegasque situation and denounced it in its last report, as well as Andorra, Liechtenstein, Liberia and the Marshall Islands, underlining its lack of co-operation as regards financial information disclosure and availability.

In 2000, a report by the French parliamentarians, Arnaud Montebourg and Vincent Peillon, alleged that Monaco had lax policies with respect to money laundering, including within its famed casino, and that the government of Monaco had been placing political pressure on the judiciary, so that alleged crimes were not being properly investigated.

In 2000, the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF) stated: "The anti-money laundering system in Monaco is comprehensive. However, difficulties have been encountered with Monaco by countries in international investigations on serious crimes that appear to be linked also with tax matters. In addition, the FIU of Monaco (SICCFIN) suffers a great lack of adequate resources. The authorities of Monaco have stated that they will provide additional resources to SICCFIN." The Principality is no longer blamed in the 2005 FATF report, as well as all other territories. However, since 2003, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has identified Monaco, along with 36 other territories, as a tax haven.

The Council of Europe also decided to issue reports naming tax havens. Twenty-two territories, including Monaco, were thus evaluated between 1998 and 2000 on a first round. Monaco is the only territory that refuses to perform the second round, initially forecast between 2001 and 2003, whereas the 21 other territories are implementing the third and last round, planned between 2005 and 2007.

However, Monaco has high social insurance taxes payable by both employer and employee. The employer's contribution is between 28%–40% (averaging 35%) of gross salary including benefits and the employee pays a further 10%–14% (averaging 13%).

Numismatics

In Monaco, the euro was introduced in 2002. The euro was preceded by the Monegasque franc. In preparation for this date, the minting of the new euro coins started as early as 2001. This is why the first euro coins from Monaco have the year 2001 on them, instead of 2002, like other countries of the Eurozone. Three different designs were selected for the Monegasque coins. In 2006, the design was changed after the death of ruling Prince Rainier to have the effigy of Prince Albert.

Monaco also has a rich and valuable collection of collectors' coins, with face value ranging from €5 to €100. These coins are a legacy of an old national practice of minting silver and gold commemorative coins. Unlike normal issues, these coins are not legal tender in all the Eurozone. For instance, a Monegasque commemorative coin cannot be used in any other country. The same practice concerning commemorative coins is exercised with all eurozone countries. Commemorative coins are legal tender only in their country of issue, unlike normal circulation coins, which are accepted in all euro-zone countries.

Geography

With a total area of , a land border of and a coast measuring the Principality of Monaco is the second-smallest independent state in the world, after the Vatican City. It lies on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, east of Nice, and is surrounded on three sides by France and on the fourth by the sea into which its maritime claims extend to . Its highest point is above sea level, on the southern slopes of Mont Agel whose peak is in France. The country has no natural resources.

Climate

Monaco has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa), which is influenced by the oceanic climate and the humid subtropical climate.

As a result, it has warm, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. Cool and rainy interludes can interrupt the dry summer season, the average length of which is also shorter. Summer afternoons are infrequently hot (indeed, temperatures > 30 °C /86 °F are rare) as the atmosphere is tempered by constant sea breezes. On the other hand, the nights are very mild, this being due to the fairly high temperature of the sea in summer. Generally, temperatures do not drop below 20 °C in this season. In winter, frosts and snowfalls are extremely rare, generally occurring once or twice every ten years.

Sport and entertainment

Formula One

Since 1955, the Monaco Grand Prix has been held annually in the streets of Monaco. It is widely considered to be one of the most prestigious automobile races in the world. The erection of the ''Circuit de Monaco'' takes six weeks to complete, and the removal after the race another three weeks. The circuit has many elevation changes and tight corners, along with a tunnel. This together with being incredibly narrow and tight makes it perhaps the most demanding Formula One track. Only two drivers have ever crashed into the harbour, the most famous being Alberto Ascari in the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix, just four days before losing his life at Monza. The other was Paul Hawkins, during the 1965 Monaco Grand Prix.

Monte Carlo Rally

The Monte Carlo Rally has been held since 1911, having originally been held at the behest of Prince Albert I and is, like the principality's Grand Prix, organised by the ''Automobile Club de Monaco''. It has long been considered to be one of the toughest and most prestigious events in rallying and from 1973 to 2008 was the opening round of the World Rally Championship. From 2009 until 2011, the rally served as the opening round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, having most recently been run on the 19th-22 January 2011 in celebration of the event's centenary.

2012 will mark the return of the Monte Carlo Rally to the WRC calendar with the event taking place from the 20th-22nd of January, 2012.

Football

Monaco hosts two major football teams in the principality; men's football club AS Monaco FC and women's football club OS Monaco. AS Monaco plays at the Stade Louis II and competes in the Ligue 2, the second division of French football. The club is historically one of the most successful clubs in France, however suffered relegation in the 2010–11 season. Because of the popular appeal of living in Monaco and the lack of income tax, many international stars have played for the club, such as Marcelo Gallardo, Jürgen Klinsmann, Oliver Bierhoff, George Weah, John Collins, Fernando Morientes, Thierry Henry, Fabien Barthez, Rafael Márquez, Javier Saviola, Akis Zikos, David Trezeguet, John Arne Riise, Patrice Evra, Shabani Nonda, Emmanuel Adebayor, Eiður Guðjohnsen, Jan Koller, Victor Ikpeba, Park Chu-Young and Mahamadou Diarra.

The club reached the 2004 UEFA Champions League Final, led by the likes of Dado Pršo, Fernando Morientes, Akis Zikos, and Ludovic Giuly, losing 3–0 to Portuguese team F.C. Porto. The Stade Louis II also plays host to the annual UEFA Super Cup, which is played between the winners of the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. The women's team, OS Monaco, competes in the women's French football league system. The club currently plays in the local regional league deep down in the league system, however once played in the Division 1 Féminine in the 1994–95 season, but were quickly relegated. Current French women's international goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi had a short stint at the club before going to the Clairefontaine academy.

Rugby

Monaco's national rugby team, as of March 2010, is 90th in the International Rugby Board rankings.

Other sports

The Monte-Carlo Masters is currently held annually in neighbouring Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France, as a professional tournament for men as part of tennis' ATP Masters Series. The tournament has been held since 1897. Golf's Monte Carlo Open was also held at the Monte Carlo Golf Club at Mont Agel in France between 1984 and 1992. Monaco has also competed in the Olympic Games, although, as of 2008, no athlete from Monaco has ever won an Olympic medal.

In 2009, the ''Tour de France'', the world's premier bicycle race, started from Monaco with a 15 km closed-circuit individual time trial starting and finishing there on the first day (4 July) and the 182 km second leg starting there on the following day and ending in Brignoles, France.

Monaco also stage part of the Global Champions Tour (International Show-jumping). Acknowledged as the most glamorous of the series, Monaco will be hosting the world's most celebrated riders, including Monaco's own Charlotte Casiraghi, in a setting facing out over the world's most beautiful yachts, and framed by the Port Hercule and Prince's palace. In 2009, the Monaco stage of the Global Champions tour took place between 25 – 27 June.

The Monaco Marathon is the only marathon in the world to pass through three separate countries, those of Monaco, France and Italy. The 2010 event took place on 21 March. Runners complete the race by returning to the Stade Louis II.

The Monaco Ironman 70.3 triathlon race is an annual event with over 1000 athletes competing and attracts top professional athletes from around the world. The race includes a 1.9 km swim, 90 km bike ride and 21.1 km run.

Since 1993, the headquarters of the International Association of Athletics Federations, the world governing body of athletics, has been located in Monaco. An IAAF Diamond League meet is annually held at Stade Louis II.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Monaco has ten state-operated schools, including: seven nursery and primary schools; one secondary school, ''Collège Charles III''; one ''lycée'' that provides general and technological training, ''Lycée Albert 1er''; and one lycée that provides vocational and hotel training, ''Lycée technique et hôtelier de Monte-Carlo''. There are also two grant-aided denominational private schools, including ''Institution François d'Assise Nicolas Barré'' and ''Ecole des Sœurs Dominicaines'', and one international school, the International School of Monaco.

Colleges and universities

There is one university located in Monaco:

International University of Monaco

Demographics

Monaco's population is unusual in that the native Monegasques are a minority in their own country. The largest proportion of residents are French nationals (28%), followed by Monegasque (21.6%), Italians (19%), Anglos (7.5% UK & 1% USA), and Germans, Swiss, and Belgians (2.5% to 3% each); another 15% is labeled as "other" populations. A Monacoian is the term used to describe a person living in Monaco who is not a citizen of Monaco.

Language

The official language of Monaco is French. English is used by American and British residents. The traditional national language is Monégasque, now spoken by only a minority of residents. It resembles Ligurian, which is spoken in Genoa. In the old part of Monaco, street signs are printed in both French and Monégasque. Italian is also spoken by the principality's sizable community from Italy.

Religion

Christian

Roman Catholic

The official religion is Roman Catholicism, with freedom of other religions guaranteed by the constitution. There are five Roman Catholic parish churches in Monaco and one cathedral, which is the seat of the archbishop of Monaco. The diocese, which has existed since the mid-nineteenth century, was raised to an archbishopric in 1981 as the Archdiocese of Monaco. The patron saint is Saint Devota.

Anglican

There is one Anglican church (St. Paul's Church), located in the Avenue de Grande Bretagne in Monte Carlo. In 2007 this had a formal membership of 135 Anglicans resident in the principality, but was also serving a considerably larger number of Anglicans temporarily in the country, mostly as tourists. The church site also accommodates an English-language library of over 3,000 books. The church is part of the Anglican Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe.

Jewish

The Association Culturelle Israélite de Monaco (founded 1948) is a converted house containing a synagogue, a community Hebrew school, and a kosher food shop, located in Monte Carlo. The community (approximately 1,500) mainly consists of retired Jews from Britain (40%) and North Africa. Two thirds of the Jewish population there are Sephardic, mainly from North Africa, while the other third is Ashkenazi.

