Jake Macapagal was born in Manila, Philippines. He moved to Germany at the age of 27 and lived in Europe for 10 years. He is an actor coach and has been in charge of actor training since 2009. He continued his studies at the National Institute of Drama in Sydney in 2010 to obtain a certificate.

He has acted in many local and international theatre productions for over 35 years. In 2007, he collaborated with film students and helped them defend their thesis, which led him to direct his first acting reel. Jake eventually became active in the independent film industry in Manila.

Jake Macapagal was nominated at the British Independent Film Awards as the Most Promising Newcomer for 2013 for the BAFTA nominated film “Metro Manila”.