Jake Steinfeld (born February 21, 1958) is an American actor, fitness personality, entrepreneur, and producer. He develops businesses through the "Body by Jake" brand.
Early life
Born in the
Sea Gate neighborhood of
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, Steinfeld was raised in
Baldwin, New York
Baldwin is a town in Chemung County, New York, United States. The population was 818 at the 2020 census. The town name is derived from Thomas and Waterman Baldwin, two of the earliest settlers of the area. The town is east of Elmira. It is par ...
. He attended the
State University of New York College at Cortland
The State University of New York College at Cortland (SUNY Cortland or Cortland State College) is a public college in Cortland, New York. It was founded in 1868 and is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system.
History
The State U ...
before dropping out and moving to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
.
Career
Steinfeld develops brands and businesses as chairman and CEO of Body by Jake. Previously, Steinfeld created ''FitTV'', a 24-hour fitness lifestyle network, which he later sold to News Corp. Following the sale of FitTV, Steinfeld launched ExerciseTV, a fitness on-demand television network, with partners Comcast, New Balance, and Time Warner.
Steinfeld co-founded
Major League Lacrosse
Major League Lacrosse (MLL) was a men's field lacrosse league in the United States. The league's inaugural season was in 2001. Teams played anywhere from ten to 16 games in a summertime regular season. This was followed by a four-team playoff ...
(MLL), the first professional
outdoor lacrosse league, in 2001. MLL has six franchises in North America; the championship trophy is named the
Steinfeld Cup
The Steinfeld Trophy was a trophy given annually to the winners of the Major League Lacrosse
Major League Lacrosse (MLL) was a men's field lacrosse league in the United States. The league's inaugural season was in 2001. Teams played anywhere ...
.
Steinfeld is also the founder of the World Series of Youth Lacrosse which provides (U13) youth players a lacrosse experience like that of a professional. This event features teams from the U.S., Europe, Canada, Israel, Iroquois Nation and others competing to play in the championship game aired live on ESPN2 on the Fourth of July.
Teaming with
Universal Music Enterprises
Universal Music Enterprises (UME, stylized as UMe) is the catalogue division of Universal Music Group. It includes Hip-O Records, Universal Chronicles, and UM3 or UMC (which is the international division of the company). Under various divisions, ...
(UMe), a division of
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
, Steinfeld formed a music label called Body by Jake Music.
Steinfeld became chairman of the California Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports under Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
in 2006 and served until 2011 under Governor
Jerry Brown
Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. (born April 7, 1938) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 34th and 39th governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected Secretary of S ...
. He was named chairman of the National Foundation for Governors' Fitness Councils in 2012. Through the cooperation of public and private partnerships, the NFGFC rewards "Don't Quit" fitness centers to elementary and middle schools who show innovative ways to promote fitness and nutrition in their schools and communities across the United States.
Steinfeld was an official Olympic torch bearer for the
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, th ...
. He served as honorary mayor of
Pacific Palisades from 2013 to 2016.
Television and film
Steinfeld started as a
personal trainer
A personal trainer is an individual who creates and delivers safe and effective exercise programs for apparently healthy individuals and groups, or those with medical clearance to exercise. They motivate clients by collaborating to set goals, p ...
with clients including
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Sp ...
and
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. His films have grossed more than $5.4billion in North America and more than $9.3billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. He is the recipient o ...
, whom he trained for ''
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
''Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'' is a 1984 American action- adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. It is the second installment in the ''Indiana Jones'' franchise, and a prequel to the 1981 film '' Raiders of the Lost Ark'', ...
'' and ''
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
''Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'' is a 1989 American action- adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, from a story co-written by executive producer George Lucas. It is the third installment in the ''Indiana Jones'' franchise and a s ...
''.
Later, he starred on a sitcom on the
Family Channel called ''
Big Brother Jake
''Big Brother Jake'' is an American sitcom starring Jake Steinfeld that aired on The Family Channel from September 2, 1990 to April 10, 1994. It is notable for being the first sitcom on ''The Family Channel''.
Plot
The show follows the life of ...
''. Other television credits include ''
King of the Hill
''King of the Hill'' is an American animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It aired its original non-syndicated run from January 12, 1997, to September 13, 2009, and centers on the Hills, an Am ...
'', ''Movin' Mountains'', ''
Dream On'', ''
The Tracey Ullman Show'', ''
Shaping Up
''Shaping Up'' is an American sitcom created by writer-producers Sam Simon and Ken Estin, which ran for five weeks on ABC from March 20 until April 17, 1984.
