Razor

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Lore & Background

Simmons achieved international fame with his role as J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy (2002–2007), a role he reprised in various Marvel media unrelated to the Raimi trilogy, including multiple animated titles and the Marvel Cinematic Universe films. He has appeared in numerous supporting roles in films such as The Cider House Rules (1999), Thank You for Smoking (2005), Juno (2007), Burn After Reading (2008), Up in the Air (2009), Jennifer's Body (2009), La La Land (2016), Justice League (2017), Palm Springs (2020), and Juror No. 2 (2024). He played two different interpretations of Santa Claus in Klaus (2019) and Red One (2024). On television, he rose to prominence for playing white supremacist prisoner Vernon Schillinger on the HBO series Oz (1997–2003), the recurring role of Dr. Emil Skoda on the NBC series Law & Order (1997–2010), Assistant Police Chief Will Pope on the TNT series The Closer (2005–2012), and Howard Silk in the Starz series Counterpart (2017–2019).

In Their Own Story

Simmons was born on January 9, 1955, in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, to Patricia (née Kimble; 1929–2014), an administrator, and Donald William Simmons (1928–2012), a music teacher at Parcells Middle School. One of three children, Simmons attended Ferry Elementary School in Grosse Pointe Woods. In 1965, when he was 10 years old, his family moved to Worthington, Ohio. From 1970 to 1972, he attended Worthington High School, where he participated in drama, football and choir. In 1973, when he was 18, they moved to Missoula, Montana, where his father became director of the School of Music at the University of Montana. Simmons graduated from the University of Montana in 1978 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in music. During college, he became a member of the music-oriented fraternity Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. Simmons appeared at the Bigfork Summer Playhouse in Bigfork, Montana, in various roles from 1977 to 1982. Later, he moved to Seattle and became a member of the Seattle Repertory Theatre, where he met his best friend Michael Smith. Simmons eventually landed his first role on Broadway in 1992.

Reader's Guide

On Broadway, Simmons played Benny Southstreet in the 1992 revival of Guys and Dolls. In 1994, he sang multiple roles in the Wagner opera satire Das Barbecü. He also played the role of Jigger in a revival of Carousel with the Houston Grand Opera and starred in the 1987 Off-Broadway musical Birds of Paradise. During his time on Broadway, Simmons also played Captain Hook in Peter Pan (1991–1992). As a voice actor, he has played the Yellow M&M in commercials since 1996, Cave Johnson in the video game Portal 2 (2011), White Knight in Generator Rex (2010–2013), 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), Martin Smarty in Kim Possible (2002–2007), Nolan Grayson / Omni-Man in Invincible (2021–present) and Mortal Kombat 1 (2023), and General Ketheric Thorm in the video game Baldur's Gate 3 (2023).

Did You Know?

• Simmons won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing Terence Fletcher in Whiplash (2014).
• He played J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy (2002–2007) and reprised the role in multiple Marvel media unrelated to the Raimi trilogy.
• Simmons has been the voice of the Yellow M&M in commercials since 1996, replacing John Goodman.
• He played two different interpretations of Santa Claus in Klaus (2019) and Red One (2024).
• Simmons graduated from the University of Montana in 1978 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in music.