Actor Timothy Simons will deliver this year’s undergraduate commencement address at the University of Maine.
Simons — a native of Readfield, near Augusta, and a Class of 2001 alumni — will speak to the Class of 2026 on May 9 inside Alfond Arena, the university announced Tuesday morning.
“UMaine is where I found theater,” Simons said in a statement. “I wasn’t an actor in high school.”
At UMaine, Simons studied theater under the late Sandra Hardy. He’s since gone on to star in shows like HBO’s “Veep” alongside Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and Netflix’s “Nobody Wants This,” for which he received a Critics Choice Award for best supporting actor in a comedy earlier this year.
Simons has maintained his connection to UMaine, helping establish a scholarship fund in Hardy’s name to support theater students.
“The University of Maine has a long tradition of students discovering their voice here and going on to succeed creatively and professionally,” Philip Edelman, director of the UMaine School of Performing Arts, said in a statement. “Mr. Simons is a shining example of that tradition and it’s especially meaningful to see him return to Orono to speak to our graduates at commencement.”