Jonathan Kimble Simmons was born on the 9th January 1955, in Grosse Pointe, Michigan USA, and is an actor, who has celebrated his name through appearances on television, film and also ON stage. His notable roles have been in “Law and Order” as Dr. Emil Skoda, in “Spiderman” as J. Jonah Jameson, and the most recent one, which earned him an Oscar for Best supporting actor, “Whiplash” as music teacher Terence Fletcher. His career in entertainment industry has been active since 1986.
Have you ever wondered how rich J.K Simmons is? According to sources it is estimated that J.K.’s net worth is $5 million, an amount acquired through a successful career as an actor. He also managed to expand his career to voice acting. He has been giving voice to J. Jonah Jameson in the popular animated TV series “Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes”, “Ultimate Spider-Man” and others that are related to Marvel Universe.
J.K. Simmons was born in Detroit, however his family often moved in his childhood. When he was 10 years old, family moved to Worthington, Ohio, and when he was 18 years old, they moved to Missoula, Montana. He graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in music. Following graduation, he moved to Seattle and became a member of Seattle Repertory Theatre. His career really started on Broadway in 1992, in the play entitled “Guys and Dolls”. His career on Broadway was slowly gaining a momentum, and in 1994 he sang several roles in Richard Wagner`s opera “Das Barbecu”.
J.K.’s television career is best known for his appearance in “Law and Order” as Dr. Emil Skoda, however his roles are many, and have influenced his fame and net worth accordingly. He appeared in TV series such as “Oz”, as the neo-Nazi prisoner Verman Schillinger, “Arrested Development” as General Anderson, and “The Closer” as the Assistant Chief Will Pope. They all benefited his net worth.
His film career has recently added a substantial amount to his net worth, as he has been nominated for and also won a Golden Globe and an Oscar for the film “Whiplash”, for the best supporting actor. His other film roles include ones in films such as “Juno”, “Jennifer`s Body”, “Thank You For Smoking”, “Spider-Man trilogy” and most recently “Terminator Genisys”.
His net worth has also benefited from his voice roles. The notable roles are the ones as Jonah Jameson in Marvel TV series, as Tenzin in “Legend of Kora”.
Overall, his career is quite successful; he has made more than 50 appearances on film and television, of which some roles earned him notable awards and nominations. In addition to his Golden Globe and Oscar, he has been nominated for and won several awards for “Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor”.
Regarding his personal life, the actor is married to Michelle, with whom he has two children. It is well known to the media that Simmons is a big fan of the Baseball team, the Detroit Tigers; he threw the ceremonial first pitch for the team on the 6th April 2015, for the Opening Day of the season.
Full Name
J. K. Simmons
Net Worth
$5 Million
Date Of Birth
9th January 1955
Place Of Birth
Grosse Pointe, Michigan USA
Height
1.78 m, 1.78 m, 1.78 m
Profession
American actor and voice artist
Education
Ohio State University, University of Montana, Ohio State University, University of Montana, Ohio State University, University of Montana
Nationality
American
Spouse
Michelle Schumacher (m. 1996)
Children
Olivia Simmons, Joe Simmons, Olivia Simmons, Joe Simmons, Olivia Simmons, Joe Simmons
Parents
Donald William Simmons, Patricia Kimble
Siblings
Elizabeth Simmons, David Simmons, Elizabeth Simmons, David Simmons, Elizabeth Simmons, David Simmons
IMDB
www.imdb.com/name/nm0799777
Awards
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (2015), Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture (2015)
Nominations
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble, MTV Movie Award for Best Villain, VGX Award for Best Performance by a Human Male, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical, Screen Actors Guild Awa…
Movies
Law and Order, Spiderman, Whiplash
TV Shows
The Legend of Korra, Growing Up Fisher, Family Tools, The Closer, The D.A., Oz, Ultimate Spider-Man, The Legend of Korra, Growing Up Fisher, Family Tools, The Closer, The D.A., Oz, Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate Spider-Man, The Legend of Korra, Growing Up Fisher, Family Tools, The Closer, The D.A., O…
Trademark
1
Often plays sharp-tongued and short-tempered men who intimidate other characters
2
Low-pitched, rolling voice
3
The role of J. Jonah Jameson, Peter Parker/Spider-Man’s hot-tempered boss.
