J.K. Simmons
Birthday:
Birthplace:
Detroit, Michigan, USA
Jonathan Kimble Simmons was originally a singer, with a degree in music from the University of Montana. He turned to theater in the late 1970s and appeared in many regional productions in the Pacific Northwest before moving to New York in 1983. He appeared in Broadway and off-Broadway shows and also did some television -- his early roles included the portrayal of a white supremacist responsible for multiple murders in an episode of Homicide: Life on the Street. In that same vein, Simmons first gained wide exposure as Vern Schillinger, the leader of an Aryan Brotherhood-type organization in prison in the HBO series Oz. Parlaying his small-screen notoriety into feature film opportunities, Simmons had a small part in the 1997 thriller The Jackal and played a leading role in Frank Todaro's low-budget comedy Above Freezing, a runner-up for the most popular film at the 1998 Seattle Film Festival. Also in 1997, Simmons increased his television prolificacy by taking on the role of Dr. Emil Skoda, the consulting psychiatrist to the Manhattan district attorney's office in the series Law and Order. By 1999, Simmons was showing up in such prominent films as The Cider House Rules and the baseball drama For Love of the Game, directed by Sam Raimi. The director again enlisted Simmons for his next film, 2000's The Gift. After a supporting turn in the disappointing comedy The Mexican, Simmons teamed with Raimi for the third time, bringing cigar-chomping comic-book newspaperman J. Jonah Jameson screaming to life in the 2002 summer blockbuster Spider-Man. In 2004, he would reprise the role in the highly anticipated sequel, Spider-Man 2. That same year, along with appearing alongside Tom Hanks in the Coen Brothers' The Ladykillers, Simmons continued to be a presence on the tube, costarring on ABC's midseason-replacement ensemble drama The D.A.His career subsequently kicking into overdrive, the popular character actor was in increasingly high demand in the next few years, enjoying a productive run as a voice performer in such animated television series' as Justice League, Kim Possible, The Legend of Korra, and Ultimate Spider-Man (the latter of which found him reprising his role as J. Jonah Jameson), as well as turning in memorable performances in Jason Reitman's Juno, Mike Judge's Extract, and as a hard-nosed captain in the 2012 crime thriller Contraband. Meanwhile, in 2005, he joined the cast of TNT's popular crime drama The Closer as Assistant Chief Will Pope -- a role which no doublt played a part in the cast earning five Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Best Ensemble Cast. Simmons continued to work steadily in movies, returning to the Spider-Man franchise in 2007. That same year he co-starred as the father of a pregnant teen in Juno, which led to him being cast regularly by that film's director Jason Reitman in many of his future projects including Up In the Air and Labor Day. It was Reitman who got Simmons the script for Whiplash, Damien Chazelle's directorial debut. The actor took the part of an abusive, but respected music teacher and the ensuing performance garnered Simmons multiple year-end awards including a Best Supporting Actor nomination from the Academy.
Photos
Highest Rated Movies
Filmography
MOVIES
RATING | TITLE | CREDIT | BOX OFFICE | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|---|
71% | Zack Snyder's Justice League |
|
— | 2021 |
95% | Palm Springs |
|
— | 2020 |
53% | 21 Bridges |
|
— | 2019 |
64% | 3 Days with Dad (Life Support) |
|
— | 2019 |
38% | I'm Not Here |
|
— | 2019 |
11% | American Renegades |
|
— | 2018 |
No Score Yet | DRUG$ |
|
— | 2018 |
59% | The Front Runner |
|
— | 2018 |
No Score Yet | Detroit: Comeback City |
|
— | 2018 |
81% | A Boy Called Sailboat |
|
— | 2018 |
No Score Yet | The Boxcar Children: Surprise Island |
|
— | 2018 |
17% | Father Figures |
|
$16.8M | 2017 |
7% | The Snowman |
|
$6.7M | 2017 |
