Jake Epstein
{{short description|Canadian actor and singer (born 1987)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jake Epstein
| image = Jake Epstein, voice work.jpg
| caption = Epstein in 2016
| birthname = Jacob Lee Epstein
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1987|1|16}}
| birth_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| death_date =
| death_place =
| occupation = Actor, singer
| years_active = 1999–present
| mother = Kathy Kacer
| spouse = Vanessa Smythe ({{abbr|m.|married}} 2018)
| children = 1
}}
Jacob Lee Epstein{{cite news|last1=Blank|first1=Matt|title=PLAYBILL.COM'S CUE & A: "Degrassi," Spider-Man and Beautiful Star Jake Epstein|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/playbillcoms-cue-a-degrassi-spider-man-and-beautiful-star-jake-epstein-com-213312|access-date=December 27, 2019|work=playbill.com|date=December 31, 2013}} (born January 16, 1987) is a Canadian actor and singer. He is known for playing Craig Manning, a musician with bipolar disorder, on Degrassi: The Next Generation. He has also had recurring roles in the television series Designated Survivor and The Hardy Boys.
On Broadway, Epstein originated the role of Gerry Goffin in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. He has also starred as Melchior in the national tour of Spring Awakening and played Will in the national tour of American Idiot.
Early life
Epstein was born in Toronto, Ontario. His mother, Kathy Kacer, is a Norma Fleck Award-winning writer of children's stories about the Holocaust, and his father is a lawyer.{{cite web |title=Our Canadian Girl |work=Kathy Kacer |url=http://www.ourcanadiangirl.ca/margit_author.php |access-date=June 26, 2006}} He also has an older sister, Gabi, who is an actress and jazz singer.
Epstein is Jewish, and was raised in Conservative Judaism.{{cite journal |last=Miller |first=Gerri |title=Jake Epstein |journal=JVibe |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=12–15 |date=July–August 2007 }}[http://www.jewishtribune.ca/tribune/PDF/jt061228.pdf Document2] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090824065934/http://www.jewishtribune.ca/tribune/PDF/jt061228.pdf |date=August 24, 2009 }} Epstein stated in 2019, "I would consider myself spiritually Jewish rather than religiously Jewish."{{cite news |last1=Miller |first1=Gerri |title=Lifetime Welcomes Jew-ish Romantic Comedy 'Mistletoe & Menorahs' |url=https://jewishjournal.com/culture/arts/308045/lifetime-welcomes-jew-ish-romantic-comedy-mistletoe-menorahs/ |access-date=December 25, 2019 |work=Jewish Journal |publisher=Tribe Media Corp |date=December 4, 2019}}
Career
= Musical theatre =
Epstein made his professional stage debut in a production of Our Town, which played at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in 1999. After this, Epstein played the Artful Dodger in a production of Oliver!. The musical played at the Princess of Wales Theatre between November 2, 1999 and January 2, 2000.
In 2009, he starred as C.B. (Charlie Brown) in a Canadian production of Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead. Later that year, Epstein joined the first national tour Spring Awakening, where he replaced Kyle Riabko as Melchior Gabor. His first performance with the tour was on July 7, 2009, and stayed with the tour until it ended in 2010.{{cite web |last1=Hetrick |first1=Adam |title=Epstein Joins Cast of Spring Awakening National Tour July 7 |url=https://playbill.com/article/epstein-joins-cast-of-spring-awakening-national-tour-july-7-com-162487 |website=Playbill |access-date=12 November 2024 |date=7 July 2009}}
In July 2011, Epstein joined the original Canadian production of Billy Elliot the Musical. He played the role of Tony Elliot, Billy's older brother, in the production which played at the Canon Theatre in Toronto. After that show closed, Epstein played Will in the first national tour of American Idiot, which began in December 2011. In a 2013 interview, Epstein said that Will was the most challenging role had had ever played. He said, "I sat on a couch and never left the stage for the majority of the show. That experience was a whole lesson in pacing, in creating a whole world for yourself on stage..."
