J. K. Simmons
 |
J. K. Simmons | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Simmons at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival | |
| Born | Jonathan Kimble Simmons January 9, 1955 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Spouse |
Michelle Schumacher (m. 1996) |
| Children | 3 |
Jonathan Kimble "J. K." Simmons (born January 9, 1955) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Dr. Emil Skoda on the NBC series Law & Order (and other Law & Order franchise series), neo-Nazi Vernon Schillinger on the HBO prison drama series Oz, Assistant Police Chief Will Pope on the TNT series The Closer, J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, and the voice of Cave Johnson in the 2011 puzzle game Portal 2. In 2014, he portrayed Terence Fletcher in Whiplash, for which he received widespread critical acclaim, including a Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. From April 2012 to December 2014, he also voiced the character of Tenzin in The Legend of Korra.
Early life
Simmons was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Patricia (née Kimble), an administrator, and Donald William Simmons, a college professor.[1][2][3] He was raised in Columbus, Ohio and Missoula, Montana, and attended the University of Montana.[4][5] He was a member of the Seattle Repertory Theatre.[4]
Career
Musical theatre
Simmons was a Broadway actor and singer. He played Benny Southstreet in the 1992 revival of Guys and Dolls,[6] and in 1994, he sang multiple roles in the Wagner opera satire, Das Barbecu.[4] 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
Simmons is known for his television 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 sadistic neo-Nazi 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. He played Will Pope, Assistant Chief of the LAPD, in The Closer.
Simmons also played J. Jonah Jameson in all three of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films and the expanded video game adaptation of Spider-Man 3. He 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. 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. He 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 had a small role as an army general in the television sitcom Arrested Development. 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 a CIA Superior in Burn After Reading and appeared in Postal as Candidate Wells. He has been featured as Professor Nathaniel Burke of the University of Farmers in television commercials for Farmers Insurance Group, beginning in 2010.[7] He also appeared in I Love You, Man.
Simmons is 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. He also lent his voice to Reitman's film Young Adult, voicing the protagonist's boss through a series of voicemails. In 2013, he had a small role as Mr. Jervis in Reitman's film Labor Day.[8] He voices Tenzin, an Airbending master and the son of Aang and Katara, in the 2012 Nickelodeon series The Legend of Korra. 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 Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man series, a reboot of the Spider-Man film series.[9] He starred as blind lawyer "Mel Fisher" in Growing Up Fisher.[10]
In 2014, Simmons starred as Terence Fletcher in Whiplash. Fletcher is an intensely demanding conductor at the fictional Schaffer Conservatory of Music, where he bullies and cajoles the protagonist, Andrew Neyman, played by Miles Teller. The film won wide acclaim and Simmons' performance was singled out, with multiple critics calling for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Rolling Stone said "Beat the drums for an Oscar for Simmons". Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times said "Simmons delivers one of the most memorable performances of the year."[11] Entertainment Weekly summed up the reaction by saying "Simmons' performance has been universally praised... a leading contender for Best Supporting Actor".[12] On January 11, 2015 Simmons won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for his role in “Whiplash”.[13]
Video games
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."[14] In April 2011, he appeared in Portal 2 as the voice of Aperture Science founder Cave Johnson,[15] a performance that was lauded as the "surprise star turn" of the game.[16]
Personal life
| This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (October 2014) |
In 1996, Simmons married Michelle Schumacher, with whom he has three children. His brother, David, is a singer-songwriter, and his sister, Elizabeth, is a professor at the University of Washington.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | The Ref | Siskel | |
| 1994 | The Scout | Assistant Coach | |
| 1996 | The First Wives Club | Federal Marshal | |
| 1996 | Extreme Measures | Dr. Mingus | |
| 1997 | Love Walked In | Mr. Shulman | |