79% | The Bachelors |
|
— | 2017 |
14% | All Nighter |
|
— | 2017 |
77% | Punching Henry |
|
— | 2017 |
47% | Rock Dog |
|
$9.5M | 2017 |
81% | Patriots Day |
|
$31.9M | 2017 |
63% | Worlds Apart (Enas Allos Kosmos) |
|
$59.6k | 2017 |
No Score Yet | La La Land Sing Along |
|
— | 2017 |
90% | La La Land |
|
$151.1M | 2016 |
51% | The Accountant |
|
$86.2M | 2016 |
20% | The Late Bloomer |
|
— | 2016 |
85% | The Meddler |
|
$4.3M | 2016 |
98% | Zootopia |
|
$341.3M | 2016 |
87% | Kung Fu Panda 3 |
|
$128.4M | 2016 |
71% | Break Point |
|
— | 2015 |
27% | Terminator Genisys |
|
$75.7M | 2015 |
66% | The Rewrite |
|
$0.4M | 2015 |
27% | Murder of a Cat |
|
— | 2014 |
94% | Whiplash |
|
— | 2014 |
33% | Men, Women & Children |
|
$0.6M | 2014 |
No Score Yet | The Boxcar Children |
|
— | 2014 |
17% | Barefoot |
|
$12.3k | 2014 |
35% | Labor Day |
|
$13.4M | 2014 |
No Score Yet | Adventure Planet |
|
— | 2014 |
28% | Jobs |
|
$16.2M | 2013 |
No Score Yet | 3 Geezers! |
|
— | 2013 |
41% | Dark Skies |
|
$17.5M | 2013 |
24% | The Words |
|
$11.5M | 2012 |
66% | The Good Doctor |
|
$3.7k | 2012 |
51% | Contraband |
|
$66.5M | 2012 |
0% | An Invisible Sign |
|
— | 2011 |
67% | The Music Never Stopped |
|
$0.3M | 2011 |
No Score Yet | 4192: The Crowning Of The Hit King |
|
— | 2011 |
73% | Megamind |
|
$148.3M | 2010 |
13% | Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore |
|
$43.5M | 2010 |
8% | Crazy on the Outside |
|
$64.9k | 2010 |
33% | A Beginner's Guide To Endings |
|
— | 2010 |
70% | The Vicious Kind |
|
— | 2009 |
90% | Up in the Air |
|
$83.8M | 2009 |
45% | Jennifer's Body |
|
$16.1M | 2009 |
62% | Extract |
|
$10.7M | 2009 |
8% | Post Grad |
|
$6.3M | 2009 |
33% | Aliens in the Attic |
|
$25M | 2009 |
83% | I Love You, Man |
|
$71.3M | 2009 |
No Score Yet | Red Sands |
|
— | 2009 |
27% | New In Town |
|
$16.7M | 2009 |
78% | Burn After Reading |
|
$60.4M | 2008 |
29% | The Little Red Truck |
|
— | 2008 |
No Score Yet | The Way of War |
|
— | 2008 |
94% | Juno |
|
$143.4M | 2007 |
47% | Rendition |
|
$9.7M | 2007 |
9% | Postal |
|
— | 2007 |
No Score Yet | Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee |
|
— | 2007 |
63% | Spider-Man 3 |
|
$336.6M | 2007 |
58% | First Snow |
|
$0.2M | 2007 |
48% | Harsh Times |
|
$3.4M | 2006 |
58% | The Astronaut Farmer |
|
$11M | 2006 |
86% | Thank You for Smoking |
|
$24.9M | 2006 |
No Score Yet | 3 |
|
— | 2004 |
93% | Spider-Man 2 |
|
$373.4M | 2004 |
54% | The Ladykillers |
|
— | 2004 |
46% | Hidalgo |
|
$67.3M | 2004 |
No Score Yet | Spider-Man 2.1 (Extended Cut) |
|
— | 2004 |
70% | Off the Map |
|
$1.3M | 2003 |
100% | Path to War |
|
— | 2002 |
90% | Spider-Man |
|
$403.8M | 2002 |
54% | The Mexican |
|
$66.6M | 2001 |
57% | The Gift |
|
$11.2M | 2000 |
19% | Autumn in New York |
|
— | 2000 |
71% | The Cider House Rules |
|
— | 1999 |
46% | For Love of the Game |
|
— | 1999 |
32% | Hit and Runway |
|
— | 1999 |
40% | Celebrity |
|
— | 1998 |
No Score Yet | Love Walked In |
|
— | 1998 |
23% | The Jackal |
|
— | 1997 |
No Score Yet | Face Down |
|
— | 1997 |
56% | Extreme Measures |
|
— | 1996 |
50% | The First Wives Club |
|
— | 1996 |
72% | The Ref |
|
— | 1994 |
No Score Yet | Popeye Doyle |
|
— | 1986 |
TV
RATING | TITLE | CREDIT | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
96% |
Invincible
2021
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
No Activity
2017
|
|
|
72% |
Defending Jacob
2020
|
|
|
93% |
BoJack Horseman
2014-2020
|
|
|
100% |
Counterpart
2017-2019
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Late Night With Seth Meyers
2014
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
American Dad (target for inaccurate feed data)
2005
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Close Up With the Hollywood Reporter
2015
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
2015
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The Late Late Show With James Corden
2015
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
