Jake Grace

Powered by enthusiasm and passionately driven to live life to the fullest, Jake Grace's life-experience has been uniquely adventurous, motivated by a desire to create, experience and share in something that is both innately meaningful and exciting. Born in Lake Champlain, Vermont, Jake and his family moved to Scandinavia, where he would ski to nursery school. By the time he was fifteen years old, Jake had already lived in three states, two countries and in twelve different homes. He spent much of his adolescent years studying and subsequently honing the craft of acting in New York. As the son of a photographer/designer mother and a surgeon/jazz musician father, Jake was a natural born performer. He thrived in the excitement and camaraderie that he found while acting in school plays. At his parents' suggestion, he auditioned for a highly respected local improvisational troupe in New York, where he was hired, and became a professional actor at age sixteen. Acting out multiple characters several times a week for high school audiences gave him an adrenalin rush that pumped up his commitment to his artistry. On stage, Jake found that he "felt challenged and alive in a way that he had only previously found while participating in sports." He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Acting at New York University's prestigious Tisch School of the Arts, with additional focus in world religions and mystical philosophy. Jake mastered a full range of acting skills with considerable passion and enthusiasm at The Circle in the Square Theater, Playwrights Horizons and The Experimental Theatre Wing. He also performed in many university productions, including his favorite, "The Bacchae" - starring as Dionysus, the god of celebration and revelry - which "proved to be a very wild production," Jake admits. He also received considerable accolades when he starred as Laurent, an obsessive lover turned tormented murderer, in the world premiere of Neil Bell's "Therese Raquin." Jake thrived at N.Y.U., where he was discovered by a local talent agent, and began auditioning for film and television roles. Shortly thereafter, he booked his first commercial and print work, followed by a young, romantic leading role in the independent comedy film titled Insomnia (1994), where he played a college student who seduces his sexy female professor. Jake was later flown to Los Angeles where he tested for the lead in an NBC pilot. Although he loved the cultural and social Mecca of Manhattan, Jake acknowledges that he "was eager for the sunshine and all that Hollywood could offer." He accelerated his studies, graduated early and moved to Los Angeles. Within three months, Oliver Stone cast Jake in the pop-cult motion picture Natural Born Killers (1994) opposite award-winning actor Robert Downey Jr.. This small but memorable performance opened new doors, and more castings quickly followed. Jake landed a co-starring role in the 20th Century Fox comedy feature film PCU (1994) with Jeremy Piven, David Spade and Jon Favreau. Shortly thereafter, he was offered a co-starring role as Swackback, the wild and wacky heroic camp counselor in A Pig's Tale (1994) for Propaganda Films. Jake also found success on the small screen. He landed the recurring role of Stingray on the popular NBC sitcom, California Dreams (1992), where his endearing "surf-dude" character became such a success that the show's producers wrote his character into their new prime-time series Saved by the Bell: The College Years (1993). After achieving initial success in Hollywood, Jake found himself drawn back to the stage, where he would portray a young, ecstatic saint in the dramatic musical, "The Life of Jnaneshwar." He found the experience unexpectedly magical as he performed on New Year's Eve to a packed theater of over 4,000 people. In fact, it was this profound energy that inspired Jake to explore other aspects of his life beyond Hollywood and outside of the United States. Not unlike W. Somerset Maugham's character, Larry Darrell, in his timeless novel, "The Razor's Edge," Jake decided to follow his adventurous nature and set out on a quest of what would become an extraordinary, evolutionary journey seeking spiritual enlightenment, motivation and purpose, which resulted in his travels all around the world. He spent his trans-formative years in the East, motorcycling through India with his friends, mastering yoga and developing his singing voice. Jake also spent much of his time studying music, philosophy and ancient Sanskrit. He practiced fasting, and he meditated in India's many temples and cavernous caves. It was also during this time that he began writing his original music and lyrics. Fueled by the supplemental, residual income he earned from his earlier film and TV work, Jake continued his excursions around the world. He not only explored the underwater caves near Mexico's Mayan temples and romanced in Montreal, but he also went cliff-jumping in Vancouver, trained in freestyle skiing under the guidance of former Olympic team members and snowboarded the steep powder of British Columbia's awesome Canadian Rockies. Several years later, Jake triumphantly returned to the U.S. and began production on his first CD. Music became Jake's primary passion. He wrote, sang, and produced three CDS with thirty-six original songs in his own unique, eclectic style ranging from "Electronica," fused with Sanskrit mantras, to full-throttle Rock and Soulful Pop. Inspired by his adventurous experiences, Jake wrote a novel and two feature-length screenplays. In an effort to perfect the dialog, he would act out all of the characters in each scene. Jake found this to be invaluable, as it not only provided him with a means to perfect his literary technique, but it reignited his passion for acting. Shortly thereafter, Jake returned to Hollywood - where he teamed with personal manager Linda Reitman and resumed his acting career - armed with a full reservoir of life experiences as well as the multiple, diverse skills and talents which build a consummate craftsman. Within a short period of time, Jake landed the challenging lead role of Desire in an upcoming independent film titled "Choices." Described as "part snake oil salesman and circus leader with a mix of the devil," this multi-faceted, eclectic character twists and manipulates the mind of the man he inhabits. Jake completed the highly-anticipated Warner Bros. film Spring Breakdown (2009), with Saturday Night Live (1975) actor/writers Rachel Dratch and Amy Poehler. Art imitates life, as most recently, Jake starred as Clayton, the enigmatic spiritual meditation and yoga instructor in "Mystical Chairs." He also stars with Lance Henriksen and Edward Furlong in the upcoming supernatural horror/thriller titled Dark Reel (2008). Based on actual events, the film uncovers rare crime scene footage of the unpublicized 1958 murder of actress Scarlett May. Jake provides much of the film's comic relief with his portrayal of action-adventure thespian, Rhett Johnson. Jake continues to act, sing, write and study as well as participate in multiple sports. A yoga master, he enjoys leading others toward a path that is both physical and spiritual. Jake's excellent adventure continues, motivated by his sincere commitment to experience life with profound passion, energy and delight.