4
Often plays fathers and family men
5
Often plays leaders and authority figures
Quote
1
To me that kind of just means, he’s not as good-looking as George Clooney. He’s not number one on the call sheet, and he’s not the leading man. It is […] superfluous in a way.
2
[on winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for Whiplash (2014)] Wow, thank you. Thank you to the Academy. Thank you to everyone involved in the making of Whiplash (2014). And I am grateful everyday for the most remarkable person I know: my wife, the wonderful Michelle Schumacher. I’m grateful for your love, your kindness, your wisdom, your sacrifice and your patience. Which brings me to the above-average children-even though I may try their patience more. Joe and Olivia, you are extraordinary human beings. Smart, funny, kind, loving people and that’s because you are a reflection of your mother. And if I may, call your mom, everybody. I’ve told this to, like, a billion people, or so. Call your mom, call your dad. If you’re lucky enough to have a parent or two alive on this planet, call ’em. Don’t text. Don’t email. Call them on the phone. Tell ’em you love ’em, and thank them, and listen to them for as long as they want to talk to you. Thank you. Thank you, Mom and Dad.
3
I was not a giant comic book fan as a kid, but to the extent that I did read comics, Spider-Man was always my favorite guy.
4
I actually have a degree in music and was aware that music was a tool used in therapy. I didn’t realize how far it had come since I was in college in the mid-seventies.
5
The best compliment I ever got from the public or producers or directors is that I just totally blend in and become the character and they don’t notice me and that the play happens or the movie happens or the TV show happens.
6
People evolve and it’s important to not stop evolving just because you’ve reached ‘adulthood.’
7
I like to act. Every other aspect of show business I find uninteresting.
8
I’m not a fan of any genre but am a fan of movies that are intelligent and/or funny. That goes across all genres: a horror movie, a zombie movie, alien invaders, chick flick, or raunchy comedy. If it’s well done, I’m a fan.
9
I never listened to the Grateful Dead as a teen; the only exposure I got was what came through the walls when my sister was listening to them.
10
[on his career] If I had any other talent or salable commodity I probably would have gone into it. I mean, aside from the modelling, yeah.
Fact
1
Is a member of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia fraternity. He pledged the Delta Theta Chapter in 1975 while attending the University of Montana.
2
Played alongside actress Kyra Sedgwick as Asst. Police Chief Will Pope in the very successful T.V. series The Closer (2005). Appeared in every episode of the show’s 7 year run.
3
Voice of the Yellow M&M in the M&M’s commercials.
4
Is one of 11 actors to have won the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Critics’ Choice Award, Golden Globe Award and SAG Award for the same performance. The others in chronological order are Geoffrey Rush for Shine (1996), Jamie Foxx for Ray (2004), Philip Seymour Hoffman for Capote (2005), Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland (2006), Javier Bardem for No Country for Old Men (2007), Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood (2007) and Lincoln (2012), Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight (2008), Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds (2009), Colin Firth for The King’s Speech (2010) and Christopher Plummer for Beginners (2010).
5
He was hospitalized because of a kidney stone after his role in New in Town, for which he gained 40+ pounds.
6
Aside from acting, his hobbies include baseball and poker.
7
Fluent in German. He learned it as part of his musical education. However, he claims he is better at understanding than speaking it.
8
As of 2015, has appeared in five films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: The Cider House Rules (1999), Juno (2007), Up in the Air (2009), True Grit (2010) and Whiplash (2014).
9
He has English, as well as some Scots-Irish (Northern Irish), German, and Welsh, ancestry.
10
The name of his Farmer’s Insurance TV commercials character is Prof. Nathaniel Burke, which was not spoken, but seen on the nameplate on his desk. This is also the name of the freight agent on Gunsmoke (1955) (played by Ted Jordan), though whether this is intentional isn’t clear.
11
In the well-known and very long-running TV commercials for Farmer’s Insurance, he portrays a professor at the seemingly fictional Farmer’s University, which has labs or classrooms which teach students about disasters, accidents, and more. However, according to the Farmer’s Insurance website: “If you become an agent, you’ll find out firsthand: The University of Farmers is, in fact, a real place. Our award-winning training program focuses on the Four Business Basics: Sales, Marketing, Operations, and Financial Management. Our non-traditional insurance courses are what set us apart, including a car rotisserie and an all-weather model home.”.
12
Attended the Critics’ Choice Awards ceremony, and was interviewed by Canadian news show “E Talk” (2002). [January 2008]
13
Has played the same character (J. Jonah Jameson) in three different series: The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes (2010), Ultimate Spider-Man (2012) and Avengers Assemble (2013).