Security

The wider defence of the nation is provided by France. Monaco has no navy or air force, but on both a per-capita and per-area basis, Monaco has the largest police force (515 police officers for 35,000 people) and police presence in the world. Its police includes a specialist unit which operates patrol and surveillance boats. There is also a small military consisting of a bodyguard unit for the Prince and his palace called the Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince which numbers 116 officers and men and is equipped with modern weapons such as M16 rifles and 9 mm pistols, and a militarized (and armed) fire and civil defence Corps.

The Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince (Prince's Company of Carabiniers) is a military unit of the military force of Monaco. It was created by Prince Honoré IV in 1817 for the protection of the Principality and the Princely family. The company numbers exactly 116 officers and men; while the NCOs and soldiers are local, the officers have generally served in the French Army. Together with the local fire service (Sapeurs-Pompiers), the Carabiniers form Monaco's total public forces. In addition to their guard duties, the company patrols the Principality's beaches and coastal waters, as well as duties around the Palace in Monaco-Ville.

Flag

The flag of Monaco is one of the world's oldest national flag designs. The flag of Monaco is identical to the flag of Indonesia, except for the ratio of height to width.

Transport

Monaco is served by several train systems and the Monte Carlo International Heliport. The closest airport is Côte d'Azur Airport in Nice, France. Some airlines marketed Monaco via Nice Airport.

See also

Association des Guides et Scouts de Monaco

Foreign relations of Monaco

* France–Monaco relations

List of radio stations in Monaco

List of rulers of Monaco

Microstate

Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra

Music of Monaco

Postage stamps and postal history of Monaco

Repossi jewellers

Telecommunications in Monaco

The Princess Grace Hospital Centre

References

External links

; Government

Official Government Portal

Official website of the Prince's Palace of Monaco

Chief of State and Cabinet Members

; General information

Monaco from ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''

Monaco information about Monaco

History of Monaco: Primary documents

; Travel

Official website for Tourism

Your Monaco Monaco travel guide

Principality Monaco Principality Monaco travel and special offers site

maBoum.com Unofficial guide to what's on in Monaco

A selection of 30 very representative photos of Monaco

; Other Order of the doctors of Monaco French Monaco Web portail

La Principauté – Le premier journal d'actualité de Monaco

Monaco Today, a daily newsletter in English, Monaco247.com

Monaco247.com English news portal

The Monaco Times – a regular feature in The Riviera Times is the English language newspaper for the French – Italian Riviera and the Principality of Monaco provides monthly local news and information about business, art and culture, people and lifestyle, events and also the real estate market.

Monaco-IQ Monaco information and news aggregator

Monte-Carlo Italian Monte-Carlo unofficial portal

Category:Capitals in Europe Category:City-states Category:Constitutional monarchies Category:Countries of the Mediterranean Sea Category:European countries Category:French-speaking countries Category:Italian-speaking countries Category:Massalian colonies Category:Member states of La Francophonie Category:Member states of the Union for the Mediterranean Category:Port cities of the Mediterranean Sea Category:Principalities Category:States and territories established in 1297 Category:Western Europe Category:Member states of the United Nations Category:Liberal democracies Category:IOC Session Host Cities

ace:Monakô af:Monaco als:Monaco am:ሞናኮ ang:Monaco ar:موناكو an:Múnegu arc:ܡܘܢܐܩܘ frp:Monacô ast:Mónacu az:Monako bn:মোনাকো zh-min-nan:Monaco be:Манака be-x-old:Манака bcl:Monako bi:Monaco bar:Monaco bo:མོ་ན་ཁོ། bs:Monako br:Monako bg:Монако ca:Mònaco cv:Монако ceb:Monako cs:Monako cy:Monaco da:Monaco de:Monaco dv:މޮނާކޯ dsb:Monaco et:Monaco el:Μονακό es:Mónaco eo:Monako ext:Mónacu eu:Monako ee:Monaco fa:موناکو hif:Monaco fo:Monako fr:Monaco fy:Monako ga:Monacó gv:Monaco gag:Monako gd:Monaco gl:Mónaco - Monaco gu:મોનૅકો hak:Mô-na̍p-kô xal:Монакин Нутг ko:모나코 haw:Monako hy:Մոնակո hi:मोनैको hsb:Monako hr:Monako io:Monako (lando) ilo:Monaco bpy:মোনাকো id:Monako ia:Monaco (principato) ie:Mónaco os:Монако is:Mónakó it:Principato di Monaco he:מונאקו jv:Monako kl:Monaco kn:ಮೊನಾಕೊ pam:Monaco krc:Монако ka:მონაკო ks:मोनाको kk:Монако kw:Monako rw:Monako sw:Monako kv:Монако kg:Monako ht:Monako (kapital) ku:Monako lad:Monako ltg:Monaks la:Monoecus lv:Monako lb:Monaco lt:Monakas lij:Prinçipòu de Monego li:Monaco ln:Monaco hu:Monaco mk:Монако ml:മൊണാക്കോ mt:Monako mi:Manako mr:मोनॅको xmf:მონაკო arz:موناكو ms:Monaco mn:Монако my:မိုနာကိုနိုင်ငံ nah:Monaco na:Monako nl:Monaco nds-nl:Monaco ne:मोनाको ja:モナコ ce:Монако pih:Monako no:Monaco nn:Monaco nov:Monako oc:Mónegue mhr:Монако онлык uz:Monako pnb:موناکو ps:موناکو koi:Монако pms:Prinsipà ëd Mònaco nds:Monaco pl:Monako pt:Mónaco kbd:Монако kaa:Monako crh:Monako ro:Monaco rm:Monaco qu:Munaku ru:Монако sah:Монако se:Monaco sa:मोनाको sco:Monaco sq:Monako scn:Principatu di Mònacu simple:Monaco ss:IMonakho sk:Monako cu:Монако sl:Monako szl:Můnako so:Monako ckb:مۆناکۆ sr:Монако sh:Monako fi:Monaco sv:Monaco tl:Monako ta:மொனாக்கோ tt:Монако th:ประเทศโมนาโก tg:Монако tr:Monako tk:Monako udm:Монако uk:Монако ur:موناکو ug:موناكو vec:Prinsipato de Mònaco vi:Monaco vo:Monakän fiu-vro:Monaco war:Monaco wo:Monaako yi:מאנאקא yo:Mónakò zh-yue:摩納哥 diq:Monako bat-smg:Muonaks zh:摩纳哥

Coordinates	40°37′29″N73°57′8″N
Name	Ayrton Senna
Nationality	ian
Birth date	March 21, 1960
Death date	May 01, 1994
Years	–
Team(s)	Toleman, Lotus, McLaren, Williams
Races	162 (161 starts)
Championships	3 (, , )
Wins	41
Podiums	80
Points	610 (614)
Poles	65
Fastest laps	19
First race	1984 Brazilian Grand Prix
First win	1985 Portuguese Grand Prix
Last win	1993 Australian Grand Prix
Last race	1994 San Marino Grand Prix }}

Ayrton Senna da Silva (pronounced ; 21 March 1960 – 1 May 1994) was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of, if not the greatest F1 driver of all time. He was killed in a crash while leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix and is the last driver to die at the wheel of a Formula One car.

Senna began his motorsport career in karting, moving up to open-wheel racing in 1981 and winning the British Formula 3 championship in 1983. He made his Formula One debut with Toleman-Hart in 1984 before moving to Lotus-Renault the following year and winning six Grands Prix over the next three seasons. In 1988, he joined Frenchman Alain Prost at McLaren-Honda. Between them, they won all but one of the sixteen Grands Prix that year and Senna his first World Championship. Prost claimed the championship in 1989 and Senna his second and third championships in 1990 and 1991. In 1992, the Williams-Renault combination began to dominate Formula One. Senna nonetheless managed to finish the 1993 season as runner-up, winning five races and negotiating a move to Williams in 1994.

In 2009, a poll of 217 current and former Formula One drivers conducted by the British magazine ''Autosport'' named Senna as the greatest Formula One driver. He was recognised for his qualifying speed over one lap and from 1989 until 2006 held the record for most pole positions. He was especially quick in wet conditions, as shown by his performances in the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix, the 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix, and the 1993 European Grand Prix. He also holds the record for most victories at the prestigious Monaco Grand Prixsix and is the third most successful driver of all time in terms of race wins.

Senna courted controversy throughout his career, particularly during his turbulent rivalry with Alain Prost. Both the 1989 Championship won by Prost and the 1990 Championship won by Senna were decided by collisions between them at those years' Japanese Grands Prix.

Early life and career

Senna was born in Santana, a bairro of São Paulo city, the son of a wealthy Brazilian landowner Milton da Silva and Neide Senna da Silva (whose family was of Italian extraction). He was highly athletic, excelling in gymnastics and other sports, and developed an interest in cars and motor racing at an early age.

Senna's first kart was a small 1 HP go-kart, built by his father Milton using a lawnmower engine. Senna entered karting competition at the age of 13 and, in 1977, won the South American Kart Championship. He contested the Karting World Championship each year from 1978 to 1982, finishing runner-up in 1979 and 1980.

In 1981, Senna moved to England to begin single-seater racing, winning the RAC and Townsend-Thoreson Formula Ford 1600 Championships that year with the Van Diemen team. Despite this, Senna initially did not believe he would continue in motorsport. At the end of the season, under pressure from his parents to take up a role in the family business, he returned to Brazil. Before leaving England, however, Senna was offered a drive with a Formula Ford 2000 team for £10,000. Back in Brazil, he decided to take up this offer and returned to live in England. As ''Silva'' is a very common Brazilian name, he adopted his mother's maiden name, ''Senna''. Senna went on to win the 1982 British and European Formula Ford 2000 championships under that surname.

