Kevin Miles (American actor)
{{Short description|American actor (born 1990)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Kevin Miles
| image = Khaby Bubble Wrap TikTok - Jake from State Farm (cropped).jpg
| alt = A bust-length photograph of a man in a red shirt waving with his right hand.
| caption = Miles in 2023
| birth_name = Kevin Miles Julian Mimms
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1990}}
| alma_mater = Webster University
| occupation = Actor
| known_for = State Farm commercials
}}
Kevin Miles (born Kevin Miles Julian Mimms, July 1990{{Cite web |last=Stone |first=Avery |date=2024-02-09 |title=How Actor Kevin Miles Became “Jake From State Farm” |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/jake-state-farm-actor-kevin-miles-patrick-mahomes-friendship-1235820810/ |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}) is an American actor best known for his role as Jake, the mascot of the State Farm insurance company.
Early life and education
Miles grew up in South Side, Chicago, and he began acting in elementary school. His first acting role was as Lord Capulet in a school theater production of Romeo and Juliet. He graduated the Chicago Academy for the Arts in 2008{{Cite web |date=2021-03-20 |title=Jake from State Farm is South Side Kevin Miles: A year into the role, he can’t answer your questions about insurance, but he sure can sell it. |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2021/03/20/jake-from-state-farm-is-south-side-kevin-miles-a-year-into-the-role-he-cant-answer-your-questions-about-insurance-but-he-sure-can-sell-it/ |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=Chicago Tribune |language=en-US}} before going on to study at Conservatory of Theater Arts at Webster University. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.{{Cite web |last=Conway |first=Jeff |title=‘Jake From State Farm’ Actor Kevin Miles: From Sleeping In His Car To Starring In Super Bowl Commercials |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffconway/2021/02/11/jake-from-state-farm-actor-kevin-miles-from-sleeping-in-his-car-to-starring-in-super-bowl-commercials/ |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=Forbes |language=en}}
Career
After graduating from university, Miles moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting. For the first few months he lived there, he slept in his car as he could not afford an apartment.{{Cite web |last=Seth |first=Tamanna |date=2023-10-02 |title=Who is Kevin Miles? All about the rising star now popularly known as "Jake from State Farm" |url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/pop-culture/who-kevin-miles-all-rising-star-now-popularly-known-jake-state-farm |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=www.sportskeeda.com |language=en-us}} For his first two years in Los Angeles, he had no agent. He appeared in commercials for various companies before appearing on television shows such as Criminal Minds, S.W.A.T, and iCarly. In 2020, he went on to apply for the role of Jake in a State Farm advertisement but forgot to wear the red shirt and khaki pants required in the wardrobe briefing. Despite this, his audition tested well, and he was chosen for the role.
In July 2020, Miles traveled to Austin, Texas to film State Farm advertisements for several months, and soon thereafter he grew in popularity. He made his first appearance in a Super Bowl commercial in 2021, starring alongside Drake and Patrick Mahomes. His popularity lead him to collaborate with several other celebrities including Ludacris, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Paul, and Jimmy Butler. In October 2023, Maximum Effort arranged for him to appear alongside Donna Kelce at a football game.{{Cite web |title=Who Is Jake from State Farm? All About Kevin Miles |url=https://people.com/who-is-jake-from-state-farm-kevin-miles-8348374 |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=People.com |language=en}} He co-starred with Arnold Schwarzenegger in a 2024 Super Bowl commercial, and Schwarzenegger physically trained Miles for the role. According to Schwarzenegger, Miles lost 2% of his body fat as a result of the training.{{Cite web |title=Arnold Schwarzenegger on Teaming with Jake from State Farm for Super Bowl Ad: 'I Had to Get Him in Shape' (Exclusive) |url=https://people.com/arnold-schwarzenegger-jake-from-state-farm-in-shape-super-bowl-commercial-exclusive-8558965 |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=People.com |language=en |archive-date=2025-01-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250102163731/https://people.com/arnold-schwarzenegger-jake-from-state-farm-in-shape-super-bowl-commercial-exclusive-8558965 |url-status=live }} He also appeared at the 2024 WNBA draft to congratulate basketball player Caitlin Clark, who is also a spokesperson for State Farm.{{Cite web |date=2024-04-15 |title=Jake from State Farm and Caitlin Clark, explained: Why is Kevin Miles at the 2024 WNBA Draft? {{!}} Sporting News |url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/wnba/news/jake-state-farm-wnba-draft-caitlin-clark-kevin-miles/18eaa6784ee90a2bfc259fb0 |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=www.sportingnews.com |language=en-us}}
Miles stated that he hopes his role as Jake will allow him to further his career in the film industry, and that he seeks to follow the examples of actors such as Sidney Poitier and Denzel Washington.
References
{{reflist}}
{{State Farm}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miles, Kevin}}
Category:American male television actors
Category:Webster University alumni