| Jake Epstein | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Jacob Lee Epstein |
| Born | January 16 1987 (age 20) Toronto, Ontario, Canada  |
Jacob Lee Epstein (born January 16, 1987) is a Canadian actor. He is perhaps best known for playing Craig Manning on Degrassi: The Next Generation. Epstein was born in Toronto, Ontario and is of Jewish heritage;[1][2] His father, Ian Epstein, is a lawyer and his mother, Kathy Kacer, is a writer who has written about Holocaust refugees.[3] He has an older sister, Gabi, an actor and jazz singer. Epstein attended Earl Haig Secondary School in Toronto and was part of the Claude Watson program. He was the lead actor in several of the school's plays and musicals, the most notable one being the Emcee in Cabaret. Epstein 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 the lead role of Craig Manning on Degrassi: The Next Generation, joining the cast in 2002. After being absent from the show for the latter half of season five, he returned in season six. Epstein made his professional theatrical debut in a Soulpepper Theatre Company production of Our Town. Epstein is currently attending National Theatre School in Montreal. 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. He enjoys listening to the bands Hawksley Workman, String Cheese Incident, Grateful Dead, Dave Matthews Band, moe, Radiohead, System of A Down, and the Beatles, as well as the popular solo artists Keller Williams and Donavon Frankenreiter. Epstein also recently starred in The Dream, alongside a bunch of friends for the Toronto Fringe Festival in 2007. Jake Attended Camp Gesher in Cloyne, Ontario for a few years. When Taking Back Sunday was guest's on Degrassi: The Next Generation, Jake jokingly told the guitarist Matt to "shove this(guitar) up your butt".
