Jake Epstein
Encyclopedia
Jacob Lee "Jake" Epstein (born January 16, 1987) is a Canadian actor and singer, perhaps best known for playing Craig Manning, a bipolar
musician, on Degrassi: The Next Generation
.
-winning writer of children's stories about the Holocaust, and his father, Ian Epstein, is a lawyer. He has an older sister, Gabi, an actress and jazz singer. Epstein is Jewish and was raised in Conservative Judaism
. He attended Claude Watson School for the Arts
in Toronto and then continued in the Claude Watson program in Earl Haig Secondary School
. He attended Camp Gesher in Cloyne, Ontario for a few years.
. He started acting on screen in 1999, appearing in several made-for-television films and television series, including The Zack Files
, Quints
, Mom's Got A Date With A Vampire
and an episode of Real Kids, Real Adventures.
He became well known after being cast in a lead role as Craig Manning on Degrassi: The Next Generation
, joining the cast in 2002, in the second season of the show and continued to star in the show as a regular through seasons 2–5. After being absent from the show for the latter half of season five, he returned in season six in a guest appearance for two episodes and has made guest appearances through seasons 6–8. Degrassi is now filming its tenth season. Jake did not appear in Season 9, but appeared in the "Degrassi Goes Hollywood" movie, that aired after the finale of Season 8.
Epstein made his professional theatrical debut in a Soulpepper Theatre Company production of Our Town
. Jake has also appeared in Radio Free Roscoe
.
Epstein attended the National Theatre School of Canada
in Montreal and graduated in 2008. His biggest passion is music, and he has been a member of several bands, such as Mind the Gap
, and Funkasaurus Rex, playing many musical instruments, including the guitar
and drums
. Epstein also starred in The Dream, alongside a bunch of friends for the Toronto Fringe Festival in 2007. Epstein also had a small role in the 2008 movie Charlie Bartlett
, with a guest appearance from former Degrassi cast member, Aubrey Graham
.
Epstein starred in a Ross Petty production of Cinderella, at Elgin Theatre
(Toronto), from November 28, 2008 until January 4, 2009, the production also starred fellow Degrassi: The Next Generation actress Paula Brancati
.
Epstein replaced Kyle Riabko
as Melchior Gabor in the First National Tour of Spring Awakening
, officially beginning his run on July 7, 2009.
In late 2009, he and fellow Degrassi star Jake Goldsbie
guest-starred in an episode of the Canadian series Being Erica.
From November 25, 2010 through January 2, 2011, Epstein starred in Ross Petty's Beauty & The Beast: The Savagely Silly Family Musical at the Elgin Theatre
(Toronto).
From January 20, 2011 to January 29, 2011, Epstein will be co-starring with his sister, Gabi Epstein in Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond's "Dani Girl" at the Talk is Free Theatre in Barrie, Ontario.
In July 2011, Epstein is set to play Billy's older brother in the Toronto run of Billy Elliot The Musical at the Canon Theatre.
Beginning in December 2011, Epstein will be starring as Will in the First National Tour of Green Day's American Idiot (musical)
.
Television
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
musician, on Degrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian teen drama television series set in the Degrassi universe, which was created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood in 1979. Degrassi is the fourth fictional series in the Degrassi franchise, and follows The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High, and...
.
Personal life
Epstein was born in Toronto, Ontario. His mother, Kathy Kacer, is a Norma Fleck AwardNorma Fleck Award
The Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction is a lucrative literary award founded in May 1999 by the Fleck Family Foundation and the Canadian Children's Book Centre, and presented to the year's best non-fiction book for a youth audience...
-winning writer of children's stories about the Holocaust, and his father, Ian Epstein, is a lawyer. He has an older sister, Gabi, an actress and jazz singer. Epstein is Jewish and was raised in Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s.Conservative Judaism has its roots in the school of thought known as Positive-Historical Judaism,...
. He attended Claude Watson School for the Arts
Claude Watson School for the Arts
Claude Watson School for the Arts is both an intermediate school and an arts school located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.The main campus of the school was originally known as Lansing Public School #4 , and then later changed to Duke of Kent Public School and also Spring Garden Public School . In...
in Toronto and then continued in the Claude Watson program in Earl Haig Secondary School
Earl Haig Secondary School
Earl Haig Secondary School is a public high school with a student body of about 2,300 students in Willowdale, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school's principal is Renata Gonsalves.-History:...
. He attended Camp Gesher in Cloyne, Ontario for a few years.
Career
Epstein was the lead actor in several of his school's plays and musicals, the most notable one being the Emcee in CabaretCabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
. He started acting on screen in 1999, appearing in several made-for-television films and television series, including The Zack Files
The Zack Files
The Zack Files is a science fiction television program that revolves around a young boy, played by Robert Clark, who is a magnet for paranormal activity and attends Horace White High School for Boys along with his three friends Cam, Gwen, and Spencer. Zack manages to get himself into trouble with...
