Jacob Andres Batalon was born on 9 October 1996 in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Filipino parents Nestor Batalon and Vangie Andres. After high school, he briefly studied music theory at Kapi'olani Community College before dropping out, then applied on a whim to a two-year acting program at the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts and was accepted, prompting his move to New York City.

Shortly before graduating, he auditioned directly opposite Tom Holland for the role of Ned Leeds in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), the two hitting it off immediately, which launched his breakout career. He went on to reprise the role across Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), and Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026), losing 102 pounds for his appearance in No Way Home. Beyond the Spider-Man franchise, he starred as the title character in Syfy's dramedy series Reginald the Vampire (2022-2024), appeared in the Netflix film Let It Snow (2019), and played Roscoe Dixon in Novocaine (2025).