In 1983, Senna drove in the British Formula Three Championship with the West Surrey Racing team. He dominated the first half of the season until Martin Brundle, driving a similar car for Eddie Jordan Racing, closed the gap in the second part of the championship. Senna won the title at the final round after a closely fought and, at times, acrimonious battle. In November that year, he triumphed at the inaugural Macau Formula 3 Grand Prix with Teddy Yip's Toyota powered Theodore Racing Team.

Formula One career

1984: Toleman

Senna attracted the attention of Formula One teams Williams, McLaren, Brabham and Toleman, all of whom he tested for. Neither Williams nor McLaren had a vacancy for the 1984 season. His name was linked to Brabham's second seat, but Brabham's lead driver, double world champion Nelson Piquet, preferred his friend Roberto Moreno, while title sponsor Parmalat wanted an Italian driver. His only option was to join Toleman—a relatively new team using less competitive Pirelli tyres—replacing Derek Warwick. Venezuelan Johnny Cecotto was his team mate.

Senna made his debut at the Brazilian Grand Prix in Rio de Janeiro. He scored his first World Championship point in his second race at the South African Grand Prix with severe muscle spasms, replicating that result two weeks later at the Belgian Grand Prix. A combination of tyre issues and a fuel pressure problem resulted in his failure to qualify for the San Marino Grand Prix, the only time this happened during his career. Senna's best result of the season came at the Monaco Grand Prix, the first wet weather race of the season. Qualifying 13th on the grid, he made steady progress in climbing through the field, passing Niki Lauda for second on lap 19. He quickly began to cut the gap to race leader Alain Prost, but before he could attack Prost the race was stopped on lap 31 for safety reasons, as the rain had grown even heavier. At the time the race was stopped Senna was catching Prost at 4 seconds per lap. Senna finally passed Prost during the 32nd lap at the end of which the red flag was shown. However according to the rules, the positions counted were those from the last lap completed by every driver, lap 31, at which point Prost was still leading. Senna's second place was his first podium in Formula One, and his performances in rainy conditions became a hallmark of his career.

Still in 1984, Senna took two more podium finishes that year—third at the British and Portuguese Grands Prix—and placed 9th in the Drivers Championship with 13 points overall. He did not take part in the Italian Grand Prix after he was suspended by Toleman for being in breach of his contract by signing for Lotus for 1985 without informing the Toleman team first.

Senna also raced in two high-profile non-Formula One races in 1984: The ADAC 1000 km Nürburgring where, alongside Henri Pescarolo and Stefan Johansson, he co-drove a Joest Racing Porsche 956 to finish 8th, as well as an exhibition race to celebrate the opening of the new Nürburgring, which was attended by several Formula 1 drivers, each driving identical Mercedes 190E 2.3–16. Senna won from Niki Lauda and Carlos Reutemann. After the race Senna was quoted as saying, "Now I know I can do it."

1985–1987: Lotus

;1985

Senna was partnered in his first year at Lotus-Renault by Italian driver Elio de Angelis. At the second round of the season, the Portuguese Grand Prix, Senna took the first pole position of his Formula 1 career. He converted it into his first victory in the race, which was held in very wet conditions, winning by over a minute from Michele Alboreto. He would not finish in the points again until coming second at the Austrian Grand Prix, despite taking pole three more times in the intervening period. (His determination to take pole at the Monaco Grand Prix had infuriated Alboreto and Niki Lauda; Senna had set a fast time early and was accused of deliberately baulking the other drivers by running more laps than necessary, a charge he rejected.) Two more podiums followed in Holland and Italy, before Senna added his second victory, again in wet conditions, at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. Senna's relationship with De Angelis soured over the season, as both drivers demanded top driver status within Lotus and, after spending six years at the team, De Angelis departed for Brabham at the end of the year, convinced that Lotus were becoming focused around the Brazilian. Senna and De Angelis finished the season 4th and 5th respectively in the driver rankings, separated by five points. In terms of qualifying, however, Senna had begun to establish himself as the quickest in the field: his tally of seven poles that season was far more than that of any of the other drivers.

;1986

De Angelis was replaced at Lotus by Scot Johnny Dumfries after Senna vetoed Derek Warwick from joining the team, saying that Lotus were not able to run competitive cars for two top drivers at the same time. Senna later admitted "It was bad, bad. Until then I had a good relationship with Derek." Senna started the season well, coming second in Brazil and winning the Spanish Grand Prix by just 0.014s from Nigel Mansell—one of the closest finishes in Formula One history—to find himself leading the World Championship after two races. However, poor reliability, particularly in the second half of the season, saw him drift behind the Williams pairing of Mansell and Piquet, as well as eventual champion, Alain Prost. Nonetheless, Senna was once more the top qualifier, with eight poles, and he took a further six podium finishes that season, including another victory at the Detroit Grand Prix, and finished the season fourth in the driver's standings again, with 55 points.

After winning the Detroit Grand Prix, two days after Brazil was eliminated from the 1986 FIFA World Cup, Senna asked a supporter for the Brazilian Flag and drove one lap waving the flag. Later on, he repeated that act every time he won a race.

;1987 Lotus had a new engine deal in 1987, running the same Honda engines as Williams had used to win the previous year's Constructors' Championship, and with them came a new team-mate, 34 year-old Japanese driver, Satoru Nakajima. Senna started the season with mixed fortunes: a podium at the San Marino Grand Prix was tempered by controversy at the following race at Spa-Francorchamps, where he collided with Mansell and was confronted by the angered Englishman in the pits afterwards. Senna then won two races in a row: the ensuing Monaco Grand Prix (the first of his record six victories at the Principality) and the Detroit Grand Prix, his second victory in two years at the Michigan street circuit, to take the lead in the World Championship. As the championship wore on however, it became evident that the Williams cars had the advantage over the rest of the field, the gap between the Honda-engined teams made most obvious at the British Grand Prix, where Mansell and Piquet lapped the Lotuses of Senna and Nakajima. Senna became dissatisfied with his chances at Lotus and at Monza it was announced that he would be joining McLaren for 1988. Senna finished the season strongly, coming second in the final two races in Japan and Australia, however post-race scrutineering at the final race found the brake ducts of his Lotus to be wider than permitted by the rules and he was disqualified, bringing his last and most successful season with Lotus to a sour end. Senna was classified third in the final standings, with 57 points, one pole position and six podium finishes. This season marked a turning point in Senna's career as, throughout the year, he built a deep relationship with Honda, a relationship which would pay big dividends, as McLaren had secured Williams' supply of Honda's V6 turbo engines for 1988.

1988–1993: McLaren

;1988

In 1988, thanks to the relationship he had built up with Honda throughout the 1987 season with Lotus, and with the approval of McLaren's number one driver and then-double world champion, Alain Prost, Senna joined the McLaren team. The foundation for a fierce competition between Senna and Prost was laid, culminating in a number of dramatic race incidents between the two over the next five years. At the 1988 Portuguese Grand Prix, Prost made a slightly faster start than Senna but the Brazilian dived into the first corner ahead. Prost responded and went to pass Senna at the end of the first lap. Senna swerved to block Prost, forcing the Frenchman to nearly run into the pitwall at . Prost kept his foot down and soon edged Senna into the first corner and started pulling away. Though Prost was angered by Senna's manoeuvre, the Brazilian got away with a warning from the FIA. Senna would later apologize to Prost for the incident. Ultimately, the pair won 15 of 16 races in the McLaren MP4/4 in 1988 with Senna coming out on top, winning his first Formula One world championship title by taking eight wins to Prost's seven (Prost had scored more points over the season, but had to drop three second places as only the 11 best scores counted).

;1989 The following year, the rivalry between Senna and Prost intensified into numerous battles on the track and a psychological war off it. Tension and mistrust between the two drivers increased when Senna overtook Prost at the restart of the San Marino Grand Prix, a move which Prost claimed violated a pre-race agreement. Senna took an early lead in the championship with victories in San Marino, Monaco, and Mexico. However, unreliability in Phoenix, Canada, France, Britain and Italy, together with collisions in Brazil and Portugal, swung the title in Prost's favour.

Prost took the 1989 world title after a collision with Senna at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan, the penultimate race of the season, which Senna needed to win to remain in contention for the title. Senna had attempted an inside pass on Prost who turned into the corner and cut him off, with the two McLarens finishing up with their wheels interlocked in the Suzuka chicane escape road. Senna then got a push-start from marshals, pitted to replace the damaged nose of his car, and rejoined the race. He took the lead from the Benetton of Alessandro Nannini and went on to finish first, only to be disqualified by the FIA for cutting the chicane after the collision, and for crossing into the pit lane entry (not part of the track). A large fine and temporary suspension of his Super License followed in the winter of 1989 and an irate Senna engaged in a bitter war of words with the FIA and its then President Jean-Marie Balestre. Senna finished the season second with six wins and one second place. Prost left McLaren for rivals Ferrari for the following year.

;1990 In 1990, Senna took a commanding lead in the championship with six wins, two second places and three thirds. His most memorable victories were at the opening round in Phoenix, in which he diced for the lead for several laps with a then-unknown Jean Alesi before coming out on top, and at Germany where he fought Benetton driver Alessandro Nannini throughout the race for the win. As the season reached its final quarter however, Alain Prost in his Ferrari rose to the challenge with five wins, including a crucial victory in Spain where he and teammate Nigel Mansell finished 1–2 for the Scuderia. Senna had gone out with a damaged radiator and the gap between Senna and Prost was now reduced to 11 points with two races remaining.

