Simmons was born in Haifa, Israel, and emigrated to New York City at the age of eight, with his mother Florence Klein—a Jewish Hungarian immigrant and the only member of her family to survive the Holocaust. His father Feri Witz, also Jewish, had abandoned his family years earlier. When Simmons was young, his mother's long absences while working two jobs in order to make ends meet left emotional Read more...

Simmons, who has never been married, currently lives in Beverly Hills, California with longtime partner and former Playboy Playmate Shannon Tweed. They have two children: a son, Nicholas (born 22 January 1989), and a daughter, Sophie (born 7 July 1992). He has formerly lived in relationships with Cher and Diana Ross. He has also dated actress Liv Ullman.

Simmons speaks four languages – Read more...

A self-described liberal on social policy issues, Simmons has described himself as a supporter of the foreign policy of the George W. Bush administration. He supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq, writing on his website: "I'm ashamed to be surrounded by people calling themselves Liberal who are, in my opinion, spitting on the graves of brave American soldiers who gave their life to fight a war that Read more...