12:14PM, Mar 04, 2009
The actor is best known for the role of acerbic newspaper editor J Jonah Jameson in all three Spider-Man movies.
However, he is also a well-respected TV actor with stints as police psychiatrist Dr Emil Skoda in Law & Order and as sadistic Vernon Schillinger in the prison drama Oz.
"I always have to find a place where my character's coming from - whether I agree with it or not - that makes logical sense to me."
The son of an administrator and college professor, Simmons has a brother David (a singer and songwriter) and a sister, Elizabeth.
He attended the University of Montana and originally planned to be a composer before pursuing an acting career as a member of the Seattle Repertory Theatre.
Prior to his film and TV career, Simmons spent years as a Broadway actor and singer, includng the revival of Guys and Dolls in which he played Benny Southstreet.
He also played the role of Jigger in a revival of Carousel at the Houston Grand Opera.
He made his big screen debut in director Ted Demme's 1994 crime caper The Ref alongside Kevin Spacey and Denis Leary.
Subsequent minor appearances included the sports drama The Scout, chick flick The First Wives Club and the Michael Apted thriller Exteme Measures with Hugh Grant.
In 1997, he played an FBI agent in The Jackal and also appeared in the largely overlooked Woody Allen comedy Celebrity.
Simmons starred in the drama The Cider House Rules and, after stints on Saturday Night Live as neo-Nazi Vern Schillinger, landed roles in The Mexican and the Sam Raimi thriller The Gift.
In 2000, he joined the cast of Law & Order and two years later Raimi cast him as J Johan Johnson in the first Spider-Man film alongside Tobey Maguire.
Subsequent appearances included TV's Oz and ER as well as Hidalgo, the Coen Brothers remake of The Ladykillers and the sequel Spider-Man 2.
In 2005, he appeared in the thriller Harsh Times and reprised his Spider-Man role for a third time in 2007.
He also starred as Ralph Earnhardt, the father of famous race-car driver Dale Earnhardt, in 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story.
Less well known is that Simmons provided the voice of the yellow M&M in the product's commercials as well as the voice of General Wade Eiling in Justice League Unlimited.
Recent work includes the role of an understanding father in the critically-acclaimed comedy-drama Juno, and the Coen comedy, Burn After Reading.
