Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor

2014

J. K. Simmons 

as

Terence Fletcher

Whiplash

Jonathan Kimble "J. K." Simmons (born January 9, 1955) is an American actor and voice artist. He is known for the television roles of Dr. Emil Skoda on the NBC series Law & Order (and other Law & Order franchise series), neo-Nazi Vernon Schillinger on the HBO prison-drama Oz, and Assistant Police Chief Will Pope on TNT's The Closer; the film roles of J. Jonah Jameson in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy, and music instructor Terence Fletcher in 2014's Whiplash. He is also known for the voicing Cave Johnson in the 2011 puzzle game Portal 2, Lenny Turteltaub in BoJack Horseman, The Warden in Megamind, Kai in Kung Fu Panda 3, Stanford Pines in Gravity Falls, and Tenzin in The Legend of Korra. Simmons also reprises his role as J. Jonah Jameson in various Marvel animated series and video games. He has also appeared in a series of television commercials for Farmers Insurance.

Simmons' performance in Whiplash received universal acclaim and earned him more than thirty accolades, including the Academy Award, the Golden Globe Award, and BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor.