Although his parents made their living in showbiz, his director father and screenwriter mother were cautious when a young Gyllenhaal expressed an interest in acting, forbidding him to take a role in 1992's
The Mighty Ducks because it required a long location shoot. Still, the budding thespian played a handful of small roles, sometimes in his parents' projects, before making his leading-man debut in the 1999 family drama
October Sky. 2001 was his breakthrough year, with standout turns in a pair of indie films: a haunted adolescent in the cult classic
Donnie Darko and a gawky teen in love with an older woman in
Lovely & Amazing, a performance he more or less repeated the next year opposite Jennifer Aniston in
The Good Girl. With his brooding intensity and penchant for offbeat characterizations, he quickly established himself as a first-rate actor. Even his starring role in the bloated 2004 action blockbuster
The Day After Tomorrow and high-profile romance with starlet Kirsten Dunst couldn't tarnish his serious image. In 2005 he continued his streak of thoughtful performances and earned his first Oscar nomination as a gay cowboy in
Brokeback Mountain.
Jake Gyllenhaal Fast Facts:
- Early on, he appeared in two movies directed by his father, Stephen Gyllenhaal: A Dangerous Woman (1993), which was also scripted by his mother, Naomi Foner, and Homegrown (1998).
- Family friend Paul Newman gave him his first driving lesson at age 15.
- His real-life sister Maggie Gyllenhaal played his on-screen sister in Donnie Darko (2001).
- Appeared on the London stage in 2002 opposite Anna Paquin and Hayden Christensen in This Is Our Youth.
- Supports Rock the Vote and the American Civil Liberties Union, among other causes.
- Jake Gyllenhaal Relationships:
- Jamie Lee Curtis - Godparent
- Kirsten Dunst - Ex-significant Other
- Maggie Gyllenhaal - Sister
- Matlida Rose Ledger - Godchild
- Naomi Foner - Mother
- Ramona Sarsgaard - Niece
- Reese Witherspoon - Significant Other
- Stephen Gyllenhaal - Father
- Jake Gyllenhaal Awards:
- 2005 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role - Nominee
- College:
- Attended Columbia University, New York, NY
