Timothy Simons
The actor and comedian Timothy Charles Simons was born on 12th June, 1978 in Readfield, Maine, USA and is best-known for his portrayal of Jonah Ryan on “Veep”, for which he previously won a Screen Actors Guild Award. Other acting jobs include minor roles in “Christine”, “The Interview”, and “The Boss”.
Timothy was raised in Readfield and matriculated from Maranacook Community High School in 1996. Five years later, he graduated from the University of Maine. The comedian shares two children with his wife, Annie Simons.
Career
Timothy’s acting career began in 2010 when he played a bartender in the movie “Days Together”. A combination of luck and talent ensured that his second project, a recurring role as Jonah Ryan in “Veep”, would catapult him from unknown actor to household name in just two years. However, that’s not to say that the comedian turned down other projects to focus on the political series, as he appeared in dozens of films and series during the seven years that he portrayed Jonah on the small screen.
In 2012, Timothy also made a minor appearance in an episode of “Best Friends Forever”. The next year, he played Dayton in “Beneath the Harvest Sky”. 2014 saw him portray Marx in “Draft Day”, Agent Borderline in “Inherent Vice”, and Malcolm in “The Interview”; although none of these projects were as successful as “Veep”, they helped Timothy explore different genres and demonstrate his artistic range.
In 2015, he did voiceover work in two episodes of “Stone Quackers” and had a couple of minor film roles. The next year was slightly busier as he played Steve Turner in “Christine” and Stephan in “The Boss”, alongside a minor role as a butler in “Flock of Dudes”. From 2018 to the present day, Timothy has explored a plethora of genres, had recurring voiceover roles in “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “Rugrats”, and worked with important names in the entertainment industry, proving his versatility when it comes to acting.
“Veep”
The political satire comedy series “Veep” aired on HBO from April 2012 to May 2019. The show was created by Armando Iannucci and stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer, a fictional Vice President of the United States. Amongst other accolades, the critically acclaimed series has won three Primetime Emmy Awards and a Television Critics Association Award.
Julia’s stellar performance as Selina Meyer also earned her six consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards, five consecutive Golden Globe nominations, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards. Meanwhile, Tony Hale, who played Selina’s personal aide, won two Primetime Emmy Awards, once in 2013 and again two years later.
Selina’s political career and personal life are the focuses of the show as she eventually ascends from Vice President to President of the United States after years of hard work. In season one, Selina – a former United States senator – campaigned in the 2012 presidential election and lost out to rival Stuart Hughes despite initially being the frontrunner. After joining the Hughes ticket, Selina is elected vice president and has a host of new staff: chief of staff Amy Brookheimer, director of communications Mike McLintock, personal secretary Sue Wilson, and deputy director of communications Dan Egan.
Although Selina is often ignored by Stuart, in season two she is influential and powerful enough to consider challenging him for their party’s nomination in the 2016 election. In an unexpected turn of events, Stuart resigns due to his wife’s mental health issues, making Selina the president. At the end of season three, Selina begins her presidential campaign and gets used to her new role, both of which are undermined by a string of embarrassing scandals.
Following the 2016 elections, a contingent election is called in the House of Representatives after Selina and her challenger Bill O’Brien tie. However, the House vote and Senate votes also end in ties. Andrew Doyle, Selina’s disgruntled Vice President, casts the tiebreaking vote for Bill’s running mate Laura Montez, which leads to the latter becoming president.
During season six, Selina is out of office for the first time in the show and decides to set up a foundation, write her memoirs, and establish a presidential library. Undeterred, she also attempts to run for president in the 2020 elections which take place during season seven. Selina’s personal life and her strained relationships with her daughter and ex-husband are also explored.
Jonah Ryan
Jonah Ryan was born in Canada but grew up in New Hampshire, raised by his single mother Nancy Ryan. Nancy fled to Canada when Ryan was born to avoid being ostracized by her family, who were shocked that she had become pregnant by her second cousin, Lloyd Hennick. Jonah graduated from Granite State College in 2007 with a degree in computer repair and public service management; six years later, he became an intern of the Hughes administration.
Initially, Ryan worked as the White House liaison between the vice president’s office and the West Wing. It was soon revealed that he was disliked by everyone in the West Wing and in Selina Meyer’s office due to him being such a repellent character. In September 2013, Stuart Hughes became ill in Africa and was temporarily incapacitated; fearing that Selina might become his boss, Ryan began acting respectful towards her.
Eventually, Ryan began attending important events with Selina, such as a North Carolina pig roast and her daughter’s 21st birthday party. He also offered to help out during her campaign when she revealed that she would be running for president in the 2016 elections.
In 2015, Ryan created a political gossip blog entitled “West Wing Man”, through which he shared tidbits of information about his job in the Hughes administration. He was fired from the West Wing after leaking the news that George Maddox, one of the main characters, would be resigning from his position.
A few months later, Ryan launched Ryantology, his own news site which he used to criticize Stuart and Selina and their vague political stances. Despite being invited on talk shows, he was threatened to not say a word about the Vice President’s office and declined the offer. In October 2015, he was invited to Selina’s campaign launch as a member of the press.
Ryan sabotaged Selina’s campaign to the best of his abilities from then on, deliberately orchestrating awkward incidents and causing one of her campaign managers to resign. When Selina became president in January 2016, Ryan was invited to return in exchange for his silence, given that he had seen and was aware of a lot more than he let on.
After returning to his old job as White House liaison, Ryan was sexually harassed by Teddy Sykes, Vice President Andrew Doyle’s Chief of Staff. Teddy was fired at the 2016 National Convention; when his abuse was revealed, Ryan used his position to advocate for male victims of sexual assault.
A few months after the Meyer-Ryan ticket won against Laura Montez in the 2020 elections, Jonah began his tenure as vice president. Echoing the treatment she had suffered from Stuart Hughes, Selina prevented Ryan’s access to the Oval Office, also choosing Amy Brookheimer to work as his Chief of Staff and trying to make his life difficult by any means. Jonah was eventually impeached and either removed or resigned from office.
2023
Timothy will, arguably, always be known for his role as the loathsome Jonah Ryan. Nevertheless, that hasn’t stopped the comedian from pursuing other projects. One of his most recent shows was “Candy”, a Hulu series starring Jessica Biel which was made available on the streaming platform in spring 2022. Since then, things have been quiet on the work front for the actor.
One of Timothy’s latest Instagram posts was in support of SAG-AFTRA’s strike authorization vote. SAG-AFTRA is an American labor union that represents over 160,000 media professionals such as journalists, actors, singers, and influencers; although the labor union has denied that it is planning to go on strike just yet, Hollywood bigshots are fearing the catastrophic consequences a strike could bring – especially taking into account that the Writers Guild of America has been on strike since May 2023.
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