Ty Simpkins

Born on August 6, 2001, in New York City, Ty Keegan Simpkins began his acting career as an infant, first appearing on the soap opera ‘One Life to Live’ at three weeks old. He later held a recurring role as Jude Cooper Bauer on ‘Guiding Light’ for approximately four years. His feature film debut came in 2005 with Steven Spielberg’s ‘War of the Worlds,’ where he appeared alongside Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning. Simpkins continued to build his profile with roles in ‘Little Children’ (2006) and ‘Pride and Glory’ (2008), where he co-starred with his sister, Ryan Simpkins. He also featured in ‘Revolutionary Road’ (2008) and the psychological horror film ‘Insidious’ (2010), a role he would reprise in its sequels.

Simpkins achieved broader recognition for his roles in major studio productions. In 2013, he starred as Harley Keener, a sidekick to Tony Stark, in Marvel’s ‘Iron Man 3,’ a film that became one of the highest-grossing superhero movies. He reprised this role with a cameo in ‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019). The same year as ‘Iron Man 3,’ he returned for ‘Insidious: Chapter 2’ and later for ‘Insidious: The Red Door’ (2023). A pivotal point in his career was his lead role as Gray Mitchell in Universal’s ‘Jurassic World’ (2015), a film that grossed over one billion dollars worldwide. His work also includes independent projects such as ‘Meadowland’ (2015), which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, and ‘The Whale’ (2022), an Oscar-winning film by Darren Aronofsky, where he played a Christian missionary named Thomas.

Throughout his career, Simpkins has accumulated a diverse filmography, working with notable directors such as James Wan, Shane Black, and Colin Trevorrow. He has also lent his voice to video games like ‘Lego Jurassic World’ (2015) and ‘Lego Dimensions’ (2015). Demonstrating his range beyond film, Simpkins has performed in theater productions, including ‘Cabaret’ (2018) and ‘Annie’ (2019). His consistent work in both critically acclaimed and commercially successful projects highlights his enduring presence in the entertainment industry from a young age.