At the penultimate round of the Championship in Japan at Suzuka (the same circuit where Senna and Prost had their collision a year before), Senna took pole ahead of Prost. The pole position in Suzuka was on the right-hand, dirty side of the track. Prost's Ferrari made a better start and pulled ahead of Senna's McLaren. At the first turn Senna aggressively kept his inside line, while Prost turned in and the McLaren ploughed into the rear wheel of Prost's Ferrari at about 270 km/h (170 mph), putting both cars off the track, this time making Senna the Formula 1 world champion. A year later, after taking his third world championship, Senna explained to the press his actions of the previous year in Suzuka. He maintained that prior to qualifying fastest, he had sought and received assurances from race officials that pole position would be changed to the left-hand, clean side of the track, only to find this decision reversed by Jean-Marie Balestre after he had taken pole. Explaining the collision with Prost, Senna said that what he had wanted was to make it clear that he was not going to accept what he perceived as unfair decision making by Balestre, including his disqualification in 1989 and the pole position in 1990.. Senna also testified that no matter what happened he would not yield the corner and that Prost taking his normal racing line (to which the leading driver is entitled) would result in an accident. Prost would later go on record slamming Senna's actions as "disgusting" and that he seriously considered retiring from the sport after that incident.

;1991

Senna captured his third title in 1991, taking seven wins and staying largely clear of controversy. Prost, due to the downturn in performance at Ferrari, was no longer a serious competitor. Senna won the first four races. By mid-season, Mansell in the more advanced Williams was able to put up a challenge. There were some memorable moments, such as at the Spanish Grand Prix when Senna and Mansell went wheel to wheel with only centimetres to spare, at over 320 km/h (200 mph) down the main straight, a race that the Briton eventually won. Quite a different spectacle was offered following Mansell's victory in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Senna's car had come to a halt on the final lap but he was not left stranded out on the circuit, as Mansell pulled over on his parade lap and allowed the Brazilian to ride on the Williams side-pod back to the pits. Though Senna's consistency and the Williams' unreliability at the beginning of the season gave him an early advantage, Senna insisted that Honda step up their engine development program and demanded further improvements to the car before it was too late. These modifications enabled him to make a late season push and he managed to win three more races to secure the championship, which was settled for good in Japan (yet again) when Mansell (who needed to win), went off at the first corner while running third and beached his Williams-Renault into the gravel trap. Senna finished second, handing the victory to teammate Gerhard Berger at the last corner as a thank-you gesture for his support over the season.

;1992 In 1992, Senna's determination to win manifested itself in dismay at McLaren's inability to challenge Williams' all-conquering FW14B car. McLaren's new car for the season had several shortcomings. There was delay in getting the new model running (it debuted in the third race of the season, the Brazilian Grand Prix) and in addition to lacking active suspension, the new car suffered from reliability issues, was unpredictable in fast corners, while its Honda V12 engine was no longer the most powerful on the circuit. Senna scored wins in Monaco, Hungary, and Italy that year. During qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix, French driver Érik Comas crashed heavily and Senna was the first to arrive at the scene. He got out of his car and ran across the track to aid the Frenchman, disregarding his own safety in an effort to aid a fellow driver. He later went to visit Comas in hospital. Senna finished fourth overall in the championship, behind the Williams duo of Mansell and Patrese, and Benetton's Michael Schumacher.

;1993

Questions about Senna's intentions for 1993 lingered throughout 1992, as he did not have a contract with any team by the end of the year. He felt the McLaren cars were less competitive than in previous years (especially after Honda bowed out of Formula 1 at the end of the 1992 season and preseason testing with a Lamborghini V12 unit proved fruitless). Joining Williams alongside Prost (who had secured a drive for the team for 1993) became impossible, since Prost had a clause on his contract vetoing Senna as a team-mate, even though the Brazilian offered to drive for free. An infuriated Senna called Prost a coward in a press conference in Estoril. In December, Senna went to Phoenix, Arizona and tested Emerson Fittipaldi's Penske IndyCar. McLaren boss Ron Dennis meanwhile was trying to secure a supply of the dominant Renault V10 engine for 1993. When this deal fell through, McLaren was forced to take a customer supply of Ford V8 engines which were two specifications behind that of Ford's factory team, Benetton. McLaren hoped to make up for the inferior horsepower with mechanical sophistication, including an effective active suspension system. Dennis then finally persuaded Senna to return to McLaren. The Brazilian, however, agreed only to sign up for the first race in South Africa, where he would assess whether McLaren's equipment was competitive enough for him to put in a good season. After driving McLaren's 1993 car, Senna concluded that the new car had a surprising potential, albeit the engine was still down on power and would be no match for Prost's Williams Renault. Senna declined to sign a one-year contract but agreed to drive on a race-by-race basis, eventually staying for the year.

After finishing second in the opening race in South Africa, Senna won in changing conditions in Brazil and Donington. The latter has often been regarded as one of Senna's greatest victories. He was fifth at the first corner and led the race at the end of the first lap going on to lap all but 2nd place in a race where up to seven pit stops were required by some drivers for rain or slick tyres. Senna then scored a second-place finish in Spain and a record-breaking sixth win at Monaco. After Monaco, the sixth race of the season, Senna unexpectedly led the championship from Prost in the Williams-Renault. As the season progressed, Prost and Damon Hill asserted the superiority of the Williams-Renault car, with Prost securing the drivers' championship while Hill moved up to second in the standings. Senna concluded the season and his McLaren career with two wins in Japan and Australia, finishing second overall in the championship. The penultimate race was noted for an incident where Jordan's rookie Eddie Irvine unlapped himself against Senna. The incensed Brazilian later appeared at Jordan's garage and after a lengthy and heated discussion, punched the Irishman in the face.

1994: Williams

For 1994, Senna finally signed with the Williams-Renault team after Prost had reluctantly decided to stop his career. Prost's contract clause forbidding Senna from joining Williams did not extend to 1994 and Prost retired with one year left on his contract, rather than face the prospect of a repeat of the animosities of 1989 and 1990. Pre-season testing showed that the new Williams FW16 car had speed, but it was difficult to drive. Senna himself had made numerous comments that the FW16 had some quirks which needed to be ironed out. It was obvious that the FW16, after the regulation changes banning active suspension and traction control, exhibited none of the superiority of the FW15C and FW14B cars that had preceded it. The surprise of testing was the Benetton team, whose car was more nimble than the Williams although less powerful.

The first race of the season was in Brazil, where Senna took pole. In the race Senna took an early lead but Schumacher's Benetton was never far behind. Schumacher took the race lead for good after passing Senna in the pits. Senna refused to settle for second. While trying for a win, he pushed too hard and spun the car, stalling it and retiring from the race. The second race was the Pacific Grand Prix at Aida where Senna again placed the car on pole. However, he was hit from behind in the first corner by Mika Häkkinen and his race came to a definitive end when a Ferrari driven by Nicola Larini also crashed into his Williams. Hill also retired with transmission problems, while Schumacher took victory again.

It was Senna's worst start to an F1 season, failing to finish or score points in the first two races, despite taking pole both times. Schumacher was leading Senna in the drivers' championship by twenty points. Senna and others that year then began suspecting that Benetton's performance was enhanced by the illegal use of traction control, which fuelled a media controversy, but never materialised into a formal complaint to the FIA.

Death

Senna's third and final race of the season, the San Marino Grand Prix, was held on the "Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari" circuit located in Imola, Italy. Imola had traditionally been considered the beginning of the F1 season proper, on European soil.

Senna, having not finished the two opening races of the season, declared that this was where his season would start, with fourteen races, as opposed to sixteen, in which to win the title. Senna again placed the car on pole for a then-record 65th and final time, but he was particularly upset by various unfolding events that race weekend.

On the Friday, during the afternoon qualifying session, Senna's compatriot and Brazil's hope for the future, Rubens Barrichello was involved in a serious accident when his Jordan became airborne at the Variante Bassa chicane (the last of the circuit) violently slamming into the tyres and fence. In the impact, Barrichello suffered a broken nose and arm – injuries that prevented him from competing in the race. Senna's concern was such that, upon being denied access to the circuit's Medical Centre, he climbed a fence to be by Barrichello's side (with Barrichello indicating that Senna was the first person he saw after regaining consciousness).

The next day, Saturday, Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger was killed in qualifying in a devastating accident when the front wing broke on his Simtek-Ford while going flat out at the fast Villeneuve right-hander bend and into the concrete wall. A distraught Senna requested a track marshall to take him to the site of Ratzenberger's fatal crash where he was met by FIA's Medical Chief Professor Sid Watkins, who recalled that Senna was tearful. As reconfirmed numerous times over the years, Professor Watkins suggested to Senna on that very occasion to stop racing and go fishing (a hobby they both shared), to which Senna responded that he could not feasibly stop racing at that moment.

In order to obtain more news about his second injured colleague that weekend, Senna again climbed the fence of the Medical Centre after his inspection of the crash site. The fact that he commandeered an official's car to visit that site resulted in FIA officials approaching him with a view to admonish him. This disconcerted Senna no end but, ultimately, FIA chose not to take any formal disciplinary actions.

Senna spent his final Sunday morning perturbed but making time to meet with fellow drivers to discuss the re-establishment of a drivers' group (i.e. Grand Prix Drivers' Association) to increase safety in Formula One, due to the tragic events that weekend. As the most senior driver, he offered to take the role of leader, starting from the next race event in Monaco.

During the drivers' briefing for the race, complaints were raised about the commercial gimmick of a Porsche 911 lead car for the warm-up lap. As the warm-up lap neared, Senna again queried the closeness of the Porsche and was jokingly told by his team's chief engineer, Patrick Head, that the 911 would remain close by, as per the preceding races. Instead, the Porsche was ordered to leave earlier, to Senna's content.