In 2012, Epstein made his Broadway debut in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, which played at the Foxwoods Theatre. He was the alternate for the lead role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Epstein referred to the role as a "childhood fantasy come true."{{cite news|last1=Stevens|first1=Beth|title=Jake Epstein on Disappointing Degrassi Fans and Breaking Carole King's Heart in Beautiful|url=http://www.broadway.com/buzz/173605/jake-epstein-on-disappointing-degrassi-fans-and-breaking-carole-kings-heart-in-beautiful/|access-date=January 23, 2016|work=Broadway.com|date=December 12, 2013}}
Epstein was cast as Gerry Goffin in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, opposite Jessie Mueller. The musical had a pre-Broadway engagement at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco, where it played September 24 and October 20, 2013. He then originated the role when it transferred to Broadway, where it began performances at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on November 12, 2013. Epstein later shared that playing Carole's ex-husband was uniquely challenging because Carole encouraged him to not portray Gerry as the villain, even though the script changes increasingly presented him that way.{{cite news |last1=Sumi |first1=Glenn |title=Fringe cover story: Jake Epstein talks Broadway, Degrassi and more in solo cabaret |url=https://nowtoronto.com/stage/theatre/jake-epstein-fringe-festival-boy-falls-from-the-sky/ |access-date=September 1, 2019 |work=NOW Magazine |publisher=NOW Communications Inc. |date=July 3, 2019}} He left the show in 2014 after a year of performances, citing vocal problems and fatigue of playing a real person being portrayed as brooding and villainous. However, Epstein temporarily returned to the show in 2016, where he reprised his role opposite fellow Canadian actor Chilina Kennedy, who starred as Carole.
In 2016, Epstein starred as a closeted gay man in the off-Broadway show Straight.{{cite web|last1=Lindsay|first1=Benjamin|title='Straight' Actor Jake Epstein's 1 Secret to Doing Good Work|url=https://www.backstage.com/interview/straight-actor-jake-epsteins-1-secret-doing-good-work/|website=Backstage|date=February 29, 2016 |access-date=March 29, 2018}}{{cite news|last1=Glitz|first1=Michael|title=Theater: Jake Epstein Makes the Closet Sexy Again in 'Straight'|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/theater-jake-epstein-make_b_9359200.html|access-date=March 29, 2018|work=Huffington Post|date=March 2, 2017}} He said of the script:{{blockquote|text="What resonated with me is how a straight person is just a person, but a gay person is a gay person—it's part of the title you give somebody...I thought the whole angle that the play takes about not a fear of coming out but a fear of definition, a fear of being labeled as a gay man, was an argument that's not really made in our sort of post-acceptance society. It's not about a guy who's afraid of coming out..."}}
At the 2019 Toronto Fringe Festival, Epstein premiered his solo cabaret show Boy Falls From the Sky. The show is a retelling of his experiences in show business, including his time on Degrassi: The Next Generation, the challenges of auditioning for musicals, and his experiences on the ill-fated musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.{{cite web |last1=SUMI |first1=GLENN |title=Fringe cover story: Jake Epstein talks Broadway, Degrassi and more in solo cabaret |date=July 3, 2019 |url=https://nowtoronto.com/stage/theatre/jake-epstein-fringe-festival-boy-falls-from-the-sky/ |access-date=July 5, 2019}} Epstein was encouraged to write the show at the encouragement of his wife, who he credits with helping him realizing the power and authenticity of "...somebody with a microphone, telling a true story, something that's funny or horrific or whatever..." Mirvish Productions expressed interest in the show, and presented it at the Royal Alexandra Theatre between April 19 and May 29, 2022 and received widespread positive reviews.{{cite web |last1=Citron |first1=Paula |title=Jake Epstein Dishes On Musical Memoir 'Boy Falls From The Sky' |url=https://www.ludwig-van.com/toronto/2022/04/19/interview-jake-epstein-dishes-musical-memoir-boy-falls-sky/ |website=Ludwig-Van |access-date=12 November 2024 |date=19 April 2022}} Epstein has since performed the show across Canada, including in Hamilton, Barrie, and in Quebec at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts.