| 1997 | Crossing Fields | Guy | |
| 1997 | The Jackal | FBI Agent T. I. Witherspoon | |
| 1997 | Anastasia | Ensemble and vocals | |
| 1998 | Celebrity | Souvenir Hawker | |
| 1998 | Above Freezing | Hoyd | |
| 1999 | Hit and Runway | Ray Tilman | |
| 1999 | The Cider House Rules | Ray Kendall | |
| 1999 | For Love of the Game | Frank Perry | |
| 1999 | I Lost My M in Vegas | Yellow (voice) | Short film |
| 2000 | Autumn in New York | Dr. Tom Grandy | |
| 2000 | The Gift | Sheriff Pearl Johnson | |
| 2001 | The Mexican | Ted Slocum | |
| 2002 | Spider-Man | J. Jonah Jameson | |
| 2003 | Disposal | Older Hunter | Short film |
| 2003 | Off the Map | George | |
| 2004 | Hidalgo | Buffalo Bill Cody | |
| 2004 | The Ladykillers | Garth Pancake | |
| 2004 | Spider-Man 2 | J. Jonah Jameson | |
| 2005 | Thank You for Smoking | B. R. | |
| 2005 | Pom Poko | Seizaemon (voice) | English dub |
| 2005 | Harsh Times | Agent Richards | |
| 2006 | First Snow | Vacaro | |
| 2006 | The Astronaut Farmer | Jacobson | |
| 2007 | Spider-Man 3 | J. Jonah Jameson | |
| 2007 | Postal | Candidate Welles | |
| 2007 | Juno | Mac MacGuff | |
| 2007 | Rendition | Lee Mayer | |
| 2008 | Burn After Reading | CIA Superior | |
| 2009 | The Vicious Kind | Donald Sinclaire | |
| 2009 | New in Town | Stu Kopenhafer | |
| 2009 | The Way of War | Sergeant Mitchell | |
| 2009 | Red Sands | Lt. Col. Arson | |
| 2009 | Jewno | Father | Short film |
| 2009 | I Love You, Man | Oswald Klaven | |
| 2009 | Aliens in the Attic | Skip (voice) | |
| 2009 | Post Grad | Roy Davies | |
| 2009 | Extract | Brian | |
| 2009 | Up in the Air | Bob | |
| 2009 | Jennifer's Body | Mr. Wroblewski | |
| 2010 | 4192: The Crowning of the Hit King | Narrator | |
| 2010 | Crazy on the Outside | Ed | |
| 2010 | An Invisible Sign | Mr. Jones | |
| 2010 | A Beginner's Guide to Endings | Uncle Pal | |
| 2010 | Megamind | Warden (voice) | |
| 2010 | True Grit | Lawyer Daggett (voice) | Uncredited |
| 2010 | Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore | Gruff K-9 (voice) | |
| 2011 | The Music Never Stopped | Henry Sawyer | |
| 2011 | The Good Doctor | Detective Krauss | |
| 2011 | Blackstone | Detective Burke | Short film |
| 2011 | Young Adult | Mavis' Publisher (voice) | Uncredited |
| 2012 | The Words | Mr. Jansen | |
| 2012 | Contraband | Captain Camp | |
| 2013 | Whiplash | Band Teacher | Short film |
| 2013 | Geezers! | J Kimball | |
| 2013 | Jobs | Arthur Rock | |
| 2013 | Labor Day | Mr. Jervis | |
| 2013 | Dark Skies | Edwin Pollard | |
| 2013 | The Heeler | Roscoe | Short film |
| 2013 | The Magic Bracelet | The Shaman | Short film |
| 2014 | Whiplash | Terence Fletcher | |
| 2014 | Barefoot | Dr. Bertleman | |
| 2014 | Break Point | Jack | |
| 2014 | The Boxcar Children | Dr. Moore (voice) | |
| 2014 | Murder of a Cat | Sheriff Hoyle | |
| 2014 | The Rewrite | Dr. Lerner | |
| 2014 | Men, Women & Children | Mr. Doss | |
| 2015 | Terminator Genisys | In post-production | |
| 2015 | Rock Dog | Khampa (voice) | Filming |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Popeye Doyle | Patrolman in Park | Movie |
| 1994 | Law & Order | Jerry Luppin | Episode: "Sanctuary" |
| 1995 | New York News | Episode: "Welcome Back Cotter" | |
| 1995 | The Adventures of Pete & Pete | Barber Dan | Episode: "Saturday" |
| 1996 | Homicide: Life on the Street | Col. Alexander Rausch | Episode: "For God and Country" |
| 1996 | Swift Justice | Mel Turman | Episode: "Stones" |
| 1996, 1998 | New York Undercover | Sgt. Treadway / Dr. Emil Skoda | 2 episodes |
| 1997 | Face Down | Herb Aames | Movie |
| 1997 | Spin City | Kevin Travis | Episode: "Hot in the City" |
| 1997–2003 | Oz | Vernon Schillinger | 56 episodes |
| 1997–2010 | Law & Order | Dr. Emil Skoda | 45 episodes |
| 1998 | Remember WENN | Captain Amazon | Episode: "All's Noisy on the Pittsburgh Front" |
| 1999 | Saturday Night Live | Vernon Schillinger | Episode: "Jerry Seinfeld/David Bowie" |
| 2000 | Third Watch | Frank Hagonon | Episode: "Demolition Derby" |
| 2000–2001 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Dr. Emil Skoda | 6 episodes |
| 2002 | Path to War | CIA Briefer | Movie |
| 2002 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Dr. Emil Skoda | Episode: "Crazy" |
| 2002 | Homeward Bound | Jim Ashton | Pilot |
| 2003 | John Doe | Lucas Doya | Episode: "The Rising" |
| 2003 | Everwood | Phil Drebbles | Episode: "Burden of Truth" |
| 2004 | 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story | Ralph Earnhardt | Movie |
| 2004 | ER | Gus Loomer | Episode: "Impulse Control" |
| 2004 | The D.A. | Dep. Dist. Atty. Joe Carter | 2 episodes |
| 2004 | Without a Trace | Mark Wilson | Episode: "Two Families" |
| 2004 | The Jury | Ron Stalsukilis | Episode: "Last Rites" |
| 2004 | Nip/Tuck | Ike Connors | Episode: "Kimber Henry" |
| 2004–2006 | Justice League Unlimited | General Wade Eiling (voice) | 5 episodes |