2015-2019
|
|
|
85% |
The Simpsons
1989
|
|
|
82% |
The Closer
2005-2012
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Long Haired Businessmen
2017
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
SpongeBob SquarePants
1999-2020
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The Talk
2010
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Today
2017-2019
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen
2009
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Major Lazer
2015-2016
|
|
|
100% |
Gravity Falls
2012-2019
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Jimmy Kimmel Live
2003
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Saturday Night Live
1975
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Sunday Morning
2011-2018
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Phineas and Ferb
2007-2015
|
|
|
35% |
Growing Up Fisher
2014
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Last Call With Carson Daly
2007-2019
|
|
|
8% |
Men at Work
2012-2013
|
|
|
13% |
Family Tools
2013
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Ultimate Spider-Man
2012-2014
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Generator Rex
2010-2012
|
|
|
46% |
Best Friends Forever
2012
|
|
|
96% |
Raising Hope
2010-2014
|
|
|
93% |
Party Down
2009-2010
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
American Experience
1988
|
|
|
96% |
Justice League Unlimited
2004-2006
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Numb3rs
2005-2010
|
|
|
74% |
Arrested Development
2003-2019
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The Jury
2004
|
|
|
75% |
Nip/Tuck
2003-2009
|
|
|
93% |
Everwood
2002-2006
|
|
|
73% |
John Doe
2002-2003
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
2001-2011
|
|
|
92% |
Oz
1997-2003
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Law & Order
1990-2010
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Third Watch
1999-2005
|
|
|
78% |
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999
|
|
|
91% |
Homicide: Life on the Street
1993-1999
|
|
|
66% |
Spin City
1996-2002
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
New York Undercover
1994-1998
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Coronavirus: Explained
2020
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Growing Up Fisher
|
|
|
63% |
The D.A.
2004
|
|
|
89% |
Veronica Mars
2019
|
|
|
Quotes from J.K. Simmons' Characters
Kai: | Kai has return! |
Terence Fletcher: | Good job. |
Terence Fletcher: | Everybody remember, Lincoln Center and it's… use this competitions to decide who they're interested in and who they're not. And I'm not gonna have my reputation in that department tarnished by a bunch of fucking limp dick sour note, flatterer than your girlfriends, flexible tempo dipshits, got it? One more thing, Eugene, give me that: If I ever find one of these lying around again, I swear to fucking God I will stop being so polite… Get the fuck out of my sight before I demolish you! Stage right, in order, now!… I can still fucking see you mini me!! |
Andrew Neyman: | But is there a line? You know, maybe you go too far and discourage the next Charlie Parker from ever becoming Charlie Parker? |
Terence Fletcher: | No, man, no. Because the next Charlie Parker would never be discouraged. |
Terence Fletcher: | Neiman, you earned the part. Alternates you want to clean the blood off my drumset? |
Terence Fletcher: | Oh my dear God! Are you one of those single tear people? |
Terence Fletcher: | Andrew, what are you doing, man? |
Andrew Neyman: | I'll cue you! |
Terence Fletcher: | I was there to push people beyond what's expected of them. I believe that's an absolute necessity. |
Terence Fletcher: | There are no two words in the English language more harmful than good job. |
Terence Fletcher: | Not my tempo. |
Terence Fletcher: | There are no two words in the English language more harmful than "good job". |
Terence Fletcher: | Get the fuck out of my sight before I demolish you! |
