Jay was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and later relocated to Australia at the age of 19 to pursue his acting career.
Jay's early career in television saw him take on the role of Jack Scully in Network Ten's long-running series "Neighbours" and Seaman Billy 'Spider' Webb in the Nine Network's "Sea Patrol".
In addition to his work in television, Jay has also appeared in various film and television productions, including "Young Hercules", "Xena: Warrior Princess" with Lucy Lawless, "Superfire", "Being Eve", "Interrogation", "The Tribe", "You Wish", and the award-winning series "Offspring".
Jay's recent work includes starring in the critically acclaimed New Zealand series "Go Girls", and appearing in the US series "Terra Nova", executive produced by Steven Spielberg.
He has also starred alongside Kristen Kreuk from "Smallville" in the hit new CW series "Beauty and the Beast", which premiered in the US this fall.
On the big screen, Jay has been seen in Belinda Chayko's "Lou" with British legend John Hurt, and the AFTRS feature "The Rookie".
Jay has also appeared in several short films, including "Bleeders", "Mockingbird", and "Franswa Sharl", directed by Hannah Hilliard. "Franswa Sharl" won numerous awards, including the Crystal Bear for Best Short Film at the Berlin International Film Festival, the IF Media Award for Most Popular Film at the Flickerfest International Short Film Festival, and Best Australian Short Film at the Melbourne International Film Festival.
In addition to his work in film and television, Jay has also had a successful career in theatre. He has appeared in numerous productions, including an international tour with "Monty Python's" John Cleese in "Seven Ways To Skin an Ocelot".
Jay also starred in "The Packer", a one-man show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which went on to tour New Zealand, Australia, and Los Angeles. "The Packer" was nominated for Best International Contribution to Los Angeles Theatre at the 2011 Hollywood Fringe Festival.
In 2012, Jay began working with Academy Award-winning director Jane Campion on the BBC mini-series "Top Of The Lake", and was awarded "Best Actor" in New Zealand's 'Best On The Box' awards.