14
Breakthrough role was as Vern Schillinger in HBO’s first hour-long drama, the critically-acclaimed prison series Oz (1997).
15
Has played the same character (Dr. Emil Skoda) in four different series: Law & Order (1990), New York Undercover (1994), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) and Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001).
16
Has been in all the feature films of Jason Reitman.
17
Met his wife, Michelle Schumacher, during a tour of “Peter Pan”.
18
Wore a wig to play J. Jonah Jameson in the Spider-Man films.
19
Played the manager of his hometown pro baseball team, the Detroit Tigers, in For Love of the Game (1999).
20
Has appeared in four films with Bruce Campbell. The first two were Spider-Man (2002) and Spider-Man 2 (2004), both directed by Sam Raimi. The third was The Ladykillers (2004) directed by Ethan Coen, who frequently collaborates with Raimi, followed by another appearance with Campbell in Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 (2007).
21
Attended the Ohio State University while living in Worthington, Ohio. Still remains a huge fan of Ohio State sports today.
22
Before playing police psychiatrist Dr. Emil Skoda on Law & Order (1990), he played a fanatical nut-case suspect on a crossover episode of Law & Order (1990) and Homicide: Life on the Street (1993). He is among the few recurring members to have a guest spot as one character on a “Law & Order” series before going on to play a different character in the L&O universe (others include S. Epatha Merkerson and Jerry Orbach). Ice-T played a criminal who met a “striking” fate in Exiled (1998) before going on to star as Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999).
23
His character of Dr. Emil Skoda is one of the few Law & Order (1990) recurring characters to span all three incarnations: the original series; Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) and Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001) (the medical examiner, Elizabeth Rodgers (Leslie Hendrix), has also appeared on all three shows).
24
Graduated from the University of Montana. Received an Achievement Award for the university in April 2002. Studied to become a composer before getting to musicals and acting.
25
Does voice-over work for Norelco razors.
26
Is the voice of the yellow peanut M&M on the commercials since the late 1990s, replacing John Goodman after the original 1995 commercials. In 2000, a video game was produced, M&M’s: The Lost Formulas (2000), in which he portrayed Yellow Peanut.
27
He is the father of two children. He has a sister, Elizabeth Simmons O’Neill, and a brother David.
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
La La Land
2016/I
Bill
BoJack Horseman
2014-2016
TV Series
Lenny Turtletaub
Archer
2016
TV Series
Detective
Rock Dog
2016
Khampa (voice)
Punching Henry
2016
Jay Warren
Gravity Falls
2015-2016
TV Series
Ford Pines
Zootopia
2016
Mayor Lionheart (voice)
Kung Fu Panda 3
2016
Kai (voice)
Between Two Urns: J.K. Simmons
2015
Short
J.K.
Enas Allos Kosmos
2015
Sebastian
Lego Dimensions
2015
Video Game
Cave Johnson (voice)
Ultimate Spider-Man
2012-2015
TV Series
J. Jonah Jameson J. Jonah Jameson Noir J. Jonah Jackal …
The Meddler
2015
Zipper
Major Lazer
2015
TV Series
President Whitewall
Terminator Genisys
2015
O’Brien
Avril et le monde truqué
2015
Rodrigue (English version, voice)
Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.
2013-2015
TV Series
J. Jonah Jameson Vampire Jameson J. Jonah Jamesasaurus
What Lives Inside
2015
TV Mini-Series
Benjamin ‘Pops’ Delaney
Farmers Insurance: Monster Foot
2015
TV Movie
Professor Burke
Avengers Assemble
2013-2015
TV Series
J. Jonah Jameson
The Jay Z Story
2015
Short
Nas
The Legend of Korra
2012-2014
TV Series
Tenzin / Additional Voices
Ava & Lala
2014
General Tiger (voice)
Phineas and Ferb
2008-2014
TV Series
Napoleon / J.B. / Additional Voices
The Legend of Korra
2014
Video Game
Tenzin (voice)
Men, Women & Children
2014
Allison’s Dad
The Rewrite
2014
Dr. Hal Lerner
Growing Up Fisher
2014
TV Series
Mel Fisher
Robot Chicken
2011-2014
TV Series
Master Chief Merklynn Vern Schillinger …
Murder of a Cat
2014
Sheriff Hoyle
The Boxcar Children
2014
Dr. Moore (voice)
Men at Work
2012-2014
TV Series
P.J. Jordan
Chozen
2014
TV Series
Break Point
2014
Jack
Barefoot
2014/I
Dr. Bertleman
Whiplash
2014
Fletcher
Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Maximum Overload
2013
TV Series
J. Jonah Jameson (voice)
The Legend of Korra: The Re-telling of Korra’s Journey
2013
TV Short
Tenzin – Narrator (voice, uncredited)