At the start of the Grand Prix race, Senna retained the lead from Schumacher but proceedings soon became interrupted by a huge accident on the start line, caused by JJ Lehto's Benetton-Ford stalling, and an unsighted Pedro Lamy ramming him in his Lotus-Mugen Honda at nearly full speed. A wheel was torn off the car and landed in the main grandstand, injuring eight fans and a police officer. The safety car – which was a sporty version of the Opel Vectra medium family sedan – was deployed and the drivers followed it for several laps. The Vectra's slow pace was later questioned due to the consequential drop in tyre pressures on the Formula One cars. In fact, under those safety car conditions, video footage shows Senna pulling alongside the Vectra, gesticulating to the Vectra driver, Max Angelelli, to increase his speed. On the restart (lap 5), Senna immediately set a quick pace with the third quickest lap of the race, followed by Schumacher. As Senna entered the high-speed Tamburello corner on lap 6, the car left the track at high speed, hitting the concrete retaining wall at around . Within 2 minutes of crashing Senna was extracted from his race car by Professor Sid Watkins and his medical team. Initial treatment took place by the side of the car, with Senna having a weak heartbeat and significant blood loss. Due to Senna's poor neurological condition, Professor Watkins performed an on site tracheotomy and requested the immediate airlifting of Senna to Bologna's Maggiore hospital, where he was declared dead hours later. It is believed that the right front wheel catapulted back into the cockpit, striking Senna on the right side of his helmet, forcing his head back against the headrest and causing fatal skull fractures. A piece of the upright attached to the wheel partially penetrated his helmet causing the previously mentioned injury to his forehead. In addition, it appeared that a jagged piece of the upright assembly penetrated the helmet visor just above his right eye.

It was later revealed that, as medical staff examined Senna, a furled Austrian flag was found in his car—a flag that he had intended to raise in honour of Ratzenberger after the race.

Photographs of Ayrton Senna after the accident were taken by Senna's friend and Autosprint's picture editor, Angelo Orsi. Out of respect, those photographs have never been sold to interested parties.

;Funeral Senna's death was considered by many of his Brazilian fans to be a national tragedy, and the Brazilian government declared three days of national mourning. Contrary to airline policy and out of respect, Senna's coffin was allowed to be flown back to his home country not as cargo but in the passenger cabin of Varig's McDonnel-Douglas MD-11 commercial jetliner (registration PP-VOQ (cn 48435/478)), accompanied by his disraught younger brother, Leonardo, and close friends.

An estimated three million people lined the streets of his hometown of São Paulo to offer him their salute. Many prominent motor racing figures attended Senna's state funeral, notably Alain Prost, Jackie Stewart, Damon Hill, Rubens Barrichello, Johnny Herbert and Emerson Fittipaldi who were among the pallbearers. However, Senna's family did not allow FOM president Bernie Ecclestone to attend, and FIA President Max Mosley instead attended the funeral of Ratzenberger which took place on 7 May 1994, in Salzburg, Austria. Mosley said in a press conference ten years later, "I went to his funeral because everyone went to Senna's. I thought it was important that somebody went to his." Senna was buried at the Morumbi Cemetery in his hometown of São Paulo. His grave bears the epitaph "Nada pode me separar do amor de Deus", which means "Nothing can separate me from the love of God" (a reference to Romans 8:38-39).

A testament to the adulation he inspired among fans worldwide was the scene at the Tokyo headquarters of Honda where the McLaren cars were typically displayed after each race. Upon his death, so many floral tributes were received that it overwhelmed the large exhibit lobby. This in spite of the fact Senna no longer drove for McLaren and that McLaren, in the preceding seasons did not use Honda power. Senna had a special relationship with company founder Soichiro Honda and was beloved in Japan where he achieved a near mythic status. For the next race at Monaco, the FIA decided to leave the first two grid positions empty and painted them with the colours of the Brazilian and the Austrian flags, to honour Senna and Ratzenberger.

;Trial

The cause of the accident has been identified as a steering column failure. Many court cases followed immediately afterwards and the judgment went on for years, with Williams being investigated for manslaughter. The last word from the Italian Court of Appeal was on 13 April 2007. In verdict no. 15050, the Court ruled thus: "It has been determined that the accident was caused by a steering column failure. This failure was caused by badly designed and badly executed modifications. The responsibility of this falls on Patrick Head, culpable of omitted control". Patrick Head was not arrested; in Italy the statute of limitation for manslaughter is 7 years and 6 months, and the final verdict was pronounced 13 years after the accident. Despite Formula One regulations, the Williams-Renault team was allowed to extract Senna's black boxes from the wreck of his FW16 once it returned in the pitlane, only for them to be returned completely bereft of any telemetry, despite no external damage. Had Senna's death been declared immediately, under Italian Law, the wreckage would have had to have been immediately impounded and the race event suspended. Instead, the Imola Grand Prix proceeded, with drivers being advised of Senna's condition only at the end of the race.

Personal life

Senna was a devout Catholic, once saying "Just because I believe in God, just because I have faith in God, it doesn't mean that I'm immune. It doesn't mean that I'm immortal" (1989). He often read the Bible on long flights from São Paulo to Europe. In ''Senna'', a documentary on his life released in 2010, Ayrton's sister, Vivianne, reveals that following, first the horrific accident of his protégé, Rubens Barrichello followed the next day by the tragic death of racer Roland Ratzenberger during that fateful San Marino Grand Prix of 1994, Senna had sought strength from the Bible. "Faced with a night of turmoil, of conflict, no one knew what his decision would be on Sunday morning, on race day ...'On that final morning, he woke and opened his bible and read a text,' explained Viviane 'that he would receive the greatest gift of all which was God, himself.'"

As his profile rose, Senna expressed concern over the widespread poverty in Brazil. After his death it was discovered that he had quietly donated an extremely large portion of his personal fortune (estimated at around $400 million) to aid poor children. Shortly before his death, he created the framework for an organisation dedicated to Brazilian children, which later became Instituto Ayrton Senna.

Senna was often quoted using driving as a means for self-discovery and racing as a metaphor for life: "The harder I push, the more I find within myself. I am always looking for the next step, a different world to go into, areas where I have not been before. It's lonely driving a Grand Prix car, but very absorbing. I have experienced new sensations and I want more. That is my excitement, my motivation."

Towards the end of his career Senna became increasingly preoccupied with the dangers of his profession. On the morning of his death he initiated the re-formation of the GPDA safety organisation, with which he had intended to work to improve the safety of his sport.

He was renowned for his close relationship with Gerhard Berger, and the two were always playing practical jokes on each other. Berger is quoted as saying "He taught me a lot about our sport, I taught him to laugh." In the documentary film ''The Right to Win'' made in 2004 as a tribute to Senna, Frank Williams notably recalls that as good a driver as Senna was, ultimately "he was an even greater man outside of the car than he was in it."

Senna was married once for a short period of time, prior to his breakthrough in Formula One, to Lilian de Vasconcelos. After his marriage to Vasconcelos ended, Senna courted Adriane Yamin, daughter of an entrepreneur from São Paulo. She was 15 years old when they began the relationship in 1985 and was commonly chaperoned by her mother during meetings with Senna. They were briefly engaged, but the relationship was broken off in late 1988. By the time of his death, Senna was dating Brazilian model Adriane Galisteu, with whom the Senna family never had a friendly relationship, even to this date. That was shown in Senna's funeral, where Galisteu was openly cast aside. The "widow" status was given by the family and media to Brazilian icon Xuxa, whom he had dated for several years in the early nineties and who arrived at the funeral holding hands with Senna's sister Viviane. After his death Galisteu wrote a book about her relationship with Senna. She became a celebrity upon Senna's death, many saying because of it, and has kept that status ever since, working as a TV show host.

He was the uncle of Formula One driver Bruno Senna, of whom he famously said in 1993: "If you think I'm fast, just wait until you see my nephew Bruno". Ayrton enjoyed physical activity ranging from athletics to water jet skiing. He also had a wide range of hobbies, such as flying real and model planes and helicopters, fishing and riding his favourite Ducati motorbikes.

Legacy

Many safety improvements were made in the sport following Senna and Ratzenberger's deaths. These include improved crash barriers, redesigned tracks, higher crash safety standards (such as larger sills along the driver cockpit) and major cuts to engine power. Ironically, these knee-jerk measures resulted in further major crashes that year (e.g. at the Spanish Grand Prix). Also ironically, entry to the fatal Tamburello corner and other chicanes on the Imola circuit had been significantly altered for 1995. This was despite calls for action in 1989, after a serious high-speed crash that saw Senna's best friend, Gerhard Berger, suffering burns to his hand. No action took place after that crash because, following an inspection by Senna and Berger, they ended up siding with officials who had, for years, claimed that the wall could not be taken further back due to a nearby small river.

Soon after his death in 1994, the Brazilian football World Cup winning team dedicated their win to the great racer in order to recognise his contributions to Formula 1.

After Senna's death it was discovered that he had donated millions of dollars of his personal fortune (estimated at $400 million at the time of his death) to children's charities, a fact that during his life he had kept secret. Based on a desire to contribute effectively, with the help of his sister Vivianne, a foundation was established in Brazil, Instituto Ayrton Senna, which has invested nearly US$80 million over the last twelve years in social programs and actions in partnership with schools, government, NGOs, and the private sector aimed at offering children and teenagers from low-income backgrounds the skills and opportunities they need to develop to their full potential as persons, citizens and future professionals. The "Senninha" ("Little Senna") cartoon character born in 1993/94, was another means by which Senna extended his role model status in favour of Brazilian children.

In his home country of Brazil, the main freeway from the international airport to São Paulo and a tunnel along route to the heart of the city is named in his honour. Also, one of the most important freeways of Rio de Janeiro is named after Senna ("Avenida Ayrton Senna"). The main road in Senna's Portuguese resort at Quinta do Lago, Algarve, was also dedicated to him, due to the fact that his villa there was very near (but not on) this road.

In 2004 (when, ten years after his death, the Brazilian media revisited the life of Senna), a book called "Ayrton: The Hero Revealed" (original title: "Ayrton: O Herói Revelado") was published in Brazil. Senna remains a national hero in Brazil and his grave attracts more visitors than the graves of John F Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley combined.

