Jimmi Simpson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jimmi Simpson
Simpson in 2017
Born	(1975-11-21) November 21, 1975 (age 49) Hackettstown, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2000–present
Spouse(s)	Melanie Lynskey ​ ​ (m. 2007; div. 2014)​ Sophia Del Pizzo ​ ​ (m. 2019; div. 2021)​

Jimmi Simpson (born November 21, 1975) is an American actor. He is well-known for his roles in movies, TV shows, and plays. He has been nominated for important awards like the BAFTA, Primetime Emmy, and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Simpson first appeared in a movie called Loser in 2000. He has also been in popular films such as Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005), Zodiac (2007), Date Night (2010), White House Down (2013), and Unhinged (2020).

On television, Jimmi Simpson played Liam McPoyle on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia for many years. He has also had roles in famous series like Psych (2009–2013), House of Cards (2014–2015), Westworld (2016–2020), and Black Mirror (2017). On stage, he won a Theatre World Award for his role as Philo Farnsworth in the play The Farnsworth Invention on Broadway.

Early life and education

James Raymond Simpson was born in Hackettstown, New Jersey, on November 21, 1975. He has two older brothers. He went to Hackettstown High School, where he took his first acting class. After high school, he studied theater at Bloomsburg University. He earned a degree in theater and then acted for four seasons at the Williamstown Theatre Festival.

Acting career highlights

Starting out: 2000–2007

Jimmi Simpson began his film career at age 25 in the romantic comedy Loser (2000). After this, he appeared in the Stephen King miniseries Rose Red in 2002. He also had roles in TV shows like 24, NYPD Blue, and Cold Case. In 2005, he started playing the character Liam McPoyle on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, a role he continued for several seasons. During this time, he also acted in movies such as Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005) and the thriller Zodiac (2007).

Stage, TV, and film: 2008–2015

In 2008, Simpson starred on Broadway in the play The Farnsworth Invention. Critics praised his acting, and he won a Theatre World Award. Around the same time, he often appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman as a funny intern named Lyle. He also guest-starred on TV shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, My Name is Earl, House, M.D., and Psych.

He played supporting roles in the comedies The Invention of Lying (2009) and Date Night (2010). From 2011 to 2012, he had a main role as Dr. Lloyd Lowery in the crime drama Breakout Kings. Many critics thought his performance was the best part of the show.

Simpson then appeared in the films Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012) and the action thriller White House Down (2013), where he played a computer hacker. He also joined the cast of the Netflix political series House of Cards from 2014 to 2015. For his work on House of Cards, he was nominated twice for a Screen Actors Guild Award with his co-stars.

In 2015, Simpson starred in a play called Trevor, where he played a full-grown chimpanzee. His acting was highly praised for showing the character's struggles in a very real way.

Big roles and awards: 2016–present

In 2016, Simpson starred in the TV series Hap and Leonard. That same year, he took on a main role in the first season of HBO's science fiction drama Westworld. He played William, a businessman who visits a Wild West-themed park and falls in love with a robot. His acting was called "spellbinding." He was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award again with his Westworld co-stars in 2017. His work on the show's second season earned him an Emmy Award nomination.

In 2017, Simpson appeared in an episode of the British sci-fi series Black Mirror called "USS Callister". Critics loved his performance, and he was nominated for a BAFTA Award the next year.

From 2018, Simpson starred as real-life detective Russell Poole in Unsolved. This series was about the murders of rappers Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls. His portrayal of the detective was highly praised for showing the character's strong determination.

More recently, Simpson has been in films like Under the Silver Lake (2018) and Unhinged (2020). He also starred in the TV series Perpetual Grace, LTD in 2019, playing an ex-firefighter caught in a scam. In 2022, he appeared in The Man Who Fell to Earth and Pachinko, which was widely praised. In 2023, he received good reviews for his role as a father in the film The Starling Girl. He also voiced Doctor Royce Hemlock in the animated series Star Wars: The Bad Batch.

Personal life

Jimmi Simpson met New Zealand actress Melanie Lynskey in 2001 while filming Rose Red. They got engaged in 2005 and married on April 14, 2007, in New Zealand. They divorced in May 2014.

Simpson married English actress Sophia Del Pizzo in April 2019. They separated, and Simpson filed for divorce in July 2021.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2000	Loser	Noah
2001	Slo-Mo	Alex	Short film
2003	The Academy		Direct-to-video
	Final Draft	Chad
2004	D.E.B.S.	Scud
2005	Herbie: Fully Loaded	Crash
2006	Stay Alive	Phineus
2007	Seraphim Falls	Big Brother
	Itty Bitty Titty Committee	Chris
	Zodiac	Older Mike Mageau
2008	A Quiet Little Marriage	Jackson
2009	The Mother of Invention	Martin Wooderson
	The Invention of Lying	Bob
	Taking Chances	Charlie Cabonara
2010	Miss This at Your Peril	Frank Corral	Short film
	Good Intentions	Kyle
	Date Night	Armstrong Gold
2011	The Death and Return of Superman	Mad Scientist	Short film
	The Big Bang	Niels Geck
2012	Hello I Must Be Going	Phil
	Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter	Joshua Speed
	Tracer Gun	Ben	Short film
2013	The Truth About Emanuel	Arthur
	White House Down	Skip Tyler
2014	The Last Time You Had Fun	Jake
2015	Gravy	Stef
2018	Under the Silver Lake	Allen
2020	Unhinged	Andy
2021	Breaking News in Yuba County	Petey Buttons
	Night of the Animated Dead	Johnny	Voice role
	Silk Road	Chris Talbert
2022	Studio 666	Venue person
	Green Lantern: Beware My Power	Green Arrow / Oliver Queen	Voice role
	A Little White Lie	Detective Karpas
2023	The Starling Girl	Paul Starling
	Fool's Paradise	Talk Show Host
2024	Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths	Green Arrow / Oliver Queen	Voice role
TBD	Audrey's Children	Dr. Dan D'Angio	Post-production
	Home Delivery	TBA	Post-production

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Television

Key

Denotes television series that have not yet been released

Video games

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: Jimmi Simpson para niños