“Walking Dead: Dead City”’s Jimmi Simpson Reveals the Sweet Story Behind His Name’s Unique Spelling (Exclusive)
“Walking Dead: Dead City”’s Jimmi Simpson Reveals the Sweet Story Behind His Name’s Unique Spelling (Exclusive)
Kirsten AcunaSat, September 5, 2026 at 12:00 PM UTC
0
Jimmi Simpson (in 2024) recalls why he spells his first name with an “i.”Credit: Jon Kopaloff/Getty -
Jimmi Simpson reveals he adopted his unique name spelling to honor his grandmother
He chose the spelling after discovering his preferred name was already taken by another actor
“I’m actually really, really glad that I just made that choice in that moment,” Simpson tells PEOPLE
Jimmi Simpson is opening up about the story behind the unique spelling of his name.
“My sweet grandmother, Lillian, from Sedona, [Ariz.] would always write my cards, J-I-M-M-I,” the Dark Matterstar, 50, tells PEOPLE. “It was in remembrance of her that I took that spelling.”
The New Jersey native says he went by other names growing up before adopting Jimmi when he started his acting career.
“In high school, a lot of people referred to me as Jim. It was mostly girls who would call me Jimmy,” the Walking Dead: Dead Citystar says.
The change to Jimmi came unexpectedly after he went to Flat Rock Playhouse in North Carolina to pursue theater acting.
He hit a small snag when he tried to join Actors’ Equity, the union that represents performers and stage managers, under his preferred name.
“I signed up for Equity, and Jim Simpson was already taken,” Simpson recalls, referencing Sigourney Weaver’s husband of more than 40 years, who co-founded The Flea Theater in New York City.
Sigourney Weaver and her husband, Jim Weaver, in 2025.Credit: Daniele Venturelli/Getty
As a result, Simpson turned to his grandmother’s spelling of his name.
Looking back, he’s happy to carry a daily reminder of
“I’m actually really, really glad that I just made that choice in that moment and that day in that theater to spell it with an ‘i,’” Simpson says of carrying a daily reminder of his grandmother, who died in 2012.
Advertisement
— sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Now, after a career spanning 26 years with memorable roles in Westworld, Black Mirrorand It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Simpson says he’s more selective about the roles he’s taking on in his 50s.
“I only do projects that I love,” he says. “If I read a project and I know I can do it, I know I’ve done it before, at this point, it’s less interesting to me.”
“If I read a project and think, ‘Oh sh–, not sure what I would do here,’ that’s probably the job I’m gonna take,” he adds.
Simpson on “Dark Matter” season 2.Credit: Apple TV+
Recently, those roles have included playing an eccentric former cop-turned-bar-owner in AMC’s Dead City and reprising his role as Dr. Ryan Holder on Apple TV’s season 2 of Dark Matter.
While Simpson says he’s giving himself “permission to slow the hustle down,” he’ll still make plenty of TV appearances in the coming months.
Simpson is also back as the unibrowed Liam McPoyle on season 18 of It’s Always Sunny, which premiered Aug. 17 on Hulu and FX, and he’s once again voicing a thousand-year-old demon on season 2 of Netflix’s HauntedHotel in October.
“They brought me and Nate Mooney and Guillermo Del Toro back for that,” Simpson says of reprising his chaotic It’s Always Sunny character. “And that’s a pretty funny episode.”
“It’s a pretty bountiful year,” he adds. “I’m really just grateful for all of it.”
New episodes of TheWalking Dead: Dead City air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC. Dark Matter season 2 drops new episodes Fridays on Apple TV.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