In addition, to mark the 10th anniversary of Senna's death, on 21 April 2004, over 10,000 people attended a charity match in a football stadium near Imola. The game was organized by several devoted Italian and Canadian fans of Senna, bringing the 1994 FIFA World Cup winning team of Brazil (who dedicated their 1994 FIFA World Cup win to Senna) to face the "Nazionale Piloti", an exhibition team composed exclusively of top race car drivers. Senna had been a part of the latter in 1985. Michael Schumacher, Jarno Trulli, Rubens Barrichello, Fernando Alonso and many others faced the likes of Dunga, Careca, Taffarel and many of the team that won the World Cup in the United States ten years earlier. The match finished 5–5 and the money was donated to Instituto Ayrton Senna. Viviane Senna, Senna's sister, president of the institute (and mother of future F1 driver Bruno Senna), gave the initial kick. That same weekend, Bernie Ecclestone revealed that he still believed Senna was and remained the best F1 driver he had ever seen.

Since his death, Senna has been the subject of songs by Italian singer-songwriter Lucio Dalla, Jazz pianist Kim Pensyl, Japanese jazz-fusion guitarist and T-square bandleader Masahiro Andoh and Chris Rea.

In the late 1980s, to take advantage of the close relationship Honda had with Senna, the Japanese company asked him to help fine-tune the Honda NSX's suspension setting during its final development stages. The tests were conducted at Suzuka Circuit with chief NSX engineer Shigeru Uehara and his engineering team present to gather Senna's direct input. Senna found the prototype NSX initially lacked chassis stiffness to the level he was accustomed to, so the final production version was further reinforced to his satisfaction. Senna also led Audi to Brazil, in agreement settled in 1993. By this time the high end cars made in Brazil were widely criticized, and he took the initiative to raise the market level. His personal car in 1994 was an Audi S4.

Between 1996 and 1998, to pay tribute to Senna, the Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati produced special Senna editions of their 916 superbike. Ducati was at the time owned by Claudio Castiglioni, a personal friend of Senna who was an avid Ducati lover. In 2002, the MV Agusta F4 750 Senna motorbike was created, again by Castiglioni, now president of MV Agusta. The production was limited to 300 bikes, and all profits from sales went to the Ayrton Senna Foundation.

In 2009, it was announced that Senna's nephew Bruno (son of Vivianne, Ayrton's sister) would be making his Formula One debut in .

The former Formula One grand prix circuit in Adelaide, Australia, renamed its first chicane the "Senna chicane" in honour of his memory. This track—which remains the site of Senna's last Formula One win—is still used for local V8 Supercars racing after the move of the F1 grand prix to Melbourne. There is also a street named after him in the Adelaide suburb of Wingfield. The Adelaide street circuit was said to be a favourite of Senna's, and he was reportedly unhappy about upcoming shift of venue from Adelaide to Melbourne.

He was voted the best driver of all time in various motorsport polls, including the one involving current drivers as published by the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag in July 2010.

On 25 July 2010, popular BBC motoring show, ''Top Gear'' paid an emotional tribute to Senna with British Formula One World Champion, Lewis Hamilton driving Senna's original MP4/4, with which he won the 1988 title.

A documentary film ''Senna'' was released in 2010 to great critical acclaim.

Complete Formula One results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) !rowspan=2

Year

! Team

! Chassis

! Engine

! 1

! 2

! 3

! 4

! 5

! 6

! 7

! 8

! 9

! 10

! 11

! 12

! 13

! 14

! 15

! 16

! WDC

List of Formula One World Championship points scoring systems>Points

rowspan=2

!rowspan=2

Toleman Toleman TG183>TG183B

Brian Hart Ltd.>Hart

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#ffcfcf;"

9th

13

Straight-4

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#ffcfcf;"

9th

13

Toleman TG184>TG184

Brian Hart Ltd.>Hart

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#cfcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

ITA">Straight-4

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#cfcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

ITA

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

! John Player Special Team Lotus

! Team Lotus

Renault

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#cfcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#cfcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#cfcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

! 4th

! 38

! [[John Player Special">V6 engine

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#cfcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#cfcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#cfcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

! 4th

! 38

! [[John Player Special Team Lotus

! Team Lotus

Renault

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

! 4th

! 55

! [[Camel (cigarette)

! [[Team Lotus

Honda">V6 engine

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

! 4th

! 55

! [[Camel (cigarette)

! [[Team Lotus

Honda

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#cfcfff;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#000; color:white;"

Honda">V6 engine

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#cfcfff;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#000; color:white;"

Honda Marlboro (cigarette)

! [[McLaren (racing)

Honda

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#cfcfff;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

Honda">V6 engine

style="background:#000; color:white;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#cfcfff;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

Honda

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#cfcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#000; color:#fff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

Honda">Marlboro (cigarette)

! [[McLaren (racing)

! [[Honda Racing F1

style="background:#cfcfff;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#cfcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#000; color:#fff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

Honda

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#cfcfff;"

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

Honda">Marlboro (cigarette)

! [[McLaren (racing)

! [[Honda Racing F1

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#cfcfff;"

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

Honda [[Marlboro (cigarette)

! [[McLaren (racing)

! [[Honda Racing F1

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#cfcfff;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

rowspan=2

Honda Marlboro McLaren

!

style="background:#efcfff;"

4th

50

! [[McLaren (racing)

! [[Honda Racing F1

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#cfcfff;"

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

! [[Marlboro (cigarette)

! [[McLaren (racing)

! [[Ford Motor Company

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#cfcfff;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

Rothmans">McLaren (racing)

! [[Honda Racing F1

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

4th

50

! [[McLaren (racing)

! [[Honda Racing F1

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#cfcfff;"

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffdf9f;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

! [[Marlboro (cigarette)

! [[McLaren (racing)

! [[Ford Motor Company

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#dfdfdf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#cfcfff;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#dfffdf;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

style="background:#ffffbf;"

Rothmans

style="background:#efcfff;"

style="background:#efcfff;"

! NC

! 0

‡ Race was stopped with less than 75% of laps completed, half points awarded.

References

External links

Official Ayrton Senna Website

Instituto Ayrton Senna official site

Ayrton Senna – Daily Telegraph obituary

Biography of Ayrton Senna

Ayrton Senna – Motor Racing Legend

Ayrton Senna Memorial

Ayrton Senna Rally driving in Wales

Article, 21 April 2004 re: Ayrton Senna brand and charitable organization 10 years later ([[The Times">WilliamsF1

! [[WilliamsF1 ! [[Renault F1 style="background:#efcfff;" style="background:#efcfff;" style="background:#efcfff;" ! NC ! 0

‡ Race was stopped with less than 75% of laps completed, half points awarded.

References

External links

Official Ayrton Senna Website

Instituto Ayrton Senna official site

Ayrton Senna – Daily Telegraph obituary

Biography of Ayrton Senna

Ayrton Senna – Motor Racing Legend

Ayrton Senna Memorial

Ayrton Senna Rally driving in Wales

Article, 21 April 2004 re: Ayrton Senna brand and charitable organization 10 years later ([[The Times)

Ayrton Senna Photos

Ayrton Senna career details

Ayrton Senna statistics

–}} }}

Category:1960 births Category:1994 deaths Category:Brazilian people of Italian descent Category:Brazilian Formula One drivers Category:Brazilian Roman Catholics Category:Brazilian racecar drivers Category:British Formula Three Championship drivers Category:CIK-FIA Karting World Championship drivers Category:Formula Ford drivers Category:Formula One World Drivers' Champions Category:International Motorsports Hall of Fame inductees Category:Lotus Formula One drivers Category:McLaren Formula One drivers Category:Monaco Grand Prix winners Category:People from São Paulo (city) Category:Racecar drivers killed while racing Category:Sport deaths in Italy Category:Williams Formula One drivers

af:Ayrton Senna ar:آيرتون سينا an:Ayrton Senna bg:Айртон Сена ca:Ayrton Senna cs:Ayrton Senna da:Ayrton Senna de:Ayrton Senna et:Ayrton Senna el:Άιρτον Σένα es:Ayrton Senna eo:Ayrton Senna eu:Ayrton Senna fa:آیرتون سنا fr:Ayrton Senna fy:Ayrton Senna ga:Ayrton Senna gl:Ayrton Senna ko:아이르통 세나 hi:एर्टन सेना hr:Ayrton Senna id:Ayrton Senna it:Ayrton Senna he:איירטון סנה ka:აირტონ სენა la:Ayrton Senna lv:Airtons Senna lt:Ayrton Senna hu:Ayrton Senna mk:Ајртон Сена nl:Ayrton Senna ja:アイルトン・セナ no:Ayrton Senna nn:Ayrton Senna pap:Ayrton Senna pl:Ayrton Senna pt:Ayrton Senna ro:Ayrton Senna qu:Ayrton Senna ru:Сенна, Айртон sq:Ayrton Senna simple:Ayrton Senna sk:Ayrton Senna sl:Ayrton Senna sr:Ајртон Сена sh:Ayrton Senna fi:Ayrton Senna sv:Ayrton Senna te:ఆయిర్టన్ సెన్నా th:อาอีร์ตง เซนนา tr:Ayrton Senna uk:Айртон Сенна vec:Ayrton Senna vi:Ayrton Senna zh-yue:冼拿 zh:艾爾頓·冼拿

Coordinates	40°37′29″N73°57′8″N
name	Katherine Moennig
birthname	Katherine Sian Moennig
birth date	December 29, 1977
birth place	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
othername	Kate Moennig
occupation	Actress
yearsactive	1999—present
relatives	Gwyneth Paltrow (cousin)
website	}}

Katherine Sian Moennig (Pronounced ''meh-nig''; born December 29, 1977) is an American actress known for her role as Shane McCutcheon on ''The L Word'', as well as Jake Pratt on ''Young Americans''. In 2009, she recently starred as Dr. Miranda Foster on CBS ''Three Rivers''.

