Derrick Simmons (director) facts for kids

Derrick Simmons is an American actor, film director, producer, and stunt artist. He also produces music and is an entrepreneur.

Early Life

Derrick Simmons was born in Queens, New York. He went to Harbor Junior High School of Performing Arts in Harlem, New York. Later, he studied drama at Talent Unlimited High School.

Career Highlights

Derrick Simmons began acting when he was 10 years old. His first role was in a national Burger King commercial. In this commercial, he appeared alongside actress Stacey Dash.

Stunt Work and Acting

Derrick Simmons has worked as a stuntman in over 175 movies. As an actor, he has appeared in about 40 different films and TV shows. He has also written, produced, and directed three films himself.

Television Appearances

Simmons has worked as an actor and stuntman on many popular TV shows. These include Law & Order, New York Undercover, and The Wire. He also appeared in Third Watch, Oz, and Hack. Other shows he worked on are The Sopranos, Law & Order SVU, and The David Letterman Show. He was also seen in Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, The Good Wife, Orange is the New Black, and House of Cards.

Movie Roles

Some of Simmons's movie credits include Deja Vu and American Gangster. He was also in A Bronx Tale and Tower Heist. In the movie Ray, he was the stunt double for Jamie Foxx, who played Ray Charles. He also worked on Spike Lee's Inside Man, Precious, and Find Me Guilty. More recently, he appeared in The Purge: Election Year and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.

Film Production Company

Simmons has his own production company called Derrick Simmons Film Works. This company has produced three feature films. These films are Jump Offs (released in 2007), Women Do it Better (released in 2009), and Nobody's Perfect (released in 2016). The film Nobody's Perfect was featured by the Cannes World Cinema Initiative.

Music Production

Derrick Simmons is the CEO of a music company called Phat Tune Recording.

Awards and Nominations

Derrick Simmons has won awards for his work. He received the best feature film award at the Mt Vernon Film Festival. He also won the best director award at the Pocono Mountains Film Festival.

In 2016, he was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award. This nomination was for his work as part of the stunts crew for the TV series The Blacklist. The nomination was in the category of Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series.