Jake Gyllenhaal

**Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal** (born December 19, 1980) is an Academy Award-nominated american actor. He has appeared in diverse roles since his first lead role in 1999's _October Sky_, followed by the 2001 cult hit _Donnie Darko_, in which he played a psychologically troubled teen and onscreen brother to his real-life sister, actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. In the 2004 blockbuster _The Day After Tomorrow_ he portrayed a student caught in a cataclysmic global cooling event, alongside Dennis Quaid as his father. He then played against type as a frustrated Marine in _Jarhead_ (2005). The same year, he won critical acclaim portraying a role that entered popular shorthand as a "gay cowboy" in the controversial but highly acclaimed film _Brokeback Mountain_.

## Early life

His mother is screenwriter Naomi Foner. His father is director Stephen Gyllenhaal, who was raised as a Swedenborgian, is of Swedish and English descent, and is a descendant of the Swedish noble Gyllenhaal family. Jake's last ancestor to be born in Sweden was his great-great-grandfather, Anders Leonard Gyllenhaal. Jake's mother is Jewish; she was born in New York City, to a family from Russia and Poland. Gyllenhaal has said that he considers himself Jewish. Gyllenhaal began acting at 11 years old.

## Filmography

|Year|Title|Role|
| --- | --- | --- |
|1991|_City Slickers_|Danny Robbins|
|1993|''Josh and S.A.M.|Leon|
|1999|_October Sky_|Homer Hickam Jr.|
|2001|_Donnie Darko_|Donald J. "Donnie" Darko|
|_Bubble Boy_|Jimmy Livingston||
|_Lovely & Amazing_|Jordan||
|2002|_Highway_|Pilot Kelson|
|_Moonlight Mile_|Joe Nast||
|_The Good Girl_|Thomas 'Holden' Worther||
|2003|_Abby Singer_|Himself (cameo)|
|2004|_The Day After Tomorrow_|Sam Hall|
|2005|_Brokeback Mountain_|Jack Twist|
|_Jarhead_|Anthony Swofford ("Swoff")||
|_Proof_|Harold 'Hal' Dobbs||
|2007|_Zodiac_|Robert Graysmith|
|_Rendition_|Douglas Freeman||
|2008|_Brothers_|TBA|
|2009|_Untitled Moon Project_||

## Awards

|Year|Group|Award|Result|Film|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|2002|Young Hollywood Awards|Breakthrough Performance - Male|Won||
|Independent Spirit Awards|Best Male Lead|Nominated|_Donnie Darko_||
|2003|Chlotrudis Awards|Best Actor|Won||
|DVD Exclusive Awards|DVD Premiere Award, Best Actor|Nominated|_Highway_||
|Teen Choice Awards|Choice Movie Breakout Star - Male|Nominated|_The Good Girl_||
|2005|National Board of Review|Best Supporting Actor|Won|_Brokeback Mountain_|
|2006|MTV Movie Awards|Best Performance|Won||
|Best Kiss|Won||||
|Screen Actors Guild|Best Supporting Actor|Nominated|||
|Best Ensemble|Nominated||||
|Critics' Choice Award|Best Supporting Actor|Nominated|||
|BAFTA|Best Supporting Actor|Won|||
|Academy Awards|Best Supporting Actor|Nominated|||
|Satellite Awards|Outstanding Supporting Actor|Nominated|||
|Outstanding Lead Actor|Nominated|_Jarhead_|||
|National Arts Awards|Young Artist Award for Artistic Excellence|Won|||

## Other websites

- Official website

## Infobox (person)

- **name**: Jake Gyllenhaal
- **image**: Jake_Gyllenhaal_Proof.jpg
- **imagesize**: 200px
- **caption**: Gyllenhaal attending the premiere of _Proof (2005 movie), Proof_.
- **birthname**: Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal
- **birth place**: Los Angeles, California, United States
- **occupation**: Actor
- **yearsactive**: 1991–present
- **nationality**: United States, American
- **parents**: Stephen Gyllenhaal
Naomi Foner Gylllenhaal
- **relatives**: Maggie Gyllenhaal (sister)
- **homepage**: [http://www.jakegyllenhaal.com JakeGyllenhaal.com]