Terence Fletcher: | If you literally sabotage my band, I will gut you like a pig. |
Terence Fletcher: | Are you a rusher or are you a dragger? Or are you gonna be on my fucking time!? |
Joseph "Robbie" Robertson: | Black-suit Spider-Man! Peter, these are incredible! We gotta have these, Jonah. |
J. Jonah Jameson: | I'll pay you the usual rate. |
Peter Parker/Spider-Man: | If you want the shots, I'll take the staff job. Double the money. |
Joe the Pawnshop Owner: | Hola. |
Ted: | I don't fuck around, comprende? Gun, gun, loaded. Bang, bang. You dead. |
Joe the Pawnshop Owner: | Do you have a speech impediment? |
Mac MacGuff: | I didn't think he had it in him. |
Leah: | I know right? |
Edwin Pollard: | "People think of these beings invading our planet as some great cataclysm but it's not like that at all. The invasion already happened. You cannot escape them. Sooner or later, when they're ready, they will take your family." |
Edwin Pollard: | People think of these beings invading our planet as some great cataclysm, but it's not like that at all. The invasion already happened. You cannot escape them. Sooner or later, when they're ready, they will take your family. |
J. Jonah Jameson: | Who is Spider-man? He's a criminal thats who he is. |
J. Jonah Jameson: | Who is Spider-man? He's a criminal that's who he is. |
Joseph "Robbie" Robertson: | The police say that Spider-Man was there. |
J. Jonah Jameson: | (To Peter) Where were you, photographing squirrels? You're fired! |
J. Jonah Jameson: | Where were you, photographing squirrels? You're fired! |
Miss Brant: | Jonah, the Planetary Ball. |
J. Jonah Jameson: | Oh, right. Parker, you're unfired! |
J. Jonah Jameson: | Spider-Man was a hero. I just couldn't see it. He was a... a thief! A criminal! He stole my suit! He's a menace to the entire city! I want that wall crawling arachnid prosecuted! I want him strung up by his web! I want Spider-Man!!! |
J. Jonah Jameson: | Spider-Man was a hero. I just couldn't see it. He was a, a thief! A criminal! He stole my suit! He's a menace to the entire city! I want that wall-crawling arachnid prosecuted! I want him strung up by his web! I want Spider-Man!!! |
Warden: | Good luck fellas! |
MegaMind: | Were gonna die! |
Minion: | Wait what? |
CIA Superior: | What do we learn, Palmer? |
Chad Feldheimer: | I dont know sir. |
CIA Superior: | I don't fucking know either. |
Chad Feldheimer: | I guess we learned, not to do it again. |
Chad Feldheimer: | Yes sir. |
Chad Feldheimer: | I'm fucked if I know what we did. |
Peter Parker/Spider-Man: | Please Mr Jameson, are there any of these shots you can use I really need the money. |
J. Jonah Jameson: | Aww. Miss Brant, get me a violin! |
Mac MacGuff: | Look, in my opinion, the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, what have you, the right person is still going to think the sun shines out your ass. That's the kind of person that's worth sticking with. |
Mac MacGuff: | Look, in my opinion, the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, what have you, the right person is still going to think the sun shines out your ass. That's the kind of person that's worth sticking with. |
Ryan Bingham: | You know why kids love athletes? |
Bob: | Because they screw lingerie models. |
Ryan Bingham: | No, that's why we love athletes. Kids love them because they follow their dreams. |
Peter Klaven: | Who's YOUR best friend? |
Peter Klaven: | Are you telling me that Robbie is your best friend? |
Oz: | ...Hank Mardukas...and Robbie. |
Oz: | Yes, and Hank Marducas. |
Peter Klaven: | ROBBIE's your best friend? |
Robbie: | 'Sup? |
J. Jonah Jameson: | If we can get a picture of Julia Roberts in a thong, we can certainly get a picture of this weirdo. |
Henry Sawyer: | Like it's not even him |
Henry Sawyer: | Like it's not even him. |
Henry Sawyer: | Do you know what song this is? |
Bob: | And, without benefits, I guess I can hold my daughter as she suffers from her asthma! |