Jake Epstein

His mother Kathy Kacer is a Norma Fleck Award-winning writer of children's stories about the Holocaust; and his father Ian Epstein (born 1955) is a lawyer.

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

Epstein is Jewish, and was raised in Conservative Judaism.

Jacob Lee Epstein (born January 16, 1987) is a Canadian actor and singer.

He played Craig Manning, a musician with bipolar disorder, on Degrassi: The Next Generation.

He also played Will in the First National Tour of American Idiot, and originated the role of Gerry Goffin in the Broadway production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.

Epstein was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Epstein made his professional stage debut in a Soulpepper Theatre Company production of Our Town at the Royal Alexandra Theatre (May 7 - June 19, 1999) before playing the Artful Dodger in Mirvish Productions' stage production of Oliver! (Nov. 2, 1999 - Jan. 2, 2000).

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.

He replaced Kyle Riabko as Melchior Gabor in the First National Tour of Spring Awakening, officially beginning his run on July 7, 2009.

Epstein commented on the show, "I think it really doesn't talk down to its audience. I think it portrays teen sexuality in a way that's real, in a way that's entertaining, and in a way that's just really connects with people. Spring Awakening really doesn't hold back, and I think people appreciate that."

Also in 2009, Epstein starred as CB (a.k.a. Charlie Brown) in Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead, described as a "comedic deconstruction of the famous Peanuts characters."

In this production, CB copes with the recent death of his beagle and discovers that he is in love with Beethoven (a.k.a. Schroeder).

Theatre critic Richard Ouzounian wrote, "Jake Epstein is brilliant as CB, a bunch of nerve endings searching for a place to settle. Epstein is so beautifully open and honest that you go with him on every step of his journey."

In July 2011, Epstein played Billy's older brother in a Toronto production of Billy Elliot the Musical.

He spoke about working with alternate leads, "The most unique part of this show is working with a new Billy every night. Every Billy is different. They each bring something interesting and specific to the role. I am a different older brother each night, depending on who's on..."

He played Will in Green Day's Tony-winning rock musical American Idiot during the 2011–2012 North American tour.

Epstein said, "I always think of American Idiot as my generation's The Who's Tommy or Pink Floyd's The Wall. American Idiot was very much like that time in the world, right after Sept. 11th...It was like a time of not knowing what to feel and that's what spawned this show."

He joined the company on December 4, 2012, and performed Saturday and Sunday matinees, with his first show taking place on December 8 at the Foxwoods Theatre.

Epstein referred to the role as a "childhood fantasy come true."

In a 2013 interview, Epstein identified Will as the most challenging role he 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, and in letting the experience you are having that night dictate your arc for the show."

Epstein made his Broadway debut in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark as the alternate for lead role Peter Parker/Spider-Man.

He played his final performance on August 12, 2013, to begin rehearsing for a new musical titled Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, which opened on Broadway on January 12, 2014.

This marked his second Broadway show in less than a year.

The musical was based on Carole King's life, and Epstein portrayed her former husband Gerry Goffin.

He noted that it was not easy playing the man who broke King's heart.

Epstein said that "...it was tough, because Goffin was alive at the time. I was in touch with Carole King, who kept encouraging me, 'Do everything you can not to make him the villain.'" Beautiful had undergone major script changes and the version of Goffin that appeared in the final show was different from the part that Epstein had first auditioned for.

Epstein said, "I'm trying to make his struggle clear, so people understand why he did the things he did. He's not just a villain. I hope people see it's more complicated than that."

He said in December 2013, "I'm a pretty upbeat person. I think I sometimes get cast as these brooding types because I bring light and joy, which hopefully makes them more likable."

He remained with the cast until September 21, 2014.

Many of the characters Epstein portrayed were troubled types.

Epstein stated in 2019, "I would consider myself spiritually Jewish rather than religiously Jewish. It was certainly a big part of my upbringing and certainly a big part of my identity."