J.K. Simmons
Born: 1955-01-09 in Detroit, Michigan, USA
Known For: Acting
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.
Filmography
2026
- Heart of the Beast as Watkins
- The Westies as Eamon Sweeney
- The Brink of War as George Shultz
- Purgatory as Father Malone
2025
- The Accountant² as Ray King
- Little Brother as Warren Duffy
- The Fish Thief: A Great Lakes Mystery as Narrator
2024
- Red One as Nick
- Juror #2 as Harold
- The Union as Tom Brennan
- Ren & Stimpy as Lint (voice)
- Saturday Night as Milton Berle
- You Can't Run Forever as Wade
- Spaceman
2023
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse as J. Jonah Jameson (voice)
- Rally Road Racers as Gnash (voice)
- The Venture Bros.: Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart as Ben (voice)
- One Day as a Lion as Walter Boggs
2022
- Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers as Captain Putty (voice)
- Night Sky as Franklin York
- Spider-Man: All Roads Lead to No Way Home as Self
- Marmaduke as Zeus (voice)
- Hopper: An American Love Story as Edward Hopper (voice)
- Glorious as Ghat (voice)
- Prophets of Change as Narrator
- Rivals: Ohio State vs. Michigan as Narrator
2021
- INVINCIBLE as Nolan Grayson / Omni-Man (voice)
- Spider-Man: No Way Home as J. Jonah Jameson
- Last Meals as Self
- The Great North as Tusk Johnson (voice)
- Zack Snyder's Justice League as Commissioner Gordon
- Ghostbusters: Afterlife as Ivo Shandor
- The Tomorrow War as James Forester
- Venom: Let There Be Carnage as J. Jonah Jameson (uncredited)
- Seal Team as Claggart (voice)
- Being the Ricardos as William Frawley
- National Champions as Coach James Lazor
- Ride the Eagle as Carl
- Rushing or Dragging as Terrence Fletcher (Archive Audio)
2020
- Defending Jacob as Billy Barber
- Palm Springs as Roy
- The Stand as General Starkey
- Die Hart as Jackson Pepper
- Home Movie: The Princess Bride as The Grandfather
- Coronavirus, Explained as Self - Narrator
- Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens as Orville
- Charlie Russell's Old West as Narrator
2019
- The Kelly Clarkson Show as Self
- Spider-Man: Far From Home as J. Jonah Jameson
- Klaus as Klaus (voice)
- 21 Bridges as Captain Matt McKenna
- The Daily Bugle as J. Jonah Jameson
- 3 Days with Dad as Joey
- Fanboy as J.K. / Frank Perry
2018
- Explained as Narrator (voice)
- The Front Runner as Bill Dixon
- A Boy Called Sailboat as Ernest
- The Boxcar Children: Surprise Island as Dr. Moore (voice)
- Drug$ as Narrator
- Detroit: Comeback City as Himself - Narrator
2017
- Justice League as Commissioner Gordon
- Brockmire as Matt "The Bat" Hardesty
- Counterpart as Howard Silk
- The Snowman as Arve Støp
- No Activity as Leo
- Father Figures as Ronald Hunt
- Robert Kirkman's Secret History of Comics as Self
- Renegades as Levin
- The Bachelors as Bill Palet
- All Nighter as Mr. Gallo
- I'm Not Here as Steve
- Punching Henry as Jay Warren
- The Black Ghiandola as Ralph Aceto
2016
- Goliath as George Zax
- Zootopia as Mayor Lionheart (voice)
- La La Land as Bill
- Kung Fu Panda 3 as Kai (voice)
- The Accountant as Ray King
- Patriots Day as Sgt. Jeffrey Pugliese
- Rock Dog as Khampa (voice)
- The Meddler as Randall Zipper
- The Late Bloomer as James Newmans
- Gravity Falls: Between the Pines as Ford Pines (Voice)
2015
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as Self - Guest
- Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter as Self
- Terminator Genisys as O'Brien
- Major Lazer as President Whitewall (voice)
- What Lives Inside as Benjamin 'Pops' Delaney
- Worlds Apart as Sebastian
2014
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as Self - Guest
- Late Night with Seth Meyers as Self - Guest
- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver as (voice)
- BoJack Horseman as Lenny Turtletaub (voice)
- Variety Studio: Actors on Actors as Self
- Whiplash as Fletcher
- Growing Up Fisher as Mel Fisher
- Men, Women & Children as Allison's Dad
- The Rewrite as Hal Lerner
- Barefoot as Dr. Bertleman
- Wild Hawaii as Narrator (voice)
- Murder of a Cat as Sheriff Frank Hoyle
- The Boxcar Children as Dr. Moore (voice)
- Break Point as Jack
- Ava & Lala as General Tiger (voice)
2013
- Brooklyn Nine-Nine as Frank Dillman
- Labor Day as Mr. Jervis
- Dark Skies as Edwin Pollard
- Family Tools as Tony Shea
- LEGO MARVEL Super Heroes: Maximum Overload as J. Jonah Jameson (voice)
- Jobs as Arthur Rock
- Whiplash as Fletcher
- 3 Geezers! as J. Kimball
- The Heeler as Roscoe
- The Magic Bracelet as The Shaman
2012