, Quints
Quints
Quints is a 2000 Disney Channel Original Movie starring Kimberly J. Brown as the older sister of a set of quintuplets.- Plot summary :...
, Mom's Got A Date With A Vampire
Mom's Got a Date With a Vampire
Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire is a 2000 Disney Channel Original Movie.-Plot:The Hansen children are in a jam. Adam and his best friend Duffy have some tickets for the Headless Horseman concert, and his sister Chelsea has a date with her dreamy boyfriend Peter...
and an episode of Real Kids, Real Adventures.
He became well known after being cast in a lead role as Craig Manning on Degrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian teen drama television series set in the Degrassi universe, which was created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood in 1979. Degrassi is the fourth fictional series in the Degrassi franchise, and follows The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High, and...
, joining the cast in 2002, in the second season of the show and continued to star in the show as a regular through seasons 2–5. After being absent from the show for the latter half of season five, he returned in season six in a guest appearance for two episodes and has made guest appearances through seasons 6–8. Degrassi is now filming its tenth season. Jake did not appear in Season 9, but appeared in the "Degrassi Goes Hollywood" movie, that aired after the finale of Season 8.
Epstein made his professional theatrical debut in a Soulpepper Theatre Company production of Our Town
Our Town
Our Town is a three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder. It is a character story about an average town's citizens in the early twentieth century as depicted through their everyday lives...
. Jake has also appeared in Radio Free Roscoe
Radio Free Roscoe
Radio Free Roscoe was a Canadian television series filmed in Toronto, Ontario. The show was produced by Decode Entertainment, and it first aired on 1 August 2003 on Family, in Canada. It has also been dubbed in French in the province of Quebec and aired on VRAK.TV...
.
Epstein attended the National Theatre School of Canada
National Theatre School of Canada
The National Theatre School of Canada is a private college located in Montreal, Quebec.Established in Montreal in 1960, the National Theatre School of Canada offers professional training in English and French in a setting that unites all the theatre arts: acting, playwriting, directing, set and...
in Montreal and graduated in 2008. His biggest passion is music, and he has been a member of several bands, such as Mind the Gap
Mind the gap
"Mind the gap" is a warning to train passengers to take caution while crossing the gap between the train door and the station platform. It was introduced in 1969 on the London Underground...
, and Funkasaurus Rex, playing many musical instruments, including the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
. Epstein also starred in The Dream, alongside a bunch of friends for the Toronto Fringe Festival in 2007. Epstein also had a small role in the 2008 movie Charlie Bartlett
Charlie Bartlett
Charlie Bartlett is a 2008 comedy-drama film directed by Jon Poll. The screenplay by Gustin Nash focuses on a teenager who begins to dispense therapeutic advice and prescription drugs to the student body at his new high school in order to become popular....
, with a guest appearance from former Degrassi cast member, Aubrey Graham
Drake (entertainer)
Aubrey Drake Graham , who records under the mononym Drake, is a Canadian recording artist and actor. He originally became known for playing Jimmy Brooks on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation....
.
Epstein starred in a Ross Petty production of Cinderella, at Elgin Theatre
Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres
The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres are a pair of stacked theatres in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Winter Garden theatre is seven stories above the Elgin Theatre....
(Toronto), from November 28, 2008 until January 4, 2009, the production also starred fellow Degrassi: The Next Generation actress Paula Brancati
Paula Brancati
Paula Brancati is a Canadian actress who performs in live theatre, television, and film. She is most notable for her roles as Jenny Zalen on Being Erica, Cally Stone on Dark Oracle and Jane Vaughn on Degrassi: The Next Generation.Brancati was born in Markham, Ontario, Canada. She is a fan of Al...
.
Epstein replaced Kyle Riabko
Kyle Riabko
Kyle Riabko is a Canadian pop singer, guitarist, and actor who was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He resides in New York City....
as Melchior Gabor in the First National Tour of Spring Awakening
Spring Awakening
Spring Awakening is a rock musical adaptation of the controversial 1892 German play of the same title by Frank Wedekind. It features music by Duncan Sheik and a book and lyrics by Steven Sater. Set in late-19th century Germany, it concerns teenagers who are discovering the inner and outer tumult of...
, officially beginning his run on July 7, 2009.
In late 2009, he and fellow Degrassi star Jake Goldsbie
Jake Goldsbie
Jacob "Jake" Benjamin Goldsbie is a Canadian actor.Goldsbie plays Toby Isaacs in Degrassi: The Next Generation, although he originally auditioned for the role of J.T...
guest-starred in an episode of the Canadian series Being Erica.
From November 25, 2010 through January 2, 2011, Epstein starred in Ross Petty's Beauty & The Beast: The Savagely Silly Family Musical at the Elgin Theatre
Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres
The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres are a pair of stacked theatres in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Winter Garden theatre is seven stories above the Elgin Theatre....
