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J. K. SimmonsAmerican actor
Date of Birth: 09.01.1955
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Jonathan Kimble Simmons
Childhood and YouthThe biography of future movie star Jonathan Kimble Simmons began on January 9, 1955, in Gross Pointe, Michigan. Jonathan was born into a family of music teacher Donald Simmons and administrator Patricia Kimble. He was raised alongside his sister Elizabeth and brother David. As for his heritage, the actor has a rich mix of English, Scottish-Irish, Northern Irish, German, and Welsh roots. After graduating from high school, Jonathan attended the University of Montana, where he studied composition. He also attended Ohio State University and worked in the theater, participating in productions such as "Guys and Dolls," "Peter Pan," and the Broadway musical "Carousel."
Films
Jonathan began his long career on television in the late 1980s, appearing in family comedies and dramas. Interestingly, in 1994, the aspiring actor was involved in voice acting, lending his voice to the character of Yellow in M&M's commercials. Jonathan's rise in the film industry continued with small roles in feature films such as "The First Wives Club" with Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton, "Extreme Measures" with Hugh Grant and Gene Hackman, and an episode in the action film "The Jackal," where he observed Bruce Willis and Richard Gere at work. He reunited with Gere in the film "Autumn in New York." The actor gained recognition for his role as Dr. Emil Skoda, a police psychiatrist, in the detective series "Law & Order." Initially, Simmons appeared as a guest in the series, portraying a fanatical psychopath in a crossover episode, and then was taken on as a regular cast member. In 2001, he starred alongside Brad Pitt in the action film "The Mexican," and a year later, he became part of the cult franchise about Spider-Man. In the superhero film, Simmons played J. Jonah Jameson, the tyrannical editor of the newspaper where Peter Parker, played by Tobey Maguire, works. It is worth mentioning that Jonathan had previously worked with Tobey in the film "The Gift," so the duo had good chemistry. Simmons then added significant film projects to his repertoire, playing a neo-Nazi prisoner in HBO's drama series "Oz." The film directed by Adam Bernstein was well received by critics and received two Emmy nominations. In 2004, the actor's filmography expanded with his participation in the sequel to "Spider-Man" and a role in the Coen brothers' crime comedy "The Ladykillers." In the following years, Jonathan mainly worked on projects directed by Jason Reitman, some of which were nominated for Oscars ("Thank You for Smoking," "Juno," "Up in the Air," "Labor Day"), and he also appeared as J. Jonah Jameson in the Spider-Man franchise sequel and voiced the animated series "The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes" and "Avengers Assemble." His breakthrough in his film career came with the role of a cruel orchestral conductor in director Damien Chazelle's psychological drama "Whiplash." The American actor's work earned him prestigious awards and rave reviews. He won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and also received a BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award, not to mention a dozen nominations. The film is partially based on the director's personal experience of encountering the tyranny of an orchestra conductor during high school. Interestingly, the filming of the movie was conducted in an atmosphere of complete obsession. Miles Teller, who portrayed the drummer subjected to pressure from an aggressive teacher, even drummed his hands until they bled during grueling shooting sessions, which resulted in real blood in the scenes. Additionally, Jonathan slapped Miles for greater realism, and this made it into the final cut during the editing process. However, Miles returned the favor and accidentally injured Jonathan's ribs. Later, Jonathan successfully found his niche, playing PJ Jordan in the series "Men of a Certain Age," Mel Fisher in "Growing Up Fisher," and Tenzin in "The Legend of Korra." In 2015-2016, the actor was regularly involved in voicing animated films. He voiced the villain Kai in "Kung Fu Panda 3," Lion in "Zootopia," and Stanford Pines in "Gravity Falls." In addition, Damien Chazelle wanted to work with Simmons again and invited him to star in the musical "La La Land." The film subsequently received numerous awards, including 14 Oscar nominations, following in the footsteps of "Titanic" and "All About Eve." The actor did not stay away from the DC universe either and was involved in the role of Commissioner James Gordon in "Justice League." Jonathan found himself on the set with star colleagues George Clooney, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, and Jason Momoa. After "Justice League," Simmons returned to Marvel, where he once again took on the familiar role of J. Jonah Jameson in the reboot of the "Spider-Man" franchise in "Spider-Man: Far From Home."
Personal Life
Jonathan Simmons is happily married to Michelle Shumacher. He met his future wife during performances of the play "Peter Pan." The couple exchanged vows in 1996, and three years later, Michelle gave birth to their first child, son Joe. Three years after that, their daughter Olivia joined the family. Their children are now grown, and the movie star is regularly seen with his loving family on red carpets. It is also known that the actor speaks German fluently and enjoys playing baseball and poker during his leisure time. Jonathan's height is 180 cm.
Jonathan Simmons Now
In 2021, Jonathan Kimble Simmons appeared in a number of major projects. In the summer, the worldwide premiere of the sci-fi action film "The Tomorrow War" took place, where Jonathan played a key role alongside Chris Pratt. The film had a budget of $200 million but did not recover half of it in the global box office. In the fall, the remake of Jason Reitman's "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" was released, where the actor portrayed the character of Ivo Shandor. The film also featured Paul Rudd, Bill Murray, Finn Wolfhard, and others. On December 15, the highly anticipated sequel to the superhero saga, "Spider-Man: No Way Home," directed by Jon Watts, was released in theaters. The brilliant cast, including Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Willem Dafoe, and Alfred Molina, was joined by Simmons. The film quadrupled its budget in the first week of worldwide release and received positive reviews from audiences.
