His latest film, Whiplash, hits cinemas in the new year and the words 'Oscar' are being heard after his name.
JK Simmons, who people may better known as J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man or (gulp) Vern Schillinger in TV's OZ, has slowly built a career of solid performances.
The veteran actor has signed on to star alongside Tom Hiddleston in what's dubbed as a prequel to King Kong.
Set on the fictitious Skull Island, Hiddelston and Simmons will battle dinosaurs and a giant ape in the upcoming blockbuster.
Simmons, as mentioned, has been fantastic in whatever he's turned his hand to - so it's great to see him step out and into the limelight with more mainstream fare like this.
Skull Island is due in cinemas in 2017.