Matt Simmons (Criminal Minds)

Simmons is of mixed Caucasian and Korean parentage (like actor Daniel Henney) and it is implied that he was ostracized by his paternal grandparents, who were against his parents' union. His late mother was born in Korea before the Korean War. According to Simmons, she had spent much of her adulthood trying to assimilate and "forget" her past, although she did teach him Korean.[1] He is a native of Carson City, Michigan and worked in Detroit for some time before joining the FBI.[3] He was formerly a member of the FBI's International Response Team (IRT) and has some prior history with Agents Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore) and Jennifer "JJ" Jareau (A.J. Cook) of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit.

When introduced, Simmons and his wife Kristy (Kelly Frye) have four young children: sons Jake and David and twin daughters, Chloe and Lily.[3][4] In the season 14 finale of Criminal Minds, Kristy revealed to him that she was pregnant with their fifth child, and early in season 15, gives birth to their third daughter, Rose Mary.[5] It was stated in Season 13 of Criminal Minds that the couple have been married for almost ten years.[3] Like Jack Garrett (Gary Sinise), Simmons' full and fulfilling family life was a deliberate choice.[6] Daniel Henney said of his character, "His big struggle is, when can I get home to see my kids and how much is my wife working?".[6]

A United States Army veteran, little is known about Simmons' military service.[7][8] Simmons is known for his resourcefulness and "always [has] a guy" to turn to for help whenever the team hits a dead end.[7][9] Like most of the IRT he knows several languages and is shown to be fluent in Arabic,[10] Spanish[11] and Korean.[1] Highly resourceful and adaptable, he thinks quickly on his feet and is often tasked with coordinating search and rescue efforts or navigating unfamiliar terrain.

Simmons has an eclectic variety of interests, ranging from sports to vintage cars. In the episode "Harvested", in which the team investigates a case in Mumbai, India, his knowledge of cricket, India's unofficial national sport, proves useful in building a rapport with the local police officers.[12]

Henney stated that he had accepted the role as it was a departure from Asian stereotypes perpetuated by Hollywood and the American entertainment industry.[15] In an interview with August Man, he described his character as "a really interesting character for an Asian-American actor to play because it's never been done before."[8]

This is the character that's been built for the American public to fall in love with. He's the muscle of the show, the ex-soldier, the family man (which has traditionally been played by Caucasian actors). I think it says a lot for CBS and my team to give this role to me. You've never seen an Asian-American or Asian man playing this role. That's why I took the role. I want to prove that an Asian man can be that person in people's eyes.

— Daniel Henney[8]

In both shows, Simmons is one of two main characters on the show who is happily married with children, the other being his supervisor Jack Garrett (Gary Sinise) on Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders and Jennifer "JJ" Jareau on Criminal Minds. Showrunner Erica Messer noted that both Matt Simmons and Jack Garrett share similarities and, in conceiving Simmons as a younger agent with both a successful career and family life, hoped "to show that this kind of lifestyle can work".[6]

• Matt Simmons on IMDb