| Jeff Rake | |
| Birth Name: | Jeffrey Paul Rake |
| Birth Date: | June 19, 1966 |
| Birth Place: | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Alma Mater: | Columbia University (BA) UC Berkeley School of Law (JD) |
| Occupation: | Television showrunner, producer |
| Years Active: | 2000–present |
| Known For: | Co-creating Manifest and The Mysteries of Laura |
Jeffrey Paul Rake[1] is an American television producer and writer. He is known for his work on Boston Legal and creating the NBC shows Manifest, The Mysteries of Laura and Miss Match.[2]
Rake was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Encino, Los Angeles.[3] He attended Harvard-Westlake School and graduated from Columbia University in 1990.[4] [5] He was the president of Columbia College Student Council during his senior year.[6] At Columbia, he was also a classmate of television producer Gina Fattore and Academy Award-winning film producer Dede Gardner.[7]
He received a J.D. degree from UC Berkeley School of Law, where he was a finalist in the James Patterson McBaine Honors Moot Court Competition and an executive editor of the California Law Review.[8] [9]
After graduating from law school, Rake clerked for two federal judges and joined one of L.A.'s top law firms. During his tenure as a lawyer, he took a leave of absence and wrote the musical Hound Dog: A hip hOpera, an alternative history of Elvis Presley starring Wayne Brady.[10] The play premiered in 1996 in Los Angeles.
Rake then entered the television business and co-created the Fox series The Street in 2000. He then put his legal knowledge to work by writing and producing episodes of Boston Legal and The Practice. He co-wrote the pilot for Boston Legal, co-created the series Miss Match and The Mysteries of Laura.[11]
In 2017, he created Manifest. The show was initially cancelled, but was picked up by Netflix and became the third show to reach 100 days in Netflix's Top 10 charts.[12] In August 2021, the show was renewed for a fourth season.[13] [14]
Los Angeles Times called him a member of the "Ex-Lawyers Club," a group of television showrunners, producers, and writers who were once lawyers before switching careers and joining the entertainment industry. Other ex-lawyers named by the Times were David E. Kelley, Carol Mendelsohn, Richard Appel, and Stephen Engel.[15]
Rake is married to Paulette Light, executive director of the Charles Bronfman prize, who he met in college.[16]
| Title | Screenwriter | Executive producer | Creator | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–2001 | The Street | Rake's television debut, wrote 4 episodes | |||
| 2003 | Miss Match | Wrote 6 episodes | |||
| 2004 | Boston Legal | Co-wrote pilot episode | |||
| 2008 | Cashmere Mafia | Wrote 1 episode | |||
| 2013–2014 | The Tomorrow People | Wrote 6 episodes | |||
| 2014–2016 | The Mysteries of Laura | Wrote 9 episodes | |||
| 2018–2023 | Manifest | Wrote 10 episodes | |||