Overview (3)

Mini Bio (1)

Spouse (1)

Michelle Schumacher (1996 - present) ( 2 children)

Trade Mark (6)

Often plays leaders and authority figures



Often plays fathers and family men



The role of J. Jonah Jameson, Peter Parker/Spider-Man's hot-tempered boss.



Low-pitched, rolling voice



Often plays sharp-tongued and short-tempered men who intimidate other characters



Sharp, barking style



Trivia (27)

He is the father of two children. He has a sister, Elizabeth Simmons O'Neill, and a brother, David.





Is the voice of the yellow peanut M&M on the commercials since the late 1990s, replacing John Goodman after the original 1995 commercials. In 2000, a video game was produced, M&M's: The Lost Formulas (2000), in which he portrayed Yellow Peanut.

Does voice-over work for Norelco razors.



Attended and graduated from the University of Montana. Received an Achievement Award for the university in April 2002. Studied to become a composer before getting to musicals and acting.



Attended the Ohio State University while residing in Worthington, Ohio. Still remains a huge fan of Ohio State sports today.





Played the manager of his hometown pro baseball team, the Detroit Tigers, in Aus Liebe zum Spiel (1999).

Wore a wig to play J. Jonah Jameson in the Spider-Man films.





Met his wife, Michelle Schumacher , during a tour of "Peter Pan".



Has been in most of the feature films of Jason Reitman



Breakthrough role was as Vern Schillinger in HBO's first hour-long drama, the critically-acclaimed prison series Oz - Hölle hinter Gittern (1997).

Attended the Critics' Choice Awards ceremony, and was interviewed by Canadian news show "E Talk" (2002). [January 2008]



In the well-known and very long-running television commercials for Farmer's Insurance, he portrays a professor at the seemingly fictional Farmer's University, which has labs or classrooms which teach students about disasters, accidents, and more. However, according to the Farmer's Insurance website: "If you become an agent, you'll find out firsthand: The University of Farmers is, in fact, a real place. Our award-winning training program focuses on the Four Business Basics: Sales, Marketing, Operations, and Financial Management. Our non-traditional insurance courses are what set us apart, including a car rotisserie and an all-weather model home.".





The name of his Farmer's Insurance television commercials character is Professor Nathaniel Burke, which was not spoken, but seen on the nameplate on his desk. This is also the name of the freight agent on Rauchende Colts (1955) (played by Ted Jordan ), though whether this is intentional isn't clear.

Fluent in German. He learned it as part of his musical education. However, he has said that he is better at understanding than speaking it.



Aside from acting, his hobbies include baseball and poker.



He was hospitalized because of a kidney stone after his role in New in Town, for which he gained 40+ pounds.





Has played alongside actress Kyra Sedgwick as Asst. Police Chief Will Pope on the very successful television series The Closer (2005). Has appeared in every episode of the series' seven-year run.

Is a member of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia fraternity. He pledged the Delta Theta Chapter while attending the University of Montana (1975).



Has English, as well as Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, German and Welsh ancestry.



Personal Quotes (11)

[on his career] If I had any other talent or salable commodity I probably would have gone into it. I mean, aside from the modelling, yeah.





I never listened to the Grateful Dead as a teen; the only exposure I got was what came through the walls when my sister was listening to them.

I'm not a fan of any genre but am a fan of movies that are intelligent and/or funny. That goes across all genres: a horror movie, a zombie movie, alien invaders, chick flick, or raunchy comedy. If it's well done, I'm a fan.



I like to act. Every other aspect of show business I find uninteresting.



People evolve and it's important to not stop evolving just because you've reached 'adulthood'.



The best compliment I ever got from the public or producers or directors is that I just totally blend in and become the character and they don't notice me and that the play happens or the movie happens or the television show happens.



I actually have a degree in music and was aware that music was a tool used in therapy. I didn't realize how far it had come since I was in college in the mid-seventies.



I was not a giant comic book fan as a kid, but to the extent that I did read comics, Spider-Man was always my favorite guy.





[on winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for Whiplash (2014)] Wow, thank you. Thank you to the Academy. Thank you to everyone involved in the making of Whiplash (2014). And I am grateful everyday for the most remarkable person I know: my wife, the wonderful Michelle Schumacher . I'm grateful for your love, your kindness, your wisdom, your sacrifice and your patience. Which brings me to the above-average children-even though I may try their patience more. Joe and Olivia, you are extraordinary human beings. Smart, funny, kind, loving people and that's because you are a reflection of your mother. And if I may, call your mom, everybody. I've told this to, like, a billion people, or so. Call your mom, call your dad. If you're lucky enough to have a parent or two alive on this planet, call 'em. Don't text. Don't email. Call them on the phone. Tell 'em you love 'em, and thank them, and listen to them for as long as they want to talk to you. Thank you. Thank you, Mom and Dad.

To me that kind of just means, he's not as good-looking as George Clooney. He's not number one on the call sheet, and he's not the leading man. It is [...] superfluous in a way.



You know, my general philosophy of playing bad guys, which I've sort of done, you know, half the time is, you know, very few people who we view as bad guys get out of bed and think what evil, terrible thing am I going to do today? Most people see their motivations as justified - as, you know, justifying whatever they do. And that's what I try to go with.

