Jake Picking
Born
Erlangen, Germany
OccupationActor
Years active2013–present

Jake Picking is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Rock Hudson in the Netflix series Hollywood (2020), created by Ryan Murphy.[1] He is also known for playing the role of Sean Collier in Patriots Day (2016), and appearing in Top Gun: Maverick (2022).[2][3][4] In 2022, he starred as young Gerald Ford in the Showtime series The First Lady.

Biography

Jake Picking was born in Germany, where his father, a member of the United States Army from West Point, was stationed (though some claim he was born in Massachusetts). He grew up in Wellesley, Massachusetts.[5] At New York University, Picking was a winger on the New York ice hockey team.[6] He dropped out of business school after a year because he was more interested in acting and student film projects.[7] As an ice hockey player, Picking appeared in an NHL commercial before his acting career.[6]

Picking's high school math teacher encouraged him to try out acting, and he took lessons with Carolyn Pickman, a casting agent who also represented Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.

Picking finally began attending auditions in Boston,[5] in 2013 he made his feature film debut with a role in the youth film The Way, Way Back with Steve Carell. This was followed by guest appearances in the series Ironside (2013) and Chasing Life (2014). To start a professional acting career, he moved to Los Angeles, where he initially studied old Hollywood films with stars such as James Dean, Paul Newman, Marlon Brando or Montgomery Clift in his one-room apartment out of loneliness. He preferred moving to the West Coast to a possible acting course at the NYU Tisch School of the Arts, although he had no contacts whatsoever in Los Angeles.[7]

In the next years Picking was regularly in movie productions but mostly subscribed to support roles. In 2016, he was part of the ensemble of the drama Goat,[8] which deals with physical and psychological violence in the American college fraternity landscape. In the role of the sadistic oath master Dixon, Picking tormented Brett, played by Nick Jonas. In the same year he appeared in the thriller Patriots Day,[3] which dramatizes the attack on the Boston Marathon. Here he played the part of policeman Sean Collier, who is shot by the bombers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev (played by Alex Wolff and Themo Melikidze).

In 2022, Picking appeared in the Top Gun sequel Top Gun: Maverick[7] as Lt. Brigham "Harvard" Lennox.

Filmography

Film

Key
† Denotes works that have not yet been released
Year Title Role Notes
2013 The Way, Way Back Chad
2016 Dirty Grandpa Cody [9]
Goat Dixon Rowley [8]
Patriots Day Sean Collier [3]
2017 Only the Brave Anthony Rose [10]
2018 Blockers Kyler [11]
Sicario: Day of the Soldado Shawn [12]
2020 Horse Girl Brian [13]
2022 Spin Me Round Jake [14]
Top Gun: Maverick Lieutenant Brigham "Harvard" Lennox [7]
The Greatest Beer Run Ever Rick Duggan [15]

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2013 Ironside Nate Pilot
2014 Salvation Noah Thompson TV movie
2014 Chasing Life Sean 2 episodes
2020 Hollywood Rock Hudson Main role[16]
2022 The First Lady Gerald Ford (young)[17] 2 episodes

References

  1. ^ Petski, Denise; Andreeva, Nellie (2019-09-27). "'Hollywood': Dylan McDermott, Samara Weaving, Jim Parsons, Maude Apatow & Joe Mantello Among Netflix Series Cast Additions". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  2. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2018-10-03). "'Top Gun: Maverick' Sets Final Seven For Cast, Including Kara Wang As A Pilot". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  3. ^ a b c Sweeney, Emily (2016-05-05). "Jake Picking joins 'Patriots Day' cast". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
  4. ^ Cappadona, Bryanna (2016-05-05). "Boston Marathon bombings movie casts actors for MIT Officer Sean Collier, Tamerlan Tsarnaev's wife". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2018-03-07.
  5. ^ a b "Rock-solid Jake Picking's journey from Boston to 'Hollywood'". Boston Herald. 2020-04-30. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  6. ^ a b Janes, DeAnna (2020-05-01). "Jake Picking Felt Rock Hudson's Presence on the Set of "Hollywood"". Oprah Magazine. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  7. ^ a b c d "Hollywood's Jake Picking on Playing Beefcakes, Receiving "Cruise Cakes"". W Magazine | Women's Fashion & Celebrity News. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  8. ^ a b Jaafar, Ali (2016-02-15). "'Goat' Clip: Nick Jonas Gives Breakthrough Performance In Frat Hazing Drama- Berlin". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  9. ^ "Jake Picking: 9 facts about the Hollywood actor you need to know". PopBuzz. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
  10. ^ "Josh Brolin, Miles Teller Head Up Cast That Retells Tragic Story of Heroism in 'Only the Brave'". Front Row Features. 2017-10-17. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  11. ^ "Jake Picking: Movies, Photos, Videos, News, Biography & Birthday | eTimes". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  12. ^ Clair, Josh St (2020-05-05). "'Hollywood' Star Jake Picking Had the Same Boston Teacher as Matt Damon and Ben Affleck". Men's Health. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  13. ^ "Jake Picking has a love for rapping as well as acting". PopBuzz. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  14. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (2021-05-06). "Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, Alessandro Nivola Top Ensemble Comedy 'Spin Me Round' From Limelight & Duplass Brothers". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  15. ^ Grobar, Matt (September 28, 2021). "'The Greatest Beer Run Ever': Peter Farrelly's Apple Original Adds Jake Picking, Will Ropp, Archie Renaux And Kyle Allen".
  16. ^ Janes, DeAnna (2020-05-01). "Jake Picking Felt Rock Hudson's Presence on the Set of "Hollywood"". Oprah Magazine. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  17. ^ Petski, Denise (March 10, 2021). "'The First Lady': Aya Cash, Jake Picking, Ben Cook Among 8 Cast In Showtime Anthology Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 10, 2021.

External links

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