Labor Day
2013
Mr. Jervis
Family Tools
2013
TV Series
Tony Shea
Pound Puppies
2011-2013
TV Series
Mr. Withers / Lt. Rock
3 Geezers!
2013
J Kimball
The Magic Bracelet
2013
Short
The Shaman
The Heeler
2013
Short
Roscoe
Parks and Recreation
2013
TV Series
Mayor Stice
Dark Skies
2013
Edwin Pollard
Jobs
2013
Arthur Rock
Whiplash
2013
Short
Fletcher
Generator Rex
2010-2013
TV Series
White Knight / Cured Evo / Waiter
Cops Uncuffed
2012
TV Movie
Lieutenant Bob Bukowski
The Venture Bros.
2012
TV Series
Ben (Old Man Potter)
The Closer
2005-2012
TV Series
Will Pope
Echo Jew Gong Lok
2012
President of Capitol State (voice)
The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes
2012
TV Series
J. Jonah Jameson
Best Friends Forever
2012
TV Series
Don
The Words
2012
Mr. Jansen
Contraband
2012
Captain Camp
Young Adult
2011
Mavis’s Publisher (voice, uncredited)
NTSF:SD:SUV
2011
TV Series
Frank Forrest
Blackstone
2011
Short
Detective Burke
The Good Doctor
2011/I
Detective Krauss
Portal 2
2011
Video Game
Cave Johnson (voice)
Desert Car Kings
2011
TV Series
Narrator
Raising Hope
2011
TV Series
Bruce Chance
The Music Never Stopped
2011
Henry Sawyer
American Dad!
2007-2011
TV Series
McCreary / Judge
True Grit
2010
J. Noble Daggett (voice, uncredited)
Megamind
2010
Warden (voice)
An Invisible Sign
2010
Mr. Jones
A Beginner’s Guide to Endings
2010
Uncle Pal
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore
2010
Gruff K-9 (voice)
Law & Order
1994-2010
TV Series
Dr. Emil Skoda Jerry Luppin
Ben 10: Ultimate Alien
2010
TV Series
Magister Gilhil / Plumber
Party Down
2009-2010
TV Series
Leonard Stiltskin
The Life & Times of Tim
2010
TV Series
O’Flaherty Sr.
Crazy on the Outside
2010
Ed
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
2010
TV Series
Guardian Evil Star
The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack
2009
TV Series
Poseidon / Merman #2 / Pirate / …
Jennifer’s Body
2009
Mr. Wroblewski
Up in the Air
2009/I
Bob
Extract
2009
Brian
Post Grad
2009
Roy Davies (as JK Simmons)
Aliens in the Attic
2009
Skip (voice)
I Love You, Man
2009
Oswald Klaven
Jewno
2009
Short
Father
Red Sands
2009
Lt. Col. Arson
The Way of War
2009
Sergeant Mitchell
New in Town
2009
Stu Kopenhafer
The Vicious Kind
2009
Donald Sinclaire
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
2008
Video Game
President Howard T. Ackerman (as JK Simmons)
Ben 10: Alien Force
2008
TV Series
Magister Gilhil
Burn After Reading
2008
CIA Superior (as JK Simmons)
Rendition
2007
Lee Mayer
Juno
2007
Mac MacGuff
Postal
2007
Candidate Welles
Kim Possible
2007
TV Series
Martin Smarty / Additional voices
Breaking Down the Closer
2007
Video short
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
2007
TV Movie
James McLaughlin
Spider-Man 3
2007
Video Game
J. Jonah Jameson (voice)
Spider-Man 3
2007
J. Jonah Jameson
The Simpsons
2006-2007
TV Series
Tabloid Editor / J. Jonah Jameson
The Astronaut Farmer
2006
Jacobson
First Snow
2006
Vacaro
Justice League Unlimited
2004-2006
TV Series
General Wade Eiling / German Agent / Bystander / …