J.K. SimmonsACTOR

Academy Award-winning actor JK Simmons visited students in LA in 2015. Known for a variety of intense roles such as Vern Schillinger on HBO’s Oz, the Michigan native discussed his craft and life before being acclaimed actor. He studied music in college joking, “I thought I was going to be Leonard Bernstein when I grew up, but I took a few left turns… It was just all meant to be.” During his visit to NYFA, the audience enjoyed a screening of Whiplash, a film in which Simmons fittingly plays a music instructor.