J.K. Simmons is an American actor and theater personality. He was a member of the Seattle Repertory Theatre and has appeared in many Broadway plays like Guys and Dolls and Das Barbecue. Simmons has a multitude of television roles, appearing in Law and Order, New York Undercover and crime drama Oz. His earlier films are The Ref (1994), The Scout (1996), Love Walked in (1997) and Celebrity (1998). He played the role of James Jonah Jameson in the Spiderman trilogy and has given voiceovers for Anastasia (1997), Ultimate Spiderman, The Avengers: Earth`s Mightiest Heroes and Avengers Assemble. His role as a tough music conductor in Whiplash (2014), earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and a Critics Choice Movie Award.
Early Life
Jonathan Kimble Simmons was born in Michigan, the USA to Donald William Simmons, a music conductor and Patricia Simmons, an administrator. Simmons has two siblings; a sister, Elizabeth Simmons O`Neill, and a brother David. Initially, J.K. Simmons aspired to be a singer and did his graduation in BA Music from the University of Montana. Post his graduation, he worked in various opera production, before realizing that his true calling lies in the field of acting. Simmons then moved to Seattle and became a member of the Seattle Repertory Theatre, where he nurtured his skills as an actor.
Personal Life
In 1996, the Whiplash actor tied the knot with Michelle Schumacher, who he met while touring for the musical, Peter Pan. The couple has two children, namely, Joe and Olivia.
Television Career
J.K. Simmons first rose to prominence when he appeared as the brutal neo-Nazi, Vern Schillinger on HBO`s drama series Oz. He then deliberately made an attempt to select work which didn`t typecast him in the `negative role` genre and went on to feature in Law & Order and New York Undercover as a police psychiatrist. He then appeared in TV series like Arrested Development, and The Closer.
Movie Career
After making a silver screen debut with the black comedy film The Ref, in 1994, Simmons` roles included comedy films like Hit and Runway (1999), The Mexican (2001), Juno (2007), Burn After Reading (2008), and Up in the Air (2009). He has also been a part of supernatural and sci-fi movies such as The Gift (2000), The Astronaut Farmer (2006), Renditition (2007), and Jennifer`s Body (2009). Simmons gained further popularity with his over-the-top act as a newspaper head J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man (2002) and its two sequels, Spider-Man 2 (2004), and Spider-Man 3 (2007).
The year, 2014 proved to be a career-defining year in Simmons` life when he starred as Fletcher in Damien Chazelle`s independent drama film Whiplash, which along with Simmons featured Miles Teller in the lead role. Based on the equation between a music student and a ruthless teacher, the movie was a huge hit, critically as well as commercially. Simmons garnered widespread praises for his performance, bagging several awards like the Academy Award, BAFTA, and Golden Globe, all in the category of the best supporting actor. Riding high on his success, he went on to appear in films like Barefoot (2014), Break Point (2014), Men, Women, & Children (2014), and The Meddler (2015).
In 2016, he starred as a voice actor in films like Kung Fu Panda 3, Zootopia, April and the Extraordinary World, and Rock Dog. His other 2016 projects include The Accountant, starring Ben Affleck and Anna Kendrick in lead roles. Simmons then made his debut in the DC Extended Universe by playing the role of Commissioner James Gordon in Justice League (2017) and reprised the role of J. Jonah Jameson in a cameo in Marvel`s Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019). His other recent works include Palm Springs (2020) and the 2021 film The Tomorrow War.