| 2005 | Arrested Development | General Anderson | Episode: "Switch Hitter" |
| 2005 | Jack & Bobby | Cyrus Miller | Episode: "Running Scared" |
| 2005 | Numb3rs | Dr. Clarence Weaver | Episode: "Vector" |
| 2005–2012 | The Closer | Assistant Chief Will Pope | 109 episodes |
| 2006 | The West Wing | Harry Ravitch | Episode: "Duck and Cover" |
| 2006–2007 | The Simpsons | Tabloid Editor (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2007 | Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee | James McLaughlin | Television film |
| 2007 | Queens Supreme | Ernest Fingerman | Episode: "Let's Make a Deal" |
| 2007 | Kim Possible | Martin Smarty (voice) | 3 episodes |
| 2007–2011 | American Dad! | Judge / McCreary (voices) | 3 episodes |
| 2008 | Phineas and Ferb | J.B. (voice) | Episode: "Toy to the World" |
| 2008 | Ben 10: Alien Force | Magister Ghilhil (voice) | Episode: "Darkstar Rising" |
| 2009 | The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack | Poseidon / Captain (voices) | 4 episodes |
| 2009–2010 | Party Down | Leonard Stiltskin | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | The Life & Times of Tim | O'Flaherty Sr. (voice) | Episode: "Stu is Good at Something" |
| 2010 | Batman: The Brave and the Bold | Evil Star (voice) | Episode: "Revenge of the Reach!" |
| 2010 | Ben 10: Ultimate Alien | Magister Ghilhil (voice) | Episode: "Escape From Aggregor" |
| 2010–2013 | Generator Rex | White Knight (voice) | 34 episodes |
| 2011 | NTSF:SD:SUV:: | Frank Forrest | Episode: "One Cabeza, Two Cabeza, Three Cabeza... DEAD!" |
| 2011 | Raising Hope | Bruce Chance | Episode: "The Cultish Personality" |
| 2011 | Desert Car Kings | Narrator | 10 episodes |
| 2011–2013 | Pound Puppies | Lieutenant Rock / Mr. Withers (voices) | 2 episodes |
| 2011–2014 | Robot Chicken | Vern Schillinger / Master Chief (voices) | 2 episodes |
| 2012 | Best Friends Forever | Don | Episode: "Put a Pin It" |
| 2012 | Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes | J. Jonah Jameson (voice) | Episode: "Along Came a Spider" |
| 2012 | The Venture Bros. | Ben (voice) | Episode: "A Very Venture Halloween" |
| 2012–2014 | The Legend of Korra | Tenzin (voice) | 41 episodes |
| 2012–present | Ultimate Spider-Man | J. Jonah Jameson (voice) | 38 episodes |
| 2012–2014 | Men at Work | P. J. Jordan | 5 episodes[17] |
| 2013 | Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Maximum Overload | J. Jonah Jameson (voice) | Television special |
| 2013 | Parks and Recreation | Mayor Stice | Episode: "Partridge" |
| 2013 | Family Tools | Tony Shea | 10 episodes |
| 2013 | Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. | J. Jonah Jameson (voice) | 3 episodes |
| 2013–2014 | Avengers Assemble | J. Jonah Jameson (voice) | 4 episodes |
| 2014 | Growing Up Fisher | Mel Fisher | 13 episodes |
| 2014 | Chozen | Gary Cullens (voice) | Episode: "Family Weekend (or How Gary Got His Groove Back)" |
| 2014 | BoJack Horseman | Lennie Turtletaub (voice) | 4 episodes |
Video game
| Year | Title | Voice role |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | M&M's: The Lost Formulas | Yellow Peanut |
| 2008 | Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 | President Howard T. Ackerman |
| 2007 | Spider-Man 3 | J. Jonah Jameson |
| 2011 | Portal 2 | Cave Johnson |
| 2014 | The Legend of Korra | Tenzin |
Awards and nominations
| This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (January 2015) |
References
- ^ "J. K. Simmons Biography". filmreference.com.
- ^ "Jonathan Kimble ("J. K.") Simmons". rootsweb.com.
- ^ http://missoulian.com/news/local/obituaries/patricia-pat-kimble-simmons/article_86e1d716-972d-11e3-9471-001a4bcf887a.html
- ^ 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.
- ^ "'Labor Day (2013)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
- ^ Outlaw, Kofi (August 6, 2012). "'Amazing Spider-Man 2′: Should J.K. Simmons Return as J. Jonah Jameson?". screenrant.com. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
- ^ Stanley, Alessandra (February 21, 2014). "The Fun of Having a Single Parent". The New York Times. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
- ^ "Whiplash".
- ^ "J.K. Simmons: The friendly face behind this year's scariest movie villain".
- ^ "J.K. Simmons Wins Golden Globe for 'Whiplash' Role".
- ^ 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
External links
- 1955 births
- American male film actors
- American male musical theatre actors
- American male voice actors
- American male television actors
- Living people
- Male actors from Detroit, Michigan
- University of Montana alumni
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- Male actors from Columbus, Ohio
- Male actors from Montana
- People from Missoula, Montana
- Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (film) winners