Personal life

Moennig was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Broadway dancer Mary Zahn and violin maker William H. Moennig 3rd. Moennig has a half-sister and a half-brother from the first marriage of her father. Moennig is also the niece of actress Blythe Danner (who is the half sister of Moening's father) and cousin of Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow and Jake Paltrow. Moennig is of German, Scottish and Irish descent.

Career

Moennig moved to New York City at the age of 18 to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. There she began a modeling career, and also performed on stage.

In 1999, she had the central role in the Our Lady Peace video "Is Anybody Home?".

Her first major role was in the television series ''Young Americans'', playing Jake Pratt, a girl who enters the Rawley Boys Academy by passing as a boy and ends up falling in love with Hamilton (Ian Somerhalder), the Dean's son.

Moennig has played lesbian roles - Shane McCutcheon on ''The L Word'', she also appeared as a lesbian artist—a former lover of Sophia Myles' character—in Terry Zwigoff's 2006 ''Art School Confidential.''

Moennig has also pursued transgender roles. She auditioned for the part of Brandon Teena in ''Boys Don't Cry'', which ended up going to actress Hilary Swank, and played Cheryl Avery, a young transsexual woman, in ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (episode "Fallacy").

On April 12, 2006, Moennig made her Off Broadway debut, opposite Lee Pace, in ''Guardians'', by Peter Morris. In it, she plays "American Girl"—a young United States Army soldier from West Virginia who becomes a scapegoat in a scandal involving abuse at an Iraqi prison. The story is loosely based on that of Lynndie England.

In 2007, the documentary "My Address: A Look At Gay Youth Homelessness" in New York was launched with Moennig in cooperation with the Hetrick-Martin Institute (HMI), directed by Gigi Nicolas.

In 2008, Moennig played the role of Mary Landis, a suspect in season 6 episode 19 of ''CSI:Miami''.

In 2009, Moennig joined the cast of ''Three Rivers'', a medical drama set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at a hospital specializing in transplants. Moennig played Dr. Miranda Foster, a surgical fellow with a rebellious streak and fiery temper who strives to live up to her deceased father's excellent surgical reputation. On November 30, 2009, it was announced that CBS had pulled Three Rivers from the schedule, with no plans to return it.

In 2010, Moennig played a tattoo artist in the ''Dexter'' episode "First Blood".

In 2011, she played the small role of Gloria, a drug-addicted prostitute, in the film ''The Lincoln Lawyer''.

Film

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role |- | 2000 || ''The Ice People'' || Wanja Kasczinksy |- | rowspan="3"| 2001 || ''The Shipping News'' || Grace Moosup |- | ''Love the Hard Way'' || Debbie |- | ''Slo-Mo'' || Raven |- | 2004 || ''Invitation to a Suicide'' || Eva |- | 2006 || ''Art School Confidential'' || Candace |- | 2009 || ''Everybody's Fine'' || Jilly |- | 2011 || ''The Lincoln Lawyer'' || Gloria |}

Television

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Title ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | 2000 || ''Young Americans'' || Jacqueline "Jake" Pratt || 8 episodes |- | 2001 || ''Law & Order'' || Melissa Cobin || 1 episode (For Love or Money) |- | 2003 || ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' || Cheryl Avery || 1 episode (Fallacy) |- | 2004 || ''The L Word'' || Shane McCutcheon || 70 episodes, 2004 – 2009 |- | 2008 || ''CSI: Miami'' || Mary Landis || 1 episode (Rock and a Hard Place) |- | 2009 || ''Three Rivers'' || Dr. Miranda Foster || 10 episodes |- | 2010 || ''Dexter'' || Michael Angelo || 1 episode (First Blood) |- |}

References

External links

Katherine Moennig at ''The L Word'' official site

Category:American film actors Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:American people of German descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American people of Scottish descent Category:People from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni Category:1977 births Category:Living people

bg:Катрин Мениг ca:Katherine Moennig da:Katherine Moennig de:Katherine Moennig es:Katherine Moennig fr:Katherine Moennig hr:Katherine Moennig id:Katherine Moennig it:Katherine Moennig he:קת'רין מוניג la:Catharina Moennig lv:Ketrīna Meniga lt:Katherine Moennig hu:Katherine Moennig ms:Katherine Moennig nl:Katherine Moennig ja:キャサリン・メーニッヒ no:Katherine Moennig pl:Katherine Moennig pt:Katherine Moennig ru:Мённиг, Кэтрин sk:Katherine Moennig fi:Katherine Moennig sv:Katherine Moennig tr:Katherine Moennig

Coordinates	40°37′29″N73°57′8″N
name	Ian Somerhalder
birth date	December 08, 1978
birth place	Covington, Louisiana, U.S.
birthname	Ian Joseph Somerhalder
occupation	Actor, model, producer
yearsactive	1997–present }}

Ian Joseph Somerhalder (born December 8, 1978) is an American model, actor and producer, best known for playing Boone Carlyle in the TV drama ''Lost'' and Damon Salvatore in the TV drama ''The Vampire Diaries''.

Early life

Somerhalder was born and raised in Covington, Louisiana, the son of Edna, a massage therapist, and Robert Somerhalder, an independent building contractor. He was raised a Catholic and attended St. Paul's, a private Catholic school in Covington. He embarked on a modeling career from age 10 to 13, and by the age of 17 he decided to go into acting.

Career

In the summer of 2000, Somerhalder starred in the short-lived WB series ''Young Americans'', a spin-off of ''Dawson's Creek''. He played Hamilton Fleming, the son of the dean of a prestigious boarding school. In 2002, Somerhalder played bisexual character Paul Denton in Roger Avary's adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' novel, ''The Rules of Attraction'', alongside James Van Der Beek, Shannyn Sossamon, and Jessica Biel.

In 2004, Somerhalder scored his breakthrough role when he played Boone Carlyle in the hit TV show ''Lost''. Despite his character's death in the twentieth episode of the first season, Somerhalder returned to the role of Boone for seven more episodes, between 2005 and 2010, including the series finale. In an ironic twist, Somerhalder was the first actor to be cast in a role for the series, but he was also the first character to die. He has stated that he was going to buy a house in Hawaii, where filming took place, until he learned his character was being killed off.

In May 2006, Somerhalder was named one of DNA Models' Top 10 Male Models.

In September 2009, Somerhalder appeared in the movie ''The Tournament'' where he played the role of an assassin participating in a lethal competition with other assassins. On 10 October 2009, it was announced that he will star in the Gothic movie ''Cradlewood'', which is to be directed by Harry Weinmann. The movie is set to be released in 2013.

Somerhalder appears in the limited-edition coffee table book ''About Face'' by celebrity photographer John Russo and Press Worldwide publishers.

Somerhalder currently stars in the CW television drama ''The Vampire Diaries'' as Damon Salvatore, portraying a dangerous, maniacal, witty, whole-hearted vampire in love with his brother's human girlfriend, Elena Gilbert, who is the doppleganger of the Salvatore brothers past love.

Philanthropy

Somerhalder was the first actor/celebrity to become actively involved in the cleanup after the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling disaster on April 22, 2010. His efforts included cleaning of oiled wildlife and taping public service announcements to let the public know how they could help. Numerous Youtube videos are of him speaking of the horrific environmental impacts the oil has done and how others can help. Somerhalder also supports the St. Tammany Humane Society, an organization for animal shelter and welfare. On November 13, 2010, he hosted a Bash on the Bayou charity fundraiser for the St. Tammany Humane Society. During the event, Somerhalder was presented with a donation of $11,100 by ''The Vampire Diaries'' fandom for his birthday project.

Together with his ''The Vampire Diaries'' co-star Candice Accola, Somerhalder is also one of many supporters of the It Gets Better Project, a project that has made it a goal to prevent suicide among LGBT youth, associated with The Trevor Project.

Somerhalder announced, via Twitter, and in various interviews that he is in the process of setting up The Ian Somerhalder Foundation, which he hopes will educate people on the importance of protecting the environment and animals. Somerhalder has stated:

}}

He hopes that donations will be used to provide proper medical services to stray animals and he established the foundation on December 8, 2010, his 32nd birthday.

Filmography

+ Film
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1998		Unconfirmed	Uncredited
2001	''Life as a House''	Josh
2002	''Changing Hearts''	Jason Kelly
2002		Paul Denton
2004		U.S.S. Swordfish Danny Miller
2004	''The Old Man and the Studio''	Matt	Short Film
2006	''National Lampoon's TV: The Movie''	Unconfirmed	Uncredited
2006		Dexter
2006	''The Sensation of Sight''	Drifter
2008	''The Lost Samaritan''	William Archer
2008	''Lost City Raiders''	Jack Kubiak
2009		Tyler
2009		Miles Slade
2010	''How to Make Love to a Woman''	Daniel Meltzer
2012	''Cradlewood''	Josh	Pre-production

+ Television
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1997		I.Q.	1 episode: "The Black Bag"
1999	''Now and Again''	Brian	1 episode: "A Girl's Life"
2000		Hamilton Fleming	8 episodes
2001	''Anatomy of a Hate Crime''	Russell Henderson	TV Film
2002	''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation''	Tony Del Nagro	1 episode: "Revenge Is Best Served Cold"
2003	''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''	Charlie Baker	1 episode: "Dominance"
2003	''CSI: Miami''	Ricky Murdoch	1 episode: "The Best Defense"
2004		Jordan Gracie	TV Film
2004	''Smallville''	Adam Knight	7 episodes
2007		Marco Polo	TV Film
2007	''Tell Me You Love Me''	Nick	6 episodes
2008	''Lost City Raiders''	Jack Kubiak	TV Film
2009	''Fireball''	Lee Cooper	TV Film
2004–2010		Boone Carlyle	27 episodes
2009–present	''The Vampire Diaries''	Damon Salvatore	Lead role

Awards

!Year	!Category	!Shared with	!Recipient	!Result
2002	Exciting New Face – Male	N/A	N/A	Winner
2005	Choice TV Breakout Performance – Male	N/A		Nominated
2006	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series			Winner
	Choice TV Villain			Winner
Choice Male Hottie	Nominated
	Choice TV Actor Fantasy/Sci-Fi	Winner
Choice Vampire
Choice Male Hottie
2011	Favourite TV Drama Actor	N/A	''The Vampire Diaries'' (2009)	Nominated

References

External links

Category:1978 births Category:Actors from Louisiana Category:American film actors Category:American male models Category:American television actors Category:American Roman Catholics Category:Living people Category:Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:People from Covington, Louisiana Category:People from New Orleans, Louisiana

ar:إيان سومرهالدر be-x-old:Ян Самэрхолдэр bg:Иън Сомърхолдър ca:Ian Somerhalder cs:Ian Somerhalder da:Ian Somerhalder de:Ian Somerhalder es:Ian Somerhalder eu:Ian Somerhalder fa:یان سامرهلدر fr:Ian Somerhalder ko:이언 서머헐더 hy:Իեն Սոմերհոլդեր hr:Ian Somerhalder id:Ian Somerhalder it:Ian Somerhalder he:איאן סומרהולדר lt:Ian Somerhalder hu:Ian Somerhalder ms:Ian Somerhalder nl:Ian Somerhalder ja:イアン・サマーホルダー no:Ian Somerhalder pl:Ian Somerhalder pt:Ian Somerhalder ru:Сомерхолдер, Иэн sl:Ian Somerhalder fi:Ian Somerhalder sv:Ian Somerhalder th:เอียน โซเมอร์ฮอลเดอร์ tr:Ian Somerhalder uk:Ян Сомерхолдер zh:伊恩·桑莫哈德

Coordinates	40°37′29″N73°57′8″N
name	Simon Baker
birth name	Simon Baker
birth date	July 30, 1969
birth place	Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
occupation	Actor
years active	1987–present
spouse	Rebecca Rigg (1998–present); 3 children}}

Simon Baker (born 30 July 1969) is an Australian actor. Since 2008, he has starred in the CBS television series ''The Mentalist''.

Early life

Simon Baker was born to a high-school English teacher, Elizabeth Labberton, and a groundskeeper/mechanic, Barry Baker, on 30 July 1969, in Launceston, Tasmania. He was raised Roman Catholic. His parents divorced while he was still young. His mother later married Tom Denny, a butcher. Simon Baker also has a sister, currently a doctor in Australia, and one younger half brother. By 1972, they had moved from Launceston to Ballina, New South Wales, hoping to secure better paying jobs. In 1986, he graduated from Ballina High School after completing his primary school education at St. Francis Xavier Primary School, also in Ballina.

Acting career

Baker began acting on Australian television during the late 1980s using the name "Simon Baker Denny". He first appeared in music video clips for Melissa Tkautz ("Read My Lips") and Australian dance outfit Euphoria ("Love You Right") in 1991 before appearing in the successful series ''E Street'', ''Home and Away'' and ''Heartbreak High''. Baker relocated to the United States, where he was briefly known by his stepfather's surname (i.e., Simon Baker-Denny or Simon Denny).

He was cast in a small part in ''L.A. Confidential'', which led to further opportunities in supporting roles in films. In 1998 he starred in a small, independent film by filmmaker Stephen Grynberg titled "Love from Ground Zero", and in 1999 appeared in Ang Lee's ''Ride with the Devil''. In 2000 he played Michael Scott in Adam Collis ''Sunset Strip''. He also played an astronaut in ''Red Planet'' with Val Kilmer, Carrie Anne Moss and Benjamin Bratt. He played the male lead in the television series ''The Guardian'' for three seasons beginning in 2001, and also appeared in ''The Affair of the Necklace''. He played a distressed husband in 2004's ''Book of Love''. In 2005, he starred as an altruistic hero in George A. Romero's ''Land of the Dead''.

In 2006, he played Brian Kelly in the film ''Something New'', writer Christian Thompson in ''The Devil Wears Prada'', and had a leading role as Jeff in the short-lived television series ''Smith''. That following year, he was cast as Roderick Blank in ''Sex and Death 101''.

In 2008, Baker received the lead role in the CBS television series ''The Mentalist'', in which he portrays Patrick Jane, a consultant to the California Bureau of Investigation. In 2009, Baker was nominated for an Emmy for his work in ''The Mentalist''. In late 2009, Baker was also nominated for his second Golden Globe award (first for ''The Mentalist'') and first SAG award for his work. Baker portrayed Howard Hendricks in the American thriller film ''The Killer Inside Me''.

Other activities

On 6 June 2010, he played in a charity football match for The Rest of The World team versus England on ITV's Soccer Aid 2010, coming on as a substitute in the second half. The match went to a penalty shootout; Baker took a penalty which was saved by England celebrity goalkeeper, Jamie Theakston. The Rest of the World went on to win the shoot out and the match for the first time since the tournament started.

Personal life

In 1998, Baker married Australian actress Rebecca Rigg. They have three children: Stella Breeze (born 8 August 1993), Claude Blue (born 1998), and Harry Friday (born 19 September 2001). Fellow Australian, actress Nicole Kidman is godmother to Harry while actress Naomi Watts is godmother to Claude. Baker and his family resided in Malibu, California, before moving back to Sydney. He also has a godson named Mo. Baker returned to Los Angeles to appear on ''Smith'', and later on ''The Mentalist''.

In January 2009 Baker told Parade Magazine that he and his wife were interested in becoming American citizens. That February, Baker appeared on ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' and said that he was applying to become an American citizen. As of August 2010 Simon Baker is officially a US citizen, however he still retains his Australian citizenship. On the ''Late Show with David Letterman'' on 23 September 2009, Baker spoke of his mother's job as a store security guard before she became a drama teacher after he got into acting.

He and his sons are fans of the Parramatta Eels in the Australian NRL.

His name first appeared in ''Who's Who in Australia'' in the 2011 edition.

Filmography

+ List of film credits
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1997		Matt Reynolds	credited as Simon Baker Denny
1997		Stephen Barnes
1998		Kenny
1998		Junior Armstrong
1998	''Love from Ground Zero''	Eric
1999		George Clyde
2000		Michael Scott
2000		Chip Pettengill
2001	''''	Rétaux de Villette
2004		David Walker
2005	''''	Max Rourke
2005	''Land of the Dead''	Riley
2006		Brian Kelly
2006	''''
2007	''Sex and Death 101''	Roderick Blank
2007	''''	Roger Thornberry	Short film
2009	''''	Malcolm Slaight
2009		Jack Bishop
2009	''Women in Trouble''	Travis McPherson
2010	''''	Howard Hendricks
2011	''Margin Call''	Jared Cohen

+ List of television credits
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1987			CHCH-TV Television film
1989		Uncredited extra	Episode: "Only Sin Deep"
1992–93	''E Street''	Constable Sam Farrell	Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent
1994	''Which Way to the War''	Pvt Stan Hawke	Episode: "Pilot"
1994	''Home and Away''	James Healy
1995	''Naked''
1995–96	''Heartbreak High''	Mr. Thomas 'Tom' Saunders	Season 3: Episodes 80–89
1996	''Naked: Stories of Men''	Gabriel	Episode: "Blind-Side Breakaway"
1996		Paul Steadman	Season 1: Episode 3
1999	''Secret Men's Business''	Andy Greville
2001–04	''''	Nick Fallin
2006–07		Jeff Breen	Seven episodes
2008–present	''''	Patrick Jane

Awards and nominations

Australian Film Institute Awards

2000: Nominated, "Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Telefeature or Mini-Series" – ''Secret Men's Business''

People's Choice Award

2009: won with complete cast "Best new series" – ''The Mentalist'' season 1

Emmy Awards

2009: Nominated, "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" – ''The Mentalist'' season 1

Family Television Awards

2002: Won, "Best Actor" – ''The Guardian''

Golden Globe Awards

2002: Nominated, "Best Performance by an Actor in a Dramatic Television Series" – ''The Guardian''

2009: Nominated, "Best Performance by an Actor in a Dramatic Television Series" – ''The Mentalist'' season 2

Screen Actors Guild Awards

2010: Nominated, "Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series" – ''The Mentalist'' season 2

Logie Awards

1993: Won, "Most Popular New Talent" – ''E Street''

2004: Nominated, "Most Popular Overseas Star"

Prism Awards

2005: Nominated, "Best Performance in a Drama Series Storyline" – ''The Guardian''

References

External links

Simon Baker Australian Film Commission

Simon Baker interview ''The Guardian'' Femail Magazine

Simon Baker ''The Guardian'' The Age

Simon Baker interview ''Land of the Dead'' Femail Magazine

Category:1969 births Category:Australian expatriate actors in the United States Category:Australian film actors Category:Australian television actors Category:People educated at the National Institute of Dramatic Art Category:Living people Category:People from Launceston, Tasmania Category:People from New South Wales Category:People from Tasmania Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States

ar:سايمن بيكر bg:Саймън Бейкър cs:Simon Baker da:Simon Baker de:Simon Baker es:Simon Baker fa:سیمون بیکر fr:Simon Baker (acteur australien) ko:사이먼 베이커 it:Simon Baker he:סיימון בייקר hu:Simon Baker nl:Simon Baker ja:サイモン・ベイカー pl:Simon Baker pt:Simon Baker ro:Simon Baker ru:Бейкер, Саймон fi:Simon Baker sv:Simon Baker tr:Simon Baker uk:Саймон Бейкер zh:西蒙·贝克