J. K. Simmons
| J. K. Simmons | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Simmons at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, Canada. |
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| Born | Jonathan Kimble Simmons January 9, 1955 Detroit, Michigan, United States |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Spouse(s) | Michelle Schumacher (1996-present) |
| Children | 3 |
Jonathan Kimble "J. K." Simmons (born January 9, 1955) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles on television as Dr. Emil Skoda in NBC's Law & Order (and other shows in the Law & Order franchise), neo-Nazi Vernon Schillinger in the HBO prison drama Oz; on film as J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, and for voice-over work in animation and video games.
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Early life[edit]
Simmons was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Patricia (née Kimble), an administrator, and Donald William Simmons, a college professor.[1][2] He has a brother, David (a singer-songwriter), and a sister, Elizabeth. He was raised in Columbus, Ohio and Missoula, Montana, and attended the University of Montana.[3][4] Simmons was a member of the Seattle Repertory Theatre.[3]
Career[edit]
Musical theatre[edit]
Simmons was a Broadway actor and singer. He played Benny Southstreet in the 1992 revival of Guys and Dolls,[5] and in 1994, he sang multiple roles in the Wagner opera satire, Das Barbecu.[3] 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.
Film and television roles[edit]
Simmons is known for his TV roles as Dr. Emil Skoda, a police psychiatrist, who has appeared on three of the four incarnations of Law & Order and New York Undercover, and as the sadistic inmate Vernon Schillinger on the prison drama Oz. He also stars as Ralph Earnhardt, the father of race-car driver Dale Earnhardt, in 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story. He played B.R. in the film Thank You For Smoking and has been praised for his performance in Juno as "Mac" McGuff, the title character's father. Until recently he played Will Pope, Assistant Chief of the LAPD, in The Closer.
He also played J. Jonah Jameson in all three Spider-Man films and the expanded video game adaption of Spider-Man 3. Simmons provided his voice for two newspaper editors in two episodes of the eighteenth season of The Simpsons. The characters are never named, but are obviously meant to emulate the character of Jameson (one, bearing Jameson's appearance, even demands "pictures of Spider-Man", then on being reminded he works at a poetry journal, demands "poems about Spider-Man"). Similarly, 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.
Simmons also provides the voice of the yellow M&M in the product's commercials, as well as the 3-D film I Lost My M in Vegas, playing at M&M's World in Las Vegas, NV. He has also done voiceover work for Norelco razors. He also provided the voice of General Wade Eiling in Justice League Unlimited. He recorded an audio book for Tom Clancy's Net Force Point of Impact. Like many of his Law & Order co-stars, he also appeared in an episode of Homicide: Life on the Street, portraying a criminal in an episode that crossed over with Law & Order before Simmons joined the cast as Skoda. He also played a small role as an army general in the television sitcom Arrested Development, alongside his Juno co-stars, Michael Cera and Jason Bateman. As well, he played Dan the Barber in the surreal Nickelodeon kid's show The Adventures of Pete & Pete in 1995. In 2008, he had a small part as the "CIA Superior" in Burn After Reading. Simmons appears also in Postal as Candidate Wells. He has also been featured as Professor Nathaniel Burke of the University of Farmers in television commercials for Farmers Insurance Group beginning in 2010.[6] He also played Paul Rudd's father in I Love You, Man
Simmons is quickly becoming known for starring in films that are produced or directed by his friend Jason Reitman, including Thank You for Smoking, Juno, Up in the Air and Jennifer's Body, written by Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody.
Simmons voices the character of Tenzin, an Airbending master and the son of Aang and Katara, in the 2012 Nickelodeon series The Legend of Korra. Also, he has resumed his role as the voice of J. Jonah Jameson in the animated series Ultimate Spider-Man and in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. He said he would like to reprise the role again in the upcoming sequel to the 2012 film The Amazing Spider-Man, a reboot of the Spider-Man film series.[7]
Video games[edit]
Simmons has appeared as the anti-communist U. S. President Howard T. Ackerman in the video game Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 and 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 used the slogan "Vote for me, if you want to live."[8] In April 2011, he appeared in Portal 2 as the voice of Aperture Science founder Cave Johnson,[9] a performance that was lauded as the "surprise star turn" of the game.[10]
Filmography[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Popeye Doyle | Patrolman in Park | Television film |
| 1994 | The Ref | Siskel | |
| Heisei tanuki gassen pompoko | Seizaemon | Voice only (English version) a.k.a. Pom Poko |
|
| The Scout | Assistant Coach | ||
| Law & Order | Jerry Luppin | Episode: "Sanctuary" | |
| 1995 | New York News | Unknown | Episode: "Welcome Back Cotter" |
| The Adventures of Pete & Pete | Barber Dan | Episode: "Saturday" | |
| 1996 | Law & Order | Col. Alexander Rausch | Episode: "Charm City" (Part I) |
| Homicide: Life on the Street | Col. Alexander Rausch | Episode: "For God and Country" (Part II) | |
| Swift Justice | Mel Turman | Episode: "Stones" | |
| The First Wives Club | Federal Marshal | ||
| Extreme Measures | Dr. Mingus | ||
| 1996-1998 | New York Undercover | Sergeant Treadway/Psychologist | 2 episodes |
| 1997 | Love Walked In | Mr. Shulman | |
| Spin City | Kevin Travis | Episode: "Hot in the City" | |
| Crossing Fields | Guy | ||
| The Jackal | FBI Agent T. I. Witherspoon | ||
| Anastasia | Ensemble and Character Vocals | ||
| Face Down | Herb Aames | Television film | |
| 1997–2003 | Oz | Vern Schillinger | 56 episodes |
| 1997–2004 | Law & Order | Dr. Emil Skoda | 45 Episodes |
| 1998 | New York Undercover | Psychologist | Episode: "Mob Street" |
| Celebrity | Souvenir Hawker | ||
| Remember WENN | Captain Amazon | Episode: "All's Noisy on the Pittsburgh Front" | |
| Above Freezing | Hoyd | ||
| 1999 | Hit and Runway | Ray Tilman | |
| The Cider House Rules | Ray Kendall | ||
| For Love of the Game | Frank Perry | ||
| I Lost My M in Vegas | Yellow | Voice only | |
| Saturday Night Live | Vern Schillinger | Episode: "Jerry Seinfeld/David Bowie" | |
| 2000 | Third Watch | Frank Hagonon | Episode: "Demolition Derby" |
| Beautiful Joe | Uncredited | ||
| Autumn in New York | Dr. Tom Grandy | ||
| The Gift | Sheriff Pearl Johnson | ||
| 2000–01 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Dr. Emil Skoda | 6 episodes |
| 2001 | Disney's Recess | Various People | |
| The Mexican | Ted Slocum | ||
| 2002 | Homeward Bound | Jim Ashton | Television film |
| Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Dr. Emil Skoda | Episode: "Crazy" | |
| Spider-Man | J. Jonah Jameson | ||
| Path to War | CIA Briefer | Television film | |
| 2003 | Disposal | Older Hunter | |
| Off the Map | George | ||
| John Doe | Lucas Doya | Episode: "The Rising" | |
| Everwood | Phil Drebbles | Episode: "Burden of Truth" | |
| 2004 | ER | Gus Loomer | Episode: "Impulse Control" |
| Hidalgo | Buffalo Bill Cody | ||
| The Ladykillers | Garth Pancake | ||
| The D.A. | Dep. Dist. Atty. Joe Carter | Episode: "The People vs. Sergius Kovinsky"; "The People vs. Achmed Abbas" | |
| Without a Trace | Mark Wilson | Episode: "Two Families" | |
| The Jury | Ron Stalsukilis | Episode: "Last Rites" | |
| Spider-Man 2 | J. Jonah Jameson | ||
| Nip/Tuck | Ike Connors | Episode: "Kimber Henry" | |
| 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story | Ralph Earnhardt | Television film | |
| 2004–06 | Justice League | General Wade Eiling | Voice only 5 Episodes |
| 2005 | Arrested Development | General Anderson | Episode: "Switch Hitter" |
| Jack & Bobby | Cyrus Miller | Episode: "Running Scared" | |
| Numb3rs | Dr. Clarence Weaver | Episode: "Vector" | |
| Thank You for Smoking | BR | ||
| Harsh Times | Agent Richards | ||
| 2005–2012 | The Closer | Assistant Chief Will Pope | 88 Episodes; Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2011) Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2010) Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2009) Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2008) Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2006) |
| 2006 | The West Wing | Harry Ravitch | Episode: "Duck and Cover" |
| First Snow | Vacaro | ||
| The Astronaut Farmer | Jacobson | ||
