Jake started acting in elementary school, as the Lion in the Wizard of Oz and Harold Hill in The Music Man. He then attended and graduated from the drama program at the arts high school the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (NOCCA). It was a wonderful environment for Jake, having nurtured the young talents of other artists, Harry Connick, Jr., Anthony Mackie, Wendell Pierce, Wynton Marsalis, and others.Jake then moved to Los Angeles to receive his bachelor's degree from the UCLA School of Theater. It was another vibrant environment, and Jake's classmates included Jack Black, Susan Egan, Maury Sterling, Anya Coloff, and Michael Goorjian. Jake appeared in several plays and student films there.From there, Jake bought a generic "How to be a Working Actor" book from the Samuel French Bookstore and decided to follow it step by step. He got a scooter and some good head shots and started making the rounds at agents and casting offices.Jake's first role was a seven-episode guest star role on the television show, L.A. Law. Other guest-star roles came, including on A Different World, Step by Step, Sibs, and the CBS special Different Worlds.Jake's first film role was a main titles lead in the Disney film, Alive, opposite Ethan Hawke and John Malkovich. The film was written by Academy Award winner John Patrick Shanley, directed by Frank Marshall, and produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Academy Award winner Bruce Cohen.Jake stars opposite Rene Zellweger, Tim Roth, and Brian Dennehy in Murder in the Heartland.Jake stars as clairvoyant, Norman LeClair, in the cult favorite The Atticus Institute, opposite William Mapother.Recent starring roles include in the films Inheritance, Lore, Sprial, and Agent Frank Skuddler of Project Blue Book.Jake appears in and produced the film King Cake, with John Goodman, Elijah Wood, Jim Belushi, and Andy Garcia.Jake lives and works in Los Angeles. Show less «