Jacob Lee "Jake" Epstein (born January 16, 1987) is a Canadian actor, perhaps best known for playing Craig Manning on Degrassi: The Next Generation.
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, 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 Earl Haig Secondary School in Toronto and was part of the Claude Watson program. He Attended Camp Gesher in Cloyne, Ontario for a few years.
Epstein enjoys listening to the bands Jack Johnson, 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 was the lead actor in several of his school's plays and musicals, the most notable one being the Emcee in Cabaret. 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 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.Jake has also appeared in Radio Free Roscoe.
Epstein is attending the National Theatre School of Canada 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. Epstein also recently starred in The Dream, alongside a bunch of friends for the Toronto Fringe Festival in 2007.