Synopsis
A spring replacement in 1984, ''Shaping Up'', originally titled ''Welcome to ...
'' and ''
Simon & Simon
''Simon & Simon'' is an American crime drama television series that originally ran from November 24, 1981, to September 16, 1989. The series was broadcast on CBS, and starred Gerald McRaney and Jameson Parker as two disparate brothers who oper ...
''. In addition, Steinfeld appeared in the fourteenth season of ''
Hell's Kitchen
Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton, is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is considered to be bordered by 34th Street (or 41st Street) to the south, 59th Street to the north, Eighth Avenue to the ea ...
'' as a guest in episode 12's dinner service.
[
Steinfeld made his film debut in the 1979 film '']Americathon
''Americathon'' (also known as ''Americathon 1998'') is a 1979 American comedy film directed by Neal Israel and starring John Ritter, Fred Willard, Peter Riegert, Harvey Korman, and Nancy Morgan, with narration by George Carlin. It is based ...
''. He had the lead role of the killer in the early slasher
Slasher may refer to:
* Slasher (basketball), a style of play in basketball
* Slasher film, a subgenre of the horror film
* Slasher (tool), a scrub-clearing implement
* ''Slasher'' (2004 film), a 2004 documentary film
* ''Slasher'' (2007 film ...
film ''Home Sweet Home
Home Sweet Home may refer to:
Film
* Home, Sweet Home (1914 film), ''Home, Sweet Home'' (1914 film), a film about the life of John Howard Payne
* Home Sweet Home (1917 film), ''Home Sweet Home'' (1917 film), a British silent film
* Home Sweet ...
'' (1981). Other film roles include ''Cheech and Chong's Next Movie
''Cheech and Chong's Next Movie'' is a 1980 American comedy film directed by Tommy Chong and the second feature-length project by Cheech & Chong, following '' Up in Smoke'', released by Universal Pictures.
Plot
Cheech & Chong are on a mission ...
'' (1980), '' Into the Night'' (1985), ''The Money Pit
''The Money Pit'' is a 1986 American comedy
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, book ...
'' (1986), and ''Coming to America
''Coming to America'' is a 1988 American romantic comedy film directed by John Landis and based on a story originally created by Eddie Murphy, who also stars in the lead role. The film also co-stars Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, Shari Hea ...
'' (1988). He supplied the voice of Git, a lab rat in the Disney animated feature ''Ratatouille
Ratatouille ( , ), oc, ratatolha , is a French Provençal dish of stewed vegetables which originated in Nice, and is sometimes referred to as ''ratatouille niçoise'' (). Recipes and cooking times differ widely, but common ingredients include ...
'' and as the Fish Seller in the 2011 English version of '' From Up On Poppy Hill''.[
Steinfeld is executive producer of the film '']The Grizzlies
''The Grizzlies'' is a 2018 Canadian sports drama film, directed by Miranda de Pencier. Based on a true story, the film depicts a youth lacrosse team that was set up to help combat an onslaught of youth suicide in the community of Kugluktuk, Nu ...
'', which won the DGC award for Best Director in Feature Film as well as Audience Awards in Calgary, Minneapolis, and Palm Springs Film Festivals.
Writing
Steinfeld is a ''New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' and ''Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' best-selling author. He has authored and co-authored books including ''Body by Jake'' (1984); ''Don't Quit; Get Strong! Body by Jake's Guide to Building Confidence, Muscles and a Great Future for Teenage Guys'' (2002); ''I've Seen a Lot of Famous People Naked and They've Got Nothing on You!'' (2005); and ''Take A Shot!, A Remarkable Story of Perseverance, Friendship, and a Really Crazy Adventure'' (2012).
Personal life
Steinfeld and his wife have four children. He is of Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
descent and is the uncle of actress/singer Hailee Steinfeld
Hailee Steinfeld (born December 11, 1996) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Peabody Award, and nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award.
S ...
.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
* Hause, Irene . (1981, July)
Jake Steinfeld: Movie-Makin’ Muscleman
''Muscle & Bodybuilder, 3''(11), pp. 14–18, 54. (Retrieved November 16, 2008.)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Steinfeld, Jake
1958 births
American exercise instructors
Jewish American male actors
Living people
Major League Lacrosse
People from Baldwin, Nassau County, New York
People from Sea Gate, Brooklyn
State University of New York at Cortland alumni
21st-century American Jews