Henry Oswald Simmons, Jr. (born July 1, 1970) is an American actor.

Life and career

Simmons was born in Stamford, Connecticut, the son of Aurelia, a school teacher, and Henry Simmons, Sr., an IRS agent.www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20131151,00.html He is one of three children, including his twin sister. Simmons earned a basketball scholarship at Franklin Pierce College in New Hampshire, where he earned a business degree. While there, he experimented in theater.CBS bio After graduating from college, he briefly worked at a Fortune 500 company in Stamford. Unhappy with his job, Simmons began to study acting and after a few bit roles, he landed a recurring role on the soap opera, Another World. Simmons is best known for playing Detective Baldwin Jones on the ABC drama, NYPD Blue. He also played Queen Latifah's boyfriend in the 2004 action/comedy film Taxi. He has recently appeared in episodes of the new CBS legal drama Shark starring James Woods.