Jake Epstein

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. He also has an older sister, Gabi, who is an actress and jazz singer.

Epstein is Jewish, and was raised in Conservative Judaism. Epstein stated in 2019, "I would consider myself spiritually Jewish rather than religiously Jewish."

Career

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.

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."

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. 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. He said of the script:

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. 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. 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.

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. 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. Epstein indicated that he "got the chance to really flesh out this guy that felt like a darker extension of me."

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.

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.

Personal life

Epstein married actress Vanessa Smythe in 2018. They welcomed their first child, son Miles August Epstein, on May 25, 2023.

Theatre credits

Filmography

Film

Television

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

References

1. (December 31, 2013). "PLAYBILL.COM'S CUE & A: "Degrassi," Spider-Man and Beautiful Star Jake Epstein". playbill.com.
2. "Our Canadian Girl". Kathy Kacer.
3. Miller, Gerri. (July–August 2007). "Jake Epstein". JVibe.
4. [http://www.jewishtribune.ca/tribune/PDF/jt061228.pdf Document2] {{webarchive. link. (August 24, 2009)
5. (December 4, 2019). "Lifetime Welcomes Jew-ish Romantic Comedy 'Mistletoe & Menorahs'". Tribe Media Corp.
6. (7 July 2009). "Epstein Joins Cast of Spring Awakening National Tour July 7".
7. (December 12, 2013). "Jake Epstein on Disappointing Degrassi Fans and Breaking Carole King's Heart in Beautiful". Broadway.com.
8. (July 3, 2019). "Fringe cover story: Jake Epstein talks Broadway, Degrassi and more in solo cabaret". NOW Communications Inc..
9. (February 29, 2016). "'Straight' Actor Jake Epstein's 1 Secret to Doing Good Work".
10. (March 2, 2017). "Theater: Jake Epstein Makes the Closet Sexy Again in 'Straight'". Huffington Post.
11. (July 3, 2019). "Fringe cover story: Jake Epstein talks Broadway, Degrassi and more in solo cabaret".
12. (19 April 2022). "Jake Epstein Dishes On Musical Memoir 'Boy Falls From The Sky'".
13. (4 November 2024). "Isabella Esler, Chilina Kennedy and Mariand Torres will lead Broadway-aimed 'Life After' in Toronto".
14. (March 14, 2009). "Former Degrassi star Jake Epstein moves into more exploratory realm".
15. "Degrassi: Next Class: Craig returns".
16. "You're A Big Deal: Jake Epstein of Broadway's "Spiderman, Turn Off The Dark"".
17. (February 24, 2014). "The Leading Men: Jake Epstein and Jarrod Spector, Beautiful's Gerry Goffin and Barry Mann". playbill.com.
18. (June 14, 2020). "6 Reasons Netflix Ruined Designated Survivor – Where The Heck Are Lyor, Mike, Leo, Trey, Chuck and Kendra?". So Many Shows.
19. Andaloro, Angela. (15 June 2023). "'Degrassi' Alum Jake Epstein and Hallmark's Vanessa Smythe Welcome First Baby: 'What a Trip'". People.
20. (3 July 219). "Fringe cover story: Jake Epstein talks Broadway, Degrassi and more in solo cabaret".
21. Hetrick, Adam. (13 March 2009). "Royal's Dog Sees God, starring Jake Epstein, Gets Canadian Premiere March 13". Playbill.
22. Hetrick, Adam. (2 June 2009). ""Degrassi" Star Epstein to Succeed Riabko in Spring Awakening National Tour". Playbill.
23. Rosky, Nicole. "Toronto's BILLY ELLIOT Welcomes David Keeley and Jake Epstein".
24. Jones, Kenneth. (21 Dec 2011). "American Idiot Tour, With Van Hughes, Joshua Kobak, Jake Epstein and More, Tests Wings in Upstate NY". PlayBill.
25. Gioia, Michael. (30 Nov 2012). ""Degrassi" Star Jake Epstein Will Make Broadway Debut in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark". Playbill.
26. (13 August 2013). "Jake Epstein to star in Beautiful musical on Broadway".
27. Lindsay, Benjamin. (1 March 2016). "'Straight' Actor Jake Epstein's 1 Secret to Doing Good Work".
28. Millward, Tom. (2017-10-19). "Beautiful welcomes Jake Epstein back to the Broadway cast as Gerry Goffin on 22 September 2016".
29. (6 July 2019). "Fringe review: Boy Falls From The Sky: Jake Epstein Live at Supermarket".
30. Meyer, Dan. (8 Oct 2019). "Jake Epstein to Star in World Premiere of Ken Ludwig's Dear Jack, Dear Louise". Playbill.
31. Murphy, Aisling. (2022-04-23). "REVIEW: Boy Falls from the Sky at Mirvish –".
32. (27 September 2023). "7 reasons to love 'Boy Falls From The Sky' at Barrie's Five Points Theatre".
33. Murphy, Aisling. (2023-10-30). "REVIEW: Boy Falls from the Sky is back, and it's worth the trip to Hamilton".
34. (30 November 2023). "Boy Falls From The Sky lands at the Segal Centre".
35. (26 June 2024). "Wait, why does Tim Hortons have a musical?".
36. "Young Artist Awards (2001)".
37. "Young Artist Awards (2003)".
38. "Gemini Awards (2003)".
39. "Gemini Awards (2004)".
40. "Young Artist Awards (2004)".
41. "Young Artist Awards (2005)".
42. "Young Artist Awards (2006)".
43. "Hollywood North Film Awards (2018)".
44. (20 September 2022). "2022 Dora Mavor Moore Award Winners".
45. (28 May 2025). "Nominations Announced For The 2025 Dora Mavor Moore Awards".