(Toronto).
From January 20, 2011 to January 29, 2011, Epstein will be co-starring with his sister, Gabi Epstein in Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond's "Dani Girl" at the Talk is Free Theatre in Barrie, Ontario.
In July 2011, Epstein is set to play Billy's older brother in the Toronto run of Billy Elliot The Musical at the Canon Theatre.
Beginning in December 2011, Epstein will be starring as Will in the First National Tour of Green Day's American Idiot (musical)
American Idiot (musical)
American Idiot is a one-act, through-sung stage musical. The show is an adaptation of punk rock band Green Day's concept album of the same name. Additional Green Day songs were interpolated from other sources, including 21st Century Breakdown, American Idiot b-sides, and an unreleased song called...
.
Discography
- "My Window" — Music from Degrassi: The Next Generation
- "Rescue You" — Degrassi Goes Hollywood: Music from the Original Movie
- "Swan Song" — Degrassi Goes Hollywood: Music from the Original Movie
Filmography
Film| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Quints Quints Quints is a 2000 Disney Channel Original Movie starring Kimberly J. Brown as the older sister of a set of quintuplets.- Plot summary :... |
Brad | TV movie |
| Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire Mom's Got a Date With a Vampire Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire is a 2000 Disney Channel Original Movie.-Plot:The Hansen children are in a jam. Adam and his best friend Duffy have some tickets for the Headless Horseman concert, and his sister Chelsea has a date with her dreamy boyfriend Peter... |
Duffy | TV movie | |
| 2004 | Crown Heights | ||
| 2008 | Charlie Bartlett Charlie Bartlett Charlie Bartlett is a 2008 comedy-drama film directed by Jon Poll. The screenplay by Gustin Nash focuses on a teenager who begins to dispense therapeutic advice and prescription drugs to the student body at his new high school in order to become popular.... |
Dustin Lauderbach | |
| 2009 | Degrassi Goes Hollywood Degrassi Goes Hollywood Paradise City: Degrassi Goes Hollywood is a 2009 Canadian film adaptation of the popular, long-running teenage drama Degrassi: The Next Generation. The movie premiered in the United States on The N on 14 August 2009, and in Canada on CTV on 30 August 2009. It was directed by veteran Degrassi... |
Craig Manning | TV movie |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Ricky's Room | Brad | unknown episodes |
| Real Kids, Real Adventures | Chris Gilmore | Episode: "Lost & Found: The Richard Prieur Story" | |
| 2000–2002 | The Zack Files The Zack Files The Zack Files is a science fiction television program that revolves around a young boy, played by Robert Clark, who is a magnet for paranormal activity and attends Horace White High School for Boys along with his three friends Cam, Gwen, and Spencer. Zack manages to get himself into trouble with... |
Cam Dunleavy | Main Role 19 episodes |
| 2002–2009 | Degrassi: The Next Generation Degrassi: The Next Generation Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian teen drama television series set in the Degrassi universe, which was created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood in 1979. Degrassi is the fourth fictional series in the Degrassi franchise, and follows The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High, and... |
Craig Manning | 2002–2006, Seasons 2–5 (Series Regular) 2006–2009, Seasons 6–8 (Guest Appearances) |
| 2003 | The Eleventh Hour | Jacob McGibbon | Episode: "Shelter" |
| Girls v. Boys Girls v. Boys Girls v. Boys, also known as GVB, is an American reality series that has aired on The N from August 8, 2003 to October 7, 2005. GVB pits teams of adolescent boys and girls against each other in physical competitions. The series had four seasons: GVB: Tampa, GVB: Hawaii, GVB: Montana and GVB: Puerto... |
Contestant Hawaii | ||
| 2005 | Radio Free Roscoe Radio Free Roscoe Radio Free Roscoe was a Canadian television series filmed in Toronto, Ontario. The show was produced by Decode Entertainment, and it first aired on 1 August 2003 on Family, in Canada. It has also been dubbed in French in the province of Quebec and aired on VRAK.TV... |
Jackson Torrance | Episode: "Musical Influences" |
| 2006 | Angela's Eyes Angela's Eyes Angela's Eyes is an American drama that premiered on July 16, 2006 on Lifetime TV and ran for 13 episodes. The show aired Sundays at 10 pm. Lifetime announced that the show would not be picked up for a second season.... |
Brad | Episode: "Undercover Eyes" |
| 2008 | Paradise Falls Paradise Falls Paradise Falls is a weekly soap opera shown nationally on the Showcase channel in Canada, starting in 2001. It is set in a summer cottage community in Central Ontario.... |
Jim | Episodes: "Revelations", "Stardust" |
| 2009 | Being Erica | Malcolm Abrams | Episode: "Battle Royale" |
| 2011 | My Babysitter's a Vampire (TV series) | David Stachowski | Episode: "Blue Moon" |