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
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
- Saturday Night as Milton Berle
- Ren & Stimpy as Lint (voice)
- You Can't Run Forever as Wade
2023
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse as J. Jonah Jameson (voice)
- One Day as a Lion as Walter Boggs
- Rally Road Racers as Gnash (voice)
- The Venture Bros.: Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart as Ben (voice)
2022
- Marmaduke as Zeus (voice)
- Glorious as Ghat (voice)
- Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers as Captain Putty (voice)
- Night Sky as Franklin York
- Prophets of Change as Narrator
- Hopper: An American Love Story as Edward Hopper (voice)
- Rivals: Ohio State vs. Michigan as Narrator
2021
- INVINCIBLE as Nolan Grayson / Omni-Man (voice)
- Spider-Man: No Way Home as J. Jonah Jameson
- The Tomorrow War as James Forester
- Venom: Let There Be Carnage as J. Jonah Jameson (uncredited)
- Zack Snyder's Justice League as Commissioner Gordon
- The Great North as Tusk Johnson (voice)
- Ghostbusters: Afterlife as Ivo Shandor
- National Champions as Coach James Lazor
- Seal Team as Claggart (voice)
- Ride the Eagle as Carl
- Being the Ricardos as William Frawley
- Rushing or Dragging as Terrence Fletcher (Archive Audio)
2020
- Palm Springs as Roy
- The Stand as General Starkey
- Defending Jacob as Billy Barber
- Die Hart as Jackson Pepper
- Home Movie: The Princess Bride as The Grandfather
- Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens as Orville
- Coronavirus, Explained as Self - 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
- Fanboy as J.K. / Frank Perry
- 3 Days with Dad as Joey
2018
- Explained as Narrator (voice)
- A Boy Called Sailboat as Ernest
- The Front Runner as Bill Dixon
- The Boxcar Children: Surprise Island as Dr. Moore (voice)
- Drug$ as Narrator
- Detroit: Comeback City as Himself - Narrator
2017
- Punching Henry as Jay Warren
- Justice League as Commissioner Gordon
- Brockmire as Matt "The Bat" Hardesty
- Renegades as Levin
- The Bachelors as Bill Palet
- Counterpart as Howard Silk
- No Activity as Leo
- I'm Not Here as Steve
- The Snowman as Arve Støp
- The Black Ghiandola as Ralph Aceto
- Father Figures as Ronald Hunt
- Robert Kirkman's Secret History of Comics as Self
- All Nighter as Mr. Gallo
2016
- Zootopia as Mayor Lionheart (voice)
- Goliath as George Zax
- La La Land as Bill
- Kung Fu Panda 3 as Kai (voice)
- The Accountant as Ray King
- Rock Dog as Khampa (voice)
- The Meddler as Randall Zipper
- The Late Bloomer as James Newmans
- Patriots Day as Sgt. Jeffrey Pugliese
2015
- Terminator Genisys as O'Brien
- Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter as Self
- Worlds Apart as Sebastian
- Major Lazer as President Whitewall (voice)
- O.W.C.A. Files as Napoleon / Additional Voices (voice)
- What Lives Inside as Benjamin 'Pops' Delaney
2014
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon as Self
- BoJack Horseman as Lenny Turtletaub (voice)
- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver as Voice Over (voice)
- Whiplash as Fletcher
- Variety Studio: Actors on Actors as Self
- Break Point as Jack
- Barefoot as Dr. Bertleman
- Ava & Lala as General Tiger (voice)
- Men, Women & Children as Allison's Dad
- Murder of a Cat as Sheriff Frank Hoyle
- Growing Up Fisher as Mel Fisher
- The Boxcar Children as Dr. Moore (voice)
- The Rewrite as Dr. Hal Lerner
- Wild Hawaii as Narrator (voice)
2013
- Brooklyn Nine-Nine as Frank Dillman
- 3 Geezers! as J. Kimball
- Labor Day as Mr. Jervis
- Jobs as Arthur Rock
- Dark Skies as Edwin Pollard
- LEGO MARVEL Super Heroes: Maximum Overload as J. Jonah Jameson (voice)
- Family Tools as Tony Shea
- Whiplash as Fletcher
- The Magic Bracelet as The Shaman
- The Heeler as Roscoe
2012
- Gravity Falls as Stanford Pines (voice)
- The Legend of Korra as Tenzin (voice)
- Contraband as Captain Camp
- The Words as Mr. Jansen
- Marvel's Ultimate Spider-Man as J. Jonah Jameson (voice)
- Men At Work as P.J. Jordan
- Best Friends Forever as Don
2011
- NTSF:SD:SUV:: as Frank Forrest
- The Good Doctor as Detective Krauss
- Ben 10 - Generator Rex: Heroes United as White Knight (voice)
- Young Adult as Mavis' Publisher (voice) (uncredited)
- Blackstone as Detective Burke
- The Music Never Stopped as Henry Sawyer
- Desert Car Kings as Himself - Narrator
2010
- Ben 10: Ultimate Alien as Magister Gilhil / Plumber (voice)
- Megamind as Warden (voice)
- True Grit as J. Noble Daggett (voice) (uncredited)
- Raising Hope as Bruce Chance
- The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes as J. Jonah Jameson (voice)
- The Talk as Self - Guest
- Pound Puppies as Lt. Rock (voice)
- 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)
- Jennifer's Body as Mr. Wroblewski
- Extract as Brian
- Party Down as Leonard Stiltskin
- Aliens in the Attic as Skip (voice)
- Red Sands as Lt. Col. Arson
- I Love You, Man as Oswald Klaven
- New in Town as Stu Kopenhafer
- Post Grad as Roy Davies
- The Way of War as Sergeant Mitchell
- Up in the Air as Bob
- 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
- Rendition as Lee Mayer
- Postal as Candidate Welles
- Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee as James McLaughlin
- The Astronaut Farmer as Jacobson
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
- Hidalgo as Buffalo Bill Cody
- The Ladykillers as Garth Pancake
- Jack & Bobby
- The Jury
- Broadway's Lost Treasures II as Benny Southstreet (segment "Guys & Dolls")
- 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story as Ralph Earnhardt
- Spider-Man 2: Making the Amazing as Self
- The D.A. as Dep. Dist. Atty. Joe Carter
2003
- Nip/Tuck as Ike Connors
- Arrested Development as General Anderson
- Disposal as Older Hunter
- Path to War as CIA Briefer
- Off the Map as George
2002
- Without a Trace as Mark Wilson
- Spider-Man as J. Jonah Jameson
- Kim Possible as Martin Smarty (voice)
- Everwood as Phil Drebbles
- John Doe as Lucas Doya
2001
- Law & Order: Criminal Intent as Emil Skoda
- The Mexican as Ted Slocum
- 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
- Above Freezing as Hoyd
- Celebrity as Souvenir Hawker
- Crossing Fields as Guy
1997
- Oz as Vernon Schillinger
- The Jackal as FBI Agent T. I. Witherspoon
- Anastasia as Ensemble and Character Vocals (voice)
- Face Down as Herb Aames
- Love Walked In as Mr. Shulman
1996
- Spin City as Kevin
- The First Wives Club as Federal Marshall
- Extreme Measures as Dr. Mingus
- Remember WENN as 'Captain Amazon'
1995
1994
- ER as Gus Loomer
- The Ref as Siskel
- New York Undercover
- The Scout as Assistant Coach
1993
- Homicide: Life on the Street as Alexander Rausch
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