Biography
Hawaiian actor Jacob Batalon broke out in 2017 when he played Ned Leeds in "Spider-Man: Homecoming" (2017). Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii to Filipino parents, Batalon never intended on becoming an actor as a young boy. He was drawn to performance, however, and after high school enrolled in a local community college in Hawaii to study music theory. Batalon's interest in the subject was fleeting, however, and he soon dropped out. Wanting to pursue a new subject in the performing arts, but unsure of which one, Batalon soon discovered a two-year acting program at the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. He applied to the program on a whim and was flabbergasted when he received word that he had been accepted. Batalon quickly packed his bags and moved to New York City, where it took him no time at all to fall in love with acting. Batalon studied intensely at the school over the next two years, and shortly before graduation was asked to audition for the role of Ned Leeds in the upcoming "Spider-Man" reboot. Batalon auditioned directly with Tom Holland, who was to play Spider-Man in the upcoming film, and the two clicked right away. He was then cast as Ned Leeds in the blockbuster reboot, which premiered in theaters in the summer of 2017. With his acting career hitting a high point relatively quickly, Batalon also nabbed parts in the films "Every Day" (2017) and "The True Don Quixote" (2018), the latter of which he played the legendary Sancho Panza.
