Yesterday, Jonathan Kimble Simmons celebrated his 70th birthday. Long before J.K. Rowling, Simmons had already abbreviated his name to J.K. He won an Academy Award a decade ago for his portrayal of the sadistic jazz instructor in Whiplash, a role perfectly suited to him, given that he earned a music degree in his youth. Simmons' career took off relatively late, but the HBO crime series Oz (1997–2003) proved to be his breakthrough. By then, moviegoers had already seen him in films like The First Wives Club, The Jackal, and The Cider House Rules. In 2002, he delivered an iconic performance as J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man.
Simmons reprised the role of the Daily Bugle editor-in-chief in the subsequent films of the Tobey Maguire-led trilogy. His character was even brought into the MCU, despite being originally created by Stan Lee. Interestingly, Lee admitted to being envious of Simmons, as he had modeled Jameson after himself and wanted to play the character in Sam Raimi’s first live-action Spider-Man film. “I hadn’t met Stan before, and I didn’t realize what was so obvious to those more perceptive than me—that JJJ is essentially Stan’s comic book alter ego. Back then, he told me he was a little jealous because nobody even asked him if he wanted to play the role,” Simmons recalled in an interview with GQ last year.
The character of the journalist obsessed with unmasking Spider-Man first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #1 in 1963, written by Lee and illustrated by Steve Ditko. Although Lee, who passed away in 2018, made cameo appearances in all of Raimi’s Spider-Man films, the director preferred to cast a more seasoned actor to play Jameson. Hugh Laurie, Michael Keaton, and Bill Paxton were also considered for the role, but Simmons eventually landed it. Despite his initial envy, Lee was thoroughly pleased with Simmons' portrayal.
According to Simmons, Lee later told him he thought he was fantastic in the role. “That was incredibly kind, and coming from him, it was obviously a tremendous compliment,” Simmons said. Over a decade after the original Spider-Man trilogy, Simmons returned as Jameson in the MCU’s Spider-Man: Far From Home mid-credit scene (this time without the wig), then reprised the role in No Way Home, and also voiced the character in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Simmons’ distinctive deep voice has been featured in numerous animated works in recent years. He voiced Omni-Man in Invincible, the titular character in Klaus, and even provided the voice of the yellow M&M in English-language commercials during the 1990s. Most recently, Simmons appeared as Santa Claus in Dwayne Johnson’s holiday action-comedy Red One, and in Clint Eastwood’s latest film, Juror #2.
Here’s hoping J.K. Simmons continues to grace us with many more unforgettable performances in the years to come. Happy Birthday to a true legend!