| 2006–07 | The Simpsons | J. Jonah Jameson; Tabloid Editor | Voice only Episodes: "Moe'N'a Lisa" and "Homerazzi" |
| 2007 | Spider-Man 3 | J. Jonah Jameson | |
| Spider-Man 3 | J. Jonah Jameson | Video game Voice only |
|
| Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee | James McLaughlin | Television film | |
| Queens Supreme | Ernest Fingerman | Episode: "Let's Make a Deal" | |
| Kim Possible | Martin Smarty | Voice only 3 Episodes |
|
| Postal | Candidate Welles | ||
| Juno | Mac MacGuff | Nominated - Chlotrudis Award Best Supporting Actor Nominated - Critics Choice Award Best Acting Ensemble (shared w/ cast) |
|
| Rendition | Lee Mayer | ||
| 2007–08 | American Dad! | Judge; McCreary | Voice only Episodes: "The Most Adequate Christmas Ever" and "The One That Got Away" |
| 2008 | Phineas and Ferb | J.B. | Voice only Episode: "Toy to the World" |
| Burn After Reading | CIA Superior | ||
| Ben 10: Alien Force | Magister Ghilhil | Voice only Episode: "Darkstar Rising" |
|
| Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 | President Howard T. Ackerman | Video game | |
| 2009 | The Vicious Kind | Donald Sinclaire | |
| New in Town | Stu Kopenhafer | ||
| The Way of War | Sergeant Mitchell | ||
| Red Sands | Lt. Col. Arson | ||
| I Love You, Man | Oswald Klaven | ||
| Aliens in the Attic | Skip | Voice only | |
| Post Grad | Roy Davies | ||
| Extract | Brian | ||
| Up in the Air | Bob | Cameo; Central Ohio Film Critics Association Best Ensemble (shared w/ cast) Nominated - Critics Choice Award Best Acting Ensemble (shared w/ cast) Nominated - Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Best Ensemble (shared w/ cast) |
|
| Jennifer's Body | Mr. Wroblewski | ||
| The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack | Poseidon | Voice only 4 Episodes |
|
| 2009–10 | Party Down | Leonard Stiltskin | Episode: "Taylor Stiltskin Sweet Sixteen" Episode: "Precious Lights Pre-School Auction" |
| 2010 | 4192: The Crowning of the Hit King | Narrator | |
| Batman: The Brave and the Bold | Guardians of the Universe, Evil Star, Kyle "Ace" Morgan | Voice only Episode: "Revenge of the Reach!" |
|
| Ben 10: Ultimate Alien | Magister Ghilhil | Voice only Episode: "Escape From Aggregor" |
|
| Generator Rex | White Knight | Voice only | |
| Crazy on the Outside | Ed | ||
| An Invisible Sign | Mr. Jones | ||
| A Beginner's Guide to Endings | Unknown | ||
| Megamind | Warden | Voice only | |
| True Grit | Lawyer Daggett | Voice only | |
| Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore | Gruff K-9 | Voice only | |
| 2011 | The Music Never Stopped | Henry Sawyer | |
| Portal 2 | Cave Johnson | Video game Voice only |
|
| Raising Hope | Bruce Chance | ||
| NTSF:SD:SUV:: | Frank Forrest | Episode: "One Cabeza, Two Cabeza, Three Cabeza...DEAD!" | |
| Pound Puppies | Lieutenant Rock | Voice Only Episode: "The K9 Kid" |
|
| Young Adult | Mavis's Publisher | uncredited | |
| 2012 | The Words | Rory's Father | |
| Geezers! | J Kimball | ||
| Contraband | Captain | ||
| Best Friends Forever | Don | Episode: "Put a Pin It" | |
| The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes | J. Jonah Jameson | Voice only Episode: "Along Came a Spider" |
|
| The Venture Bros. | Ben | Voice Only Episode: "A Very Venture Halloween" |
|
| 2012-present | The Legend of Korra | Tenzin | Voice, animated TV Show |
| Ultimate Spider-Man | J. Jonah Jameson | Voice only | |
| Men at Work | P.J. Jordan | Recurring Role[11] | |
| 2013 | Jobs[12] | Arthur Rock | |
| Dark Skies | Edwin Pollard | ||
| Family Tools | Tony Shea | Television series | |
| Avengers Assemble | J. Jonah Jameson | Voice Only Episode: "The Avengers Protocols: Pt. 2" |
|
| Pound Puppies | Mr. Withers | Voice Only Episode: "Working K-9 to 5" |
References[edit]
- ^ "J. K. Simmons Biography". FilmReference.com.
- ^ "Jonathan Kimble ("J. K.") Simmons". rootsweb.
- ^ a b c "J. K. Simmons Biography". Yahoo! Movies.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "J. K. Simmons". PlaybillVault.com.
- ^ "University of Farmers Insurance," The Inspiration Room, Friday, October 22, 2010.
- ^ Outlaw, Kofi (August 6, 2012). "‘Amazing Spider-Man 2′: Should J.K. Simmons Return as J. Jonah Jameson?". Screenrant. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
- ^ Red Alert Universe > Factions > Factions, Units, & Characters, President Ackerman character information.
- ^ Miller, Greg (2011-03-11). "PAX: Portal 2 Nabs J.K. Simmons". IGN. Retrieved 2011-03-14.
- ^ http://www.next-gen.biz/reviews/portal-2-review
- ^ http://www.tvguide.com/News/Men-Work-John-Michael-Higgins-1052121.aspx
- ^ thejobsmovie.com
External links[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: J. K. Simmons |
- J. K. Simmons at the Internet Movie Database
- J. K. Simmons at the Internet Broadway Database
- Jewno, a short film in which Simmons parodies his role in Juno
