Singing Telegram and Yellow M&M's: 10 Facts about J.K. Simmons (11 Photos)

J.K. Simmons is one of the most prolific and celebrated American actors of his generation. Simmons has already played more than 200 roles, many of which have become cult roles.





Intentionally took a shortened name



J.K. Simmons is one of several stars whose full name not every fan will remember, so well-established is the shortened version with initials. This is the result of a conscious decision the actor made when registering with acting guilds.

The fact is that all other variations of Simmons' full name have already been assigned to other people. The actor himself likes to remind that he became “JK” long before J.K. Rowling, the creator of the Harry Potter series.

JK Simmons' real name is Jonathan Kimble Simmons. Moreover, Kimble is also his mother's maiden name.

Retired from football due to health problems





Simmons spent his teenage years in Ohio, where he played for a local American football team for several years. However, he soon had to look for another hobby and change his social circle - all because of problems with his knees.

“I went from an athlete to a hippie. It was a very clear decision: you had to choose one or the other. I had to give up my passion for sports. Well, or it seemed to me that there was no other way - then it was quite sad. Soon I found myself in the middle of the forest with hippies who were listening and swaying to relaxed music.”

He is literate in music, but barely knows how to play an instrument.



Simmons received his undergraduate music education from Montana State University. He studied vocals, composing and conducting. Later, he abandoned the music field for acting. At the same time, J.K. never mastered any instrument at a level sufficient to perform complex melodies.

“I didn’t play anything meaningful. I was a singer, composer and conductor. I played Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on every instrument in the orchestra, but none of them were good. Both of my children play the piano much better than me.”

Received almost fifty awards for one role



However, Simmons' musical background did come in handy much later, when he played the role of a perfectionist conductor in the 2014 drama Whiplash.

A memorable and extremely emotional work brought J. K. Simmons as many as 47 professional awards, including his first personal Oscar.

He had a very strange part-time job



Before starting his acting career, Simmons, like many current stars, sometimes made a living in very unusual ways. For some time he worked for a company that dealt with “singing telegrams.”

Simmons received the address, took a few balloons and arrived at the addressee dressed in a tutu. Then he sang the text of the telegram in falsetto and left.

Almost went to Hollywood naked



JK Simmons may have originally appeared on the big screen in the 1987 film Wall Street. Although he only got a non-speaking cameo, Jonathan would definitely be remembered: he was to play "a naked or jock-clad man" in the locker room scene.

Unfortunately or fortunately, this never happened. The fact is that at the time the filming of the film began, Simmons was busy in a theatrical production in another city - he had to abandon the second project.

He made his debut only at the age of 40



When Simmons' first film, Hostage Beware, was released in 1994, the actor was over 39 years old. And even such a late start did not prevent J.K. from becoming one of the biggest names in modern Hollywood.

The actor spent the previous decades mainly on the theater stage. After performing in several regional and mid-tier productions, Simmons performed on Broadway in Peter Pan, Guys and Dolls and Laughter on the 23rd Floor. Only after consolidating his success in cinema and having children, the actor ended the theatrical chapter of his career.

He has been voicing the famous sweet for almost 20 years



J.K. Simmons' portfolio, of course, is not limited to roles in films and TV series. In addition, he voiced many characters, including in various English-language commercials.

Simmons' major contribution to merchandise was his 20-year association with Mars Incorporated, with J.K. voicing Yellow M&M since 1996.

He was almost killed by a camera once



Simmons' breakthrough role is considered to be the role of a peculiar antagonist in the series "OZ Prison", where he played for all six seasons. At the same time, getting used to the image of a disgusting person was not only gruelingly difficult, but also deadly - all because of one incident on the set.

“Once on the set of OZ, a piece of camera shrapnel pierced my head - I passed out, bleeding, while the crew medic stood over me in a panic ... I was taken away in an ambulance, after which they gave me nine stitches on my head - right in the spirit Frankenstein. When I returned to the set, they filmed me all day from the other side.”

The actor's voice is well known to gamers



Part of J.K. Simmons' career involves voicing various video game characters.

In 2005, the actor lent his voice to journalist Jonah Jameson in the game Spider-Man 2: The Video Game - all because he also played this role in the original film trilogy. In 2008, Simmons played the fictional American President Howard T. Ackerman in the strategy game Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3. In addition, the actor voiced one of the characters in the cult puzzle game Portal 2.