Epstein will star as Frank Carter in the pre-Broadway engagement of Life After, which will play at the Ed Mirvish Theatre in Toronto between April 16 and May 4, 2025.{{cite web |last1=Abourizk |first1=Michael |title=Isabella Esler, Chilina Kennedy and Mariand Torres will lead Broadway-aimed 'Life After' in Toronto |url=https://www.broadwaynews.com/isabella-esler-chilina-kennedy-and-mariand-torres-will-lead-broadway-aimed-life-after-in-toronto/ |website=Broadway News |access-date=20 February 2025 |date=4 November 2024}}
= Television =
After appearing on the TV show The Zack Files, he played Craig Manning on Degrassi: The Next Generation for five seasons and won the Gemini Award.{{cite web|last1=Ouzounian|first1=Richard|title=Former Degrassi star Jake Epstein moves into more exploratory realm|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/stage/2009/03/14/former_degrassi_star_jake_epstein_moves_into_more_exploratory_realm.html|website=thestar.com|date=March 14, 2009 |access-date=March 23, 2018}} The character of Craig became a musician on the show and had to cope with parental abuse and bipolar disorder. Epstein said, "At the time, mental illness was not really something anyone was talking about. There was a huge stigma attached — I had never seen [bipolar disorder] on TV, and certainly not in a teenager. I loved the opportunity to portray someone who was conflicted and not perfect..." Craig impregnated a girl named Manny who gets an abortion, and Epstein noted that those episodes were "initially banned" in the United States.{{cite web|last1=Brody|first1=Caitlin|title=Degrassi: Next Class: Craig returns|url=http://ew.com/article/2016/07/18/degrassi-next-class-craig-jake-epstein/|website=EW.com|access-date=March 27, 2018}} Epstein indicated that he "got the chance to really flesh out this guy that felt like a darker extension of me."{{cite web|title=You're A Big Deal: Jake Epstein of Broadway's "Spiderman, Turn Off The Dark"|url=http://wereabigdeal.com/youre-a-big-deal-jake-epstein-of-broadways-spiderman-turn-off-the-dark/|website=WBD Entertainment and Lifestyle Magazine|access-date=January 24, 2016}}
He left Degrassi during the fifth season to attend the National Theatre School of Canada in Montreal and made theater his new focus. Epstein said, "One of the things I love about theatre is how raw it is. There's no faking it… I really wanted to have a base in theatre, and that kind of opened up all these doors for me." Epstein returned to Degrassi for minor guest appearances in season 6–8.{{cite news|last1=Gioia|first1=Michael|title=The Leading Men: Jake Epstein and Jarrod Spector, Beautiful's Gerry Goffin and Barry Mann|url=http://www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/article/the-leading-men-jake-epstein-and-jarrod-spector-beautifuls-gerry-goffin-and-215265/P2|access-date=January 23, 2016|work=playbill.com|date=February 24, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130113534/http://www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/article/the-leading-men-jake-epstein-and-jarrod-spector-beautifuls-gerry-goffin-and-215265/P2|archive-date=January 30, 2016}}
Epstein played "geeky FBI computer nerd" Chuck Russink in the American TV show Designated Survivor (2016–2018). It was cancelled by ABC after two seasons, and he was no longer in the show when it was picked up and aired by Netflix for a third season.{{cite news |last1=McClenahan |first1=Jay |title=6 Reasons Netflix Ruined Designated Survivor – Where The Heck Are Lyor, Mike, Leo, Trey, Chuck and Kendra? |url=https://somanyshows.com/6-reasons-netflix-ruined-designated-survivor-where-the-heck-are-lyor-mike-leo-trey-chuck-and-kendra |access-date=December 24, 2020 |work=So Many Shows |date=June 14, 2020}}
Personal life
Epstein married actress Vanessa Smythe in 2018. They welcomed their first child, son Miles August Epstein, on May 25, 2023.{{Cite news |last=Andaloro |first=Angela |date=15 June 2023 |title='Degrassi' Alum Jake Epstein and Hallmark's Vanessa Smythe Welcome First Baby: 'What a Trip' |url=https://people.com/degrassi-alum-jake-epstein-hallmark-vanessa-smythe-welcome-first-baby-7547415 |access-date=12 April 2024 |work=People}}
Theatre credits
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Production ! Role ! Theatre ! Category ! {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference(s)}} |
|---|
| rowspan=2 |1999
| Joe Crowell |
| Oliver!
| |
| 2008–2009
|Cinderella: The Sillylicious Family Musical | Prince George | |
| 2009
|Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead | CB | Six Degrees Theatre | Regional: Toronto |
| 2009–2010
| Melchior Gabor |colspan=2 | First National Tour |
| 2010–2011
|Beauty and the Beast: The Savagely Silly Family Musical | Prince Zack / The Beast | |
| 2011
| Tony Elliot |
| 2011–2012
| Will |colspan=2 | First National Tour |
| 2012–2013
|Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark | alt. Peter Parker/Spider-Man | Broadway |
