Jay Footlik was born as Jay Kerry Footlik on October 19, 1965 in Skokie, Illinois. His first professional theatrical appearance was in Studs Terkel's "Working," adapted and directed by Stephen Schwartz at The Goodman Theatre in Chicago. He went on to appear in numerous Chicago productions at Marriott's Lincolnshire Theatre, Second City and others. Jay has appeared on screen in Teen Wolf (1985), Iron Eagle (1986) and Redemption Day (2021); and on television in Chicago Story (1982), The Judge (1986) and Dig (2015). Off screen, Jay served as Special Assistant to President Clinton at the White House and senior Middle East advisor to John Kerry. Jay is the father of three daughters and resides in suburban Washington, DC.