- The Legend of Korra as Tenzin (voice)
- Gravity Falls as Stanford Pines (voice)
- Marvel's Ultimate Spider-Man as J. Jonah Jameson (voice)
- Men at Work as P.J. Jordan
- Contraband as Captain Camp
- Best Friends Forever as Don
- The Words as Mr. Jansen
2011
- NTSF:SD:SUV:: as Frank Forrest
- Young Adult as Mavis' Publisher (voice) (uncredited)
- The Good Doctor as Detective Krauss
- Ben 10 / Generator Rex: Heroes United as White Knight (voice)
- The Music Never Stopped as Henry Sawyer
- Desert Car Kings as Himself - Narrator
- Blackstone as Detective Burke
2010
- The Talk as Self - Guest
- The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes as J. Jonah Jameson (voice)
- Raising Hope as Bruce Chance
- Ben 10: Ultimate Alien as Magister Gilhil / Plumber (voice)
- Pound Puppies as Lt. Rock (voice)
- Megamind as Warden (voice)
- True Grit as J. Noble Daggett (voice) (uncredited)
- Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore as Gruff K-9 (voice)
- An Invisible Sign as Mr. Jones
- Crazy on the Outside as Ed
- A Beginner's Guide to Endings as Uncle Pal
- 4192: The Crowning of the Hit King as Narrator (voice)
2009
- Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen as Self - Guest
- Parks and Recreation as Mayor Stice
- Archer as Detective (voice)
- Party Down as Leonard Stiltskin
- Jennifer's Body as Mr. Wroblewski
- Up in the Air as Bob
- I Love You, Man as Oswald Klaven
- Aliens in the Attic as Skip (voice)
- Post Grad as Roy Davies
- New in Town as Stu Kopenhafer
- Extract as Brian
- The Way of War as Sergeant Mitchell
- Red Sands as Lt. Col. Arson
- The Vicious Kind as Donald Sinclaire
- Extract: Mike Judge's Secret Recipe as Self
2008
- Batman: The Brave and the Bold as Guardian (voice)
- Ben 10: Alien Force as Magister Gilhil (voice)
- Burn After Reading as CIA Superior
- Walt Whitman as Narrator (voice)
2007
- Phineas and Ferb as Napoleon (voice)
- Spider-Man 3 as J. Jonah Jameson
- Juno as Mac MacGuff
- The Astronaut Farmer as Jacobson
- Rendition as Lee Mayer
- Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee as James McLaughlin
- Postal as Candidate Welles
- On the Set: Spider-Man 3 as Self
2006
- First Snow as Vacaro
2005
- American Dad! as Judge (voice)
- The Closer as Will Pope
- Numb3rs as Dr. Clarence Weaver
- Harsh Times as Agent Richards
- Thank You for Smoking as BR
2004
- Veronica Mars as Clyde Pickett
- Justice League Unlimited as Eiling (voice)
- Spider-Man 2 as J. Jonah Jameson
- Jack & Bobby
- The Ladykillers as Garth Pancake
- The Jury
- Hidalgo as Buffalo Bill Cody
- The D.A. as Dep. Dist. Atty. Joe Carter
- 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story as Ralph Earnhardt
- Spider-Man 2: Making the Amazing as Self
- Broadway's Lost Treasures II as Benny Southstreet (segment "Guys & Dolls")
2003
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! as Self - Guest
- Nip/Tuck as Ike Connors
- Arrested Development as General Anderson
- Path to War as CIA Briefer
- Off the Map as George
- Disposal as Older Hunter
2002
- Without a Trace as Mark Wilson
- Everwood as Phil Drebbles
- Kim Possible as Martin Smarty (voice)
- Spider-Man as J. Jonah Jameson
- John Doe as Lucas Doya
2001
- Law & Order: Criminal Intent as Emil Skoda
- The Mexican as Ted
- Starwater
2000
- The Gift as Sheriff Pearl Johnson
- Autumn in New York as Dr. Tom Grandy
1999
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Dr. Emil Skoda
- The West Wing as Harry Ravitch
- Third Watch as Frank Hagedorn
- The Cider House Rules as Ray Kendall
- For Love of the Game as Frank Perry
- Hit and Runway as Ray Tilman
- I Lost My M in Vegas as Yellow (voice)
1998
- Celebrity as Souvenir Hawker
- Crossing Fields as Guy
- Above Freezing as Hoyd
1997
- Oz as Vernon Schillinger
- The Jackal as FBI Agent T. I. Witherspoon
- Love Walked In as Mr. Shulman
- Face Down as Herb Aames
1996
- The Daily Show as Self - Guest
- Spin City as Kevin
- Remember WENN as 'Captain Amazon'
- The First Wives Club as Federal Marshall
- Swift Justice as Mel Turman
- Extreme Measures as Dr. Mingus
1995
1994
- ER as Gus Loomer
- New York Undercover
- The Ref as Siskel
- The Scout as Assistant Coach
1993
- Homicide: Life on the Street as Alexander Rausch
- The Adventures of Pete & Pete
1992
- Guys and Dolls: Off the Record as Himself / Benny Southstreet
1990
- Law & Order as Emil Skoda
1989
- The Simpsons as Victor Kleskow (voice)
1986
- American Masters as Edward Hopper
- Popeye Doyle as Patrolman in Park
1975
- Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
1953
- The Oscars as Self