| 2013
|rowspan=2 |Beautiful: The Carole King Musical |rowspan=2 | Gerry Goffin | Pre-Broadway engagement: San Francisco |
| 2013–2014
|Broadway |
| 2016
| Straight | Ben |
| 2016–2017
|Beautiful: The Carole King Musical |Broadway |
| 2019
| Boy Falls From the Sky | Himself | Supermarket Bar |
| 2019
| Dear Jack, Dear Louise |
| 2022
|rowspan=4 | Boy Falls From the Sky |rowspan=4 | Himself |
| rowspan=3 | 2023
| Five Points Theatre |
| Theatre Aquarius |
| Sylvan Adams Theatre |
| 2024
|The Last Timbit | Shane | |
| 2025
| Frank Carter | Pre-Broadway engagement: Toronto |
Filmography
= Film =
| class="wikitable sortable"
! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Film ! scope="col" | Role ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes |
| 2004
| Crown Heights | {{TableTBA|N/A}} | |
| 2007
| Dustin Lauderbach | |
| 2012
| Josh Trestman | |
| 2013
| Jesse | Jesse Turner | Short film |
| rowspan="4" |2015
| Marc the artist | |
| As I Like Her
| Jimmy | Short film |
| Borealis
| Fergus | |
| Full Out
| Coach Pierce | |
| 2016
| Zaide | Saul | Short film |
| 2018
|Danny | |
= Television =
| class="wikitable sortable"
! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Title ! scope="col" | Role ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes | |||
| rowspan=2|1999
| Ricky's Room | Bradley | | |||
| Real Kids, Real Adventures
| Chris Gilmore | Episode: "Lost & Found: The Richard Prieur Story" | |||
| rowspan="2" |2000
|Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire |Duffy |Television movie | |||
| Quints
|Brad |Television movie | |||
| 2000–2002
| data-sort-value="Zack Files, The" | The Zack Files | Cam Dunleavy | Main role | |||
| 2002–2009
| Degrassi: The Next Generation | Main role (seasons 2–5); guest role (seasons 6–8) | |||
| rowspan=2|2003
| data-sort-value="Eleventh Hour, The" | The Eleventh Hour | Jacob McGibbon | Episode: "Shelter" | |||
| Girls v. Boys
| Himself | Contestant Hawaii | |||
| 2005
| Jackson Torrance | Episode: "Musical Influences" | |||
| 2006
| Brad | Episode: "Undercover Eyes" | |||
| 2007
| data-sort-value="Good Witch, The" | The Good Witch | Brad | Episodes: "Halloween Prophecy, parts 1 & 2" | |||
| 2008
| Jim | Episodes: "Revelations", "Stardust" | |||
| rowspan="2" |2009
| Malcolm Abrams | Episode: "Battle Royale" | |||
| Degrassi Goes Hollywood
|Craig Manning |Teleivision movie | |||
| 2011
| David Stachowski | Episode: "Blue Moon" | |||
| 2012
| Eddie Driscol | Episode: "Murdoch Night in Canada" | |||
| rowspan="2" |2015
| Remedy | Jake Ruben | Episodes: "Fight or Flight", "Day One" | |||
| Charming Christmas
|Woody |Television movie | |||
| 2016–2017
| Craig Manning | Episodes: "#ThrowBackThursday", "FactsOnly" | |||
| 2016–2018
| Chuck Russink | Recurring role | |||
| 2017–2019
| Suits | Brian Altman | Recurring role (seasons 7–9) | |||
| rowspan="3" |2017
| Gone | Stephen | Episode: "Ride" | |||
| Backstage
| Clive Richie |Season 2 Episode 25 | |||
| Home for the Holidays
|Television movie: Christmas special of Murdoch Mysteries | |||
| rowspan="3" |2019
|Bruce Fordham |Episode: "A Brother in Arms" | |||
| Mistletoe & Menorahs
|Jonathan Silver |Television movie | |||
| data-sort-value="Storybook Christmas, A" | A Storybook Christmas
|Taylor Haldway |Television movie | |||
| rowspan="2" |2020
| Dr Attis | Episode: "Die Trying" | |||
| Christmas at Maple Creek
|Carter |Television movie | |||
| 2021
|Eight Gifts of Hanukkah |Daniel Myers |Television movie | |||
| rowspan=2|2022 | The Umbrella Academy | Alphonso Hargreeves / Sparrow Number Four | Recurring role (season 3) |
| Hudson & Rex | Todd Harvey | Episode: "Den of Snakes" | |
| 2022–2023 | data-sort-value="Hardy Boys, The" | The Hardy Boys | Mr. Adrian Munder | Recurring role (seasons 2–3) |
| rowspan="4" |2023
|The Wedding Contract |Adam |Television movie | |||
| What We Do for Love
|Jason Sharpe |Television movie | |||
| Laughing All the Way
|Mike Baxter |Television movie | |||
| Sincerely Truly Christmas
|Robert Riley |Television movie | |||
| rowspan="4" |2025
|Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent |Andrew |Season 2 Episode 7 |
Discography
- 2008: Music from Degrassi: The Next Generation ("My Window")
- 2009: Degrassi Goes Hollywood: Music from the Original Movie ("Rescue You" and "Swan Song")
- 2014: Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
Awards and nominations
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website}}
- {{IMDb name}}
- {{Discogs artist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Epstein, Jake}}
Category:21st-century Canadian male actors
Category:Canadian male child actors
Category:Canadian male film actors
Category:Canadian male singers
Category:Canadian male television actors
Category:Canadian male voice actors
Category:Canadian Screen Award winning actors
Category:Jewish Canadian male actors
Category:Jewish Canadian musicians