J. K. Simmons facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
J. K. Simmons
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Simmons at the 15th Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2009
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| Born |
Jonathan Kimble Simmons
January 9, 1955 Grosse Pointe, Michigan, U.S.
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| Education | University of Montana (BA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1976–present |
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Works
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Performances |
| Spouse(s) |
Michelle Schumacher
(m. 1996) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Full list |
Jonathan Kimble Simmons (born January 9, 1955), known as J. K. Simmons, is an American actor. He has been acting for over five decades in movies, TV shows, and on stage. Simmons has won many awards, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a British Academy Film Award. He won these for his amazing performance in the movie Whiplash (2014), where he played a tough music teacher.
Simmons is also famous for playing J. Jonah Jameson, the newspaper editor, in Sam Raimi's original Spider-Man movies (2002–2007). He has played Jameson in other Marvel shows and movies too, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe films. He has appeared in many other popular movies like The Cider House Rules (1999), Juno (2007), La La Land (2016), and Justice League (2017). He even played different versions of Santa Claus in Klaus (2019) and Red One (2024).
On TV, he is known for playing Vernon Schillinger in the HBO series Oz, Dr. Emil Skoda in Law & Order, and Assistant Police Chief Will Pope in The Closer. He also appeared in commercials for Farmers Insurance. As a voice actor, he is the voice of the Yellow M&M and has voiced characters in video games like Portal 2 and animated shows like The Legend of Korra and Invincible.
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Early Life and Education
J. K. Simmons was born on January 9, 1955, in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. His mom, Patricia, was an administrator, and his dad, Donald, was a music teacher. He has two siblings.
When he was 10, his family moved to Worthington, Ohio. He went to Worthington High School, where he enjoyed drama, football, and choir. In 1973, when he was 18, his family moved to Missoula, Montana. His father became the director of the School of Music at the University of Montana. Simmons also studied music there and graduated in 1978 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He was part of a music fraternity called Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. After college, he moved to Seattle and joined the Seattle Repertory Theatre, which helped him start his acting career.
His Acting Career
J. K. Simmons has had a long and successful career in many different types of acting.
Acting on Stage
Simmons has performed on Broadway, which is the highest level of theater in the United States.
- In 1992, he played Benny Southstreet in the musical Guys and Dolls.
- From 1991 to 1992, he played Captain Hook in the musical Peter Pan.
- He also sang in an opera satire called Das Barbecü in 1994.
Movies and TV Shows
Simmons has appeared in many movies and TV shows, often playing memorable supporting roles.
- Early TV Roles: He first appeared on TV in a show called Popeye Doyle. He also played a police psychiatrist, Dr. Emil Skoda, in the Law & Order series for many years. Another famous early role was Vernon Schillinger, a tough prisoner, in the drama series Oz.
- Playing J. Jonah Jameson: One of his most famous roles is J. Jonah Jameson, the boss of the Daily Bugle newspaper, in the Spider-Man movies directed by Sam Raimi. He played this role in all three films and even in the video game for Spider-Man 3. He later returned as Jameson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films like Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
- Award-Winning Performance: In 2014, Simmons starred in the movie Whiplash. He played Terence Fletcher, a very strict and demanding music teacher. His performance was highly praised, and he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for this role. Many critics said it was one of the best performances of the year.
- Other Notable Film Roles: He has worked with director Jason Reitman on several films, including Thank You for Smoking, Juno (where he played the main character's father), and Up in the Air. He also played Commissioner James Gordon in the superhero movie Justice League (2017). In 2021, he played William Frawley in Being the Ricardos, which earned him another Academy Award nomination.
- TV Series: Besides Oz and Law & Order, he was Assistant Chief Will Pope in The Closer. He also played dual roles as Howard Silk and Howard Silk Prime in the science fiction show Counterpart from 2017 to 2019.
- Commercials: You might recognize his voice as the Yellow M&M in commercials since 1996. He also plays Professor Nathaniel Burke in commercials for Farmers Insurance.
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Voice Acting in Games and Animation
J. K. Simmons is also a very busy voice actor for animated shows and video games.
- Video Games:
* He voiced J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man 2: The Video Game (2005) and Spider-Man 3: The Video Game (2007). * In 2011, he voiced Cave Johnson, the founder of Aperture Science, in the popular video game Portal 2. This role was a big hit with fans. * He also voiced General Ketheric Thorm in the 2023 game Baldur's Gate 3. * In 2023, he reprised his role as Omni-Man in the fighting game Mortal Kombat 1.
- Animated Shows:
* He voiced Tenzin, an Airbending master, in The Legend of Korra (2012–2014). * He was the voice of Stanford "Ford" Pines in the Disney XD show Gravity Falls (2015–2016). * He voiced the villain Kai in Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016) and Mayor Lionheart in Zootopia (2016). * Since 2021, he has voiced Nolan Grayson / Omni-Man in the animated series Invincible.
Personal Life
J. K. Simmons married film director Michelle Schumacher in 1996. They have two children, a daughter named Olivia and a son named Joe. Both of his children have also appeared in some films. Simmons has said that he encourages their interest in acting.
He is a big fan of the Detroit Tigers baseball team. He even threw the first pitch at one of their games in 2015. He also supports the Ohio State Buckeyes sports teams, as he spent some of his childhood in Ohio.
See also
In Spanish: J. K. Simmons para niños
