J.K. Simmons
Biography
Jonathan Kimble Simmons (born January 9, 1955) is an American actor. He has been cited as one of the greatest contemporary character actors, and has appeared in over 200 film and television roles since his debut in 1986. He is an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Critics Choice Award winner, among other accolades.
His film roles include J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy (2002–2007), tobacco industry executive B.R. in Thank You for Smoking (2005), Mac MacGuff in Juno (2007), music instructor Terence Fletcher in Whiplash (2014), Bill in La La Land (2016), William Frawley in Being the Ricardos (2021), and Commissioner James Gordon in the DC Extended Universe films Justice League (2017), Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021), and Batgirl (2022). He reprised his role as Jameson in various Marvel media unrelated to the Sam Raimi trilogy, including multiple animated series and the Marvel Cinematic Universe/Sony's Spider-Man Universe films Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and Spider-Man: No Way Home (both 2021), and the web series TheDailyBugle.net (2019; 2021).
On television, he is known for playing Dr. Emil Skoda on the NBC series Law & Order, white supremacist prisoner Vernon Schillinger on the HBO series Oz, and Assistant Police Chief Will Pope on TNT's The Closer. From 2017 to 2019, he starred as Howard Silk in the Starz series Counterpart. He has also appeared in a series of commercials for Farmers Insurance and starred in the third season of the IFC comedy series Brockmire. In 2020, he had recurring roles on the miniseries Defending Jacob and The Stand.
As a voice artist, he is known for voicing Cave Johnson in the video game Portal 2 (2011), Tenzin in The Legend of Korra (2012–2014), Stanford “Ford” Pines in Gravity Falls (2015–2016), Kai in Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016), Mayor Leodore Lionheart in Zootopia (2016), the titular character in Klaus (2019), Pig Baby in Season 4 of the HBO Max animated series Infinity Train (2021), and Nolan “Omni-Man” Grayson in the Amazon Prime action animated series Invincible (2021). He has been the voice of the Yellow M&M since 1996.
CritifyHub Reviews Featuring J.K. Simmons
Claws and Ambition: How Zootopia Still Bites in 2025
Ever wonder if a cartoon about talking animals could outsmart most live-action blockbusters? Zootopia (2016) doesn’t just pull it off it struts into the room with a badge and a smirk, delivering a soc... Read more
A Story About Stories, Stitched with Heart and Flaws
What happens when a writer steals another’s words, only to find his own life unraveling? The Words (2012) poses this question with a narrative so layered it feels like flipping through a stack of nest... Read more
Terminal Velocity: The Fleeting Weight of Connection in *Up in the Air*
In Up in the Air (2009), director Jason Reitman crafts a poignant meditation on transience, blending sharp wit with an undercurrent of melancholy. George Clooney’s Ryan Bingham, a corporate downsizer ... Read more
Shadows of Solace: Unraveling the Quiet Power of *Labor Day*
In Labor Day (2013), director Jason Reitman crafts a delicate, introspective drama that lingers like a humid summer afternoon, its emotional weight carried by understated performances and a richly tex... Read more
A Tangled Web of Fools: The Coen Brothers’ Sharp Satire in Burn After Reading
The Coen Brothers’ Burn After Reading (2008) is a masterclass in controlled chaos, a dark comedy that skewers human folly with surgical precision. Directed with their signature blend of cynicism and w... Read more
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