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EARLY LIFE

Jake Gyllenhaal

Born Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal in