J. K. Simmons

Jonathan Kimble Simmons[1] (born January 9, 1955)[2] is an American actor. In television, he is known for playing Dr. Emil Skoda on the NBC series Law & Order, Vernon Schillinger on the HBO series Oz, and Assistant Police Chief Will Pope on TNT's The Closer. From 2017 to 2019, he starred as Howard Silk in the Starz series Counterpart.

J. K. Simmons
Simmons in 2009
Born
Jonathan Kimble Simmons

(1955-01-09) January 9, 1955
Grosse Pointe, Michigan, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Montana (BA)
OccupationActor
Years active1976–present
Works
Performances
Spouse(s)
Michelle Schumacher
​
(m. 1996)​
Children2
AwardsFull list

His film roles include J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy (2002–2007), and music instructor Terence Fletcher in Whiplash (2014) for which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He is known for voicing Cave Johnson in the video game Portal 2 (2011), Tenzin in The Legend of Korra (2012–2014), Stanford “Ford” Pines in Gravity Falls (2015–2016), Kai in Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016), Mayor Lionheart in Zootopia (2016) and the titular character in Klaus (2019). He reprised his role as Jameson in various Marvel media unrelated to the Sam Raimi trilogy, including multiple animated series and the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019). He has also appeared in a series of commercials for Farmers Insurance, and also voices the Yellow M&M. He also starred in the third season of the IFC comedy series Brockmire. In 2020, he had a recurring role on the Apple TV+ miniseries Defending Jacob as Billy Barber.

Simmons's performance in Whiplash received widespread critical acclaim and earned him many accolades, including the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, Critics' Choice Award and BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Early life and education

Simmons was born on January 9, 1955, in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit,[3] the son of Patricia (née Kimble), an administrator, and Donald William Simmons, a music teacher[4][5] at Parcells Middle School.[6] One of three children,[6] Simmons attended Ferry Elementary School in Grosse Pointe Woods.[7] In 1965, when he was 10 years old, his family moved to Worthington, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio.[3] From 1970–1972, Simmons attended Worthington High School, where he participated in drama, football, and choir.[8] In 1973, when he was 18, they moved to Missoula, Montana, where his father became director of the School of Music at the University of Montana.[3] The younger Simmons graduated from the University of Montana[9][10] in 1978 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in music.[11] During college, he became a member of the music-oriented fraternity Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. Later, Simmons moved to Seattle and became a member of the Seattle Repertory Theatre.[9] Simmons would make his way up in the acting world from there, eventually landing a role in Broadway in 1992.

Career

Broadway

On Broadway, Simmons played Benny Southstreet in the 1992 revival of Guys and Dolls.[12] In 1994, he sang multiple roles in the Wagner opera satire, Das Barbecü.[9] He also played the role of Jigger in a revival of Carousel with the Houston Grand Opera and starred in the 1987 Off-Broadway musical Birds of Paradise. During his time on Broadway, Simmons also played the role of Captain Hook for the show Peter Pan during his tour in 1992.

Film and television roles

Simmons made his first appearance in a live action television role in the show Popeye Doyle, appearing as a patrol officer. The next year Simmons appeared on All My Children, as an RCMP sergeant. Among his more notable roles are Dr. Emil Skoda, a police psychiatrist who Simmons played on three of the four incarnations of Law & Order and New York Undercover, and sadistic neo-Nazi inmate Vernon Schillinger on the prison drama Oz.

He appeared as Ralph Earnhardt, the father of race-car driver Dale Earnhardt, in 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story, and also made appearances as Will Pope, Assistant Chief of the LAPD, in the series The Closer. In the show Raising Hope, he plays Burt Chance's brother Bruce Chance. In a precursor to joining the Law & Order cast as Skoda, Simmons appeared in Homicide: Life on the Street, portraying a criminal in a Law & Order cross-over episode. Other roles include that of an army general in the television sitcom Arrested Development, and Dan the Barber in the surreal Nickelodeon series The Adventures of Pete & Pete in 1995.

He played B.R. in the film Thank You for Smoking (2005) and has been praised for his performance in Juno (2007) as "Mac" McGuff, the title character's father. Simmons played J. Jonah Jameson, editor-in-chief of the newspaper Daily Bugle, in all three of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films, as well as in the expanded video game adaptation of Spider-Man 3. In 2008, he played a CIA superior in Burn After Reading and appeared in Postal as Candidate Welles. He also appeared in I Love You, Man as the father of Paul Rudd's character.

Throughout 2011-2018, Simmons was a prime time voice actor for the Adult Swim stop-motion series Robot Chicken. Simmons performed various voices for several characters over the last couple of years. For example, one of the characters that he played was Vernon Schillinger (in 2011) for a singular episode. In 2011 and 2014, he also made a surprise to fans as he voiced Master Chief for various scenes throughout two episodes. Lastly in 2018, he voiced the widely known J. Jonah Jameson for an episode.

Simmons at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival

Simmons starred in several films produced or directed by his friend Jason Reitman, including Thank You for Smoking, Juno, Up in the Air, and Jennifer's Body. In 2013, he had a small role as Mr. Jervis in Reitman's film Labor Day. He voices Tenzin, an Airbending master and the son of Aang and Katara, in the 2012 Nickelodeon series The Legend of Korra. He starred as blind lawyer "Mel Fisher" in Growing Up Fisher.[13] From 2015 to 2016, he voiced the scientist Stanford Pines on the Disney XD cartoon series Gravity Falls.

In the 2014 drama film Whiplash, Simmons played Terence Fletcher, an intensely demanding conductor at the fictional Shaffer Conservatory of Music, who bullies and cajoles his student, Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller). The wide acclaim for Simmons's performance included winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.[14] Rolling Stone said "Beat the drums for an Oscar for Simmons." Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times said "Simmons delivers one of the most memorable performances of the year."[15] Entertainment Weekly summed up the reaction by saying Simmons's performance "has been universally praised" and that he was "a leading contender for Best Supporting Actor."[16] On January 11, 2015, Simmons won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture,[17] and he went on to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor on February 22, 2015.[18]

In January 2015, Simmons was cast in a leading role in the film Kong: Skull Island,[19] though he and Michael Keaton later exited the film.[20] Simmons performed a substantial number of voice-over roles alongside his live action work. Several of these have arisen from his J. Jonah Jameson character in Raimi's Spider-Man films, including voices of two newspaper editors in episodes of the eighteenth season of The Simpsons. While unnamed, these characters are clearly meant to emulate Jameson (one, bearing Jameson's appearance, demands "pictures of Spider-Man," then once reminded he works at a poetry journal, demands "poems about Spider-Man"). Likewise, Simmons voiced an editor-in-chief of a newspaper (with Jameson's appearance and mannerisms) for a 2013 episode of The Hub's Pound Puppies. In 2015, he appeared as the German expatriate Sebastian in the Greek drama film Worlds Apart. In 2016, Simmons lent his voice to two animated films, voicing the antagonist Kai in Kung Fu Panda 3 and Mayor Lionheart in Zootopia.

Simmons reprised his role as the voice of J. Jonah Jameson in the animated series The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Ultimate Spider-Man, Avengers Assemble, and Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.. In friend Reitman's film Young Adult, he voiced the protagonist's boss, via a series of voicemails. He also provided the voice of General Wade Eiling in Justice League Unlimited. He recorded an audiobook for Tom Clancy's Net Force: Point of Impact.

In 2016, Simmons portrayed Watertown Police Sergeant Jeffrey Pugliese in the film Patriots Day.

In 2017, Simmons portrayed Commissioner James Gordon in Zack Snyder's film Justice League, part of the DC Extended Universe. It is unknown whether or not Simmons will make a return to DC in the role of Commissioner James Gordon.[21][22][23] He voiced himself in an episode of SuperMansion.[24]

In the field of television commercials, Simmons is widely known for being the voice of the yellow M&M, a role he has played since 1996, replacing John Goodman.[25] He has also done voice-over work for Norelco razors. In live-action, he is featured as Professor Nathaniel Burke of the University of Farmers in ads for Farmers Insurance Group, since 2010.[26]

In 2017, Simmons had a small cameo for a role in SpongeBob SquarePants of Conductor Maestro Mackerel for an episode.[27]

In 2019, Simmons reprised his role of J. Jonah Jameson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: Far From Home, as a cameo in the mid-credits scene. He is the second actor to portray the same character in both a non-MCU and MCU film, following Lou Ferrigno as the voice of the Hulk. Simmons is expected to continue his role from the MCU, as J. Jonah Jameson, in the next Spider-Man film.[28][29][30][31]

In 2020, he had a guest spot as Frank Dillman on the police sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine.[32] He also narrated the Netflix limited series documentary Coronavirus, Explained[33] and co-starred in the critically acclaimed sci-fi/comedy Palm Springs, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and on Hulu in July.[34]

From 2014 to 2020, Simmons voiced Lenny Turtletaub in the animated show BoJack Horseman.

In 2021, Simmons is rumored to be in the new Marvel movie Morbius.[35] Also in 2021, Simmons is expected to have a role in the upcoming military themed movie The Tomorrow War.

Video games

In 2005, Simmons also reprised his role of J. Jonah Jameson, as a voice actor, for the PSP version of Spider-Man 2: The Video Game. Later in 2007, he also voiced the same character of Jameson in the next game of the series: Spider-Man 3: The Video Game. Simmons, also in 2007, decided to voice Jameson one last time in Stern Pinball: Spider-Man.[36]

Simmons appears as the anti-communist U.S. President Howard T. Ackerman in the video game Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 and for a series of promotional advertisements parodying the 2008 presidential elections. In these advertisements, he offers himself (as Ackerman) as an alternative to other, unnamed presidential candidates and uses the slogan "Vote for me, if you want to live."[37]

In 2011, Simmons also appeared in Generator Rex: Agent of Providence, as White Knight

In April 2011, he appeared in Portal 2 as the voice of Aperture Science founder Cave Johnson,[38] a performance that was lauded as the "surprise star turn" of the game.[39] He reprised his role as Cave Johnson in the 2015 video game Lego Dimensions.

Simmons provided the voice over for the M&M's "spokescandy", Yellow in M&M’s: Shell Shocked and M&M’s: The Lost Formulas.[40]

Personal life

Simmons and his wife, Michelle Schumacher, have two children. Their daughter, Olivia Simmons, has appeared in two films, The Only Good Indians, which was released in 2009, and I'm Not Here, from 2017. Son Joe Simmons has also made occasional appearances in low-budget films. Simmons admits in an interview that he encouraged their interest in acting.[41][42]

Simmons is an avid fan of the Detroit Tigers. He threw the ceremonial first pitch for the Tigers on April 6, 2015, for Opening Day.[43] He played the Tigers' manager in For Love of the Game (1999). He is also a fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes, having spent his formative years in Ohio.[44]

Simmons is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the men's music fraternity, and was initiated in 1975 at the University of Montana.[45]

During Mardi Gras 2018, Simmons was awarded King of Bacchus by the Krewe of Bacchus.[46]

Filmography
Main article: List of J. K. Simmons performances

Awards
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by J. K. Simmons

References
  1. "J.K. Simmons". TV Guide. Archived from the original on May 14, 2016. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  2. "UPI Almanac for Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020". United Press International. January 9, 2020. Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2020. … actor J.K. Simmons in 1955 (age 65)
  3. Hinds, Julie (February 24, 2015). "Tribute From The Heart". The Detroit Free Press. p. A1.
  4. "J. K. Simmons Biography". Filmreference.comm. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  5. "Patricia 'Pat' Kimble Simmons". Missoulian. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  6. Hinds, Julie (February 24, 2015). "J.K. Simmons lit up Oscars with simple message". Detroit Free Press. USA Today. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  7. McFarlin, Jim (September 20, 2011). "Role Call: Actor J.K. Simmons". Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2020. Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  8. "J. K. Simmons Yearbook". Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  9. "J. K. Simmons Biography". Yahoo! Moviesm. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  10. "Wichita Eagle: Search Results". Newsbank.comm. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  11. wpengine (July 15, 2019). "6 Notable University of Montana Alumni | Famous UM Grads". ROAM Student Living. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  12. "J. K. Simmons". Playbillvault.com. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  13. Stanley, Alessandra (February 21, 2014). "The Fun of Having a Single Parent". The New York Times. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  14. Beaumont-Thomas, Ben. "JK Simmons wins best supporting actor Oscar for Whiplash". The Guardian. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  15. "Whiplash". Metacritic.com. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  16. "J.K. Simmons: The friendly face behind this year's scariest movie villain". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  17. "J.K. Simmons Wins Golden Globe for 'Whiplash' Role". Bloomberg.com. January 12, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  18. McNary, Dave (February 22, 2015). "J.K. Simmons Wins Oscar for Best Supporting Actor". Variety. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  19. "J.K. Simmons Reveals Kong: Skull Island Details; Keaton All But Confirms Involvement – Dread Central". www.dreadcentral.com. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  20. Jaafar, Ali (July 1, 2015). "Michael Keaton And JK Simmons Exit Legendary's 'Kong: Skull Island'". Deadline. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  21. "J.K. Simmons Talks Commissioner Gordon's Future in the DCEU". SuperHeroHype. November 26, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  22. "Ben Affleck and J. K. Simmons on the Solo Batman film (UPDATE)". Comingsoon.net. September 30, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  23. "'Justice League' Adds J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  24. Trumbore, Dave (March 8, 2017). "Exclusive 'SuperMansion' Clip Is J.K. Simmons' Tempo".
  25. "7 Actors Who Voiced M&Ms". mentalfloss.com. February 27, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  26. "University of Farmers Insurance". The Inspiration Room.
  27. Nguyen, Hanh (February 27, 2017). "J.K. Simmons Gives 'SpongeBob SquarePants' Whiplash in Sneak Peek Clip — Watch". IndieWire. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  28. "J.K. Simmons Teases J. Jonah Jameson's Return in 'Spider-Man 3'". Movieweb. May 30, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  29. Boone, John (July 1, 2019). "'Spider-Man: Far From Home' End-Credits Scenes, Explained". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  30. Owen, Phil (July 1, 2019). "Yes, That Was JK Simmons as J Jonah Jameson at the End of 'Spider-Man: Far From Home'". TheWrap. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  31. VanMetre, Elizabeth (February 28, 2016). "EXCLUSIVE: J.K. Simmons Reacts to 'Spider-Man' Petition Calling for His Return: 'I'll Never Close the Door on Anything'". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on March 2, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  32. "'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' Recap: All That Glitters". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  33. "Vox's 'Explained' Returns to Netflix with a New Limited Series, "Coronavirus, Explained"". Vox Media. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  34. Scheetz, Cameron. "J.K. Simmons on Palm Springs and why he loves working with Andy Samberg". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  35. "Spider-Man, Jameson Rumored For Morbius". Cosmic Book News. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  36. "JK Simmons (69 Character Images)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  37. Red Alert Universe > Factions > Factions, Units, & Characters Archived July 24, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, President Ackerman character information.
  38. Miller, Greg (March 11, 2011). "PAX: Portal 2 Nabs J.K. Simmons". IGN. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
  39. "Edge Online – Video game features, reviews & industry jobs". Edge Online. Archived from the original on August 29, 2011.
  40. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNic1aHkkMg&t=
  41. "J.K. Simmons recruited his kids for new low-budget movie | Pearl & Dean Cinemas". www.pearlanddean.com. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  42. Porter, Rick (February 23, 2015). "J.K. Simmons' wife, Michelle Schumacher, is the star of his 2015 Oscars speech". Zap2it. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  43. Tony Paul, The Detroit News (March 26, 2015). "Actor J.K. Simmons to throw out first pitch Opening Day". Detroit News. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  44. Nolan, Katie (October 20, 2016m). "Interview with J.K. Simmons". Garbage Time with Katie Nolan. Fox Sports 1. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  45. "Log In ‹ Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia — WordPress". www.sinfonia.org.
  46. "J.K. Simmons Selected as Bacchus at Mardi Gras 2018". The Hollywood Reporter. Associated Press. December 19, 2017. Archived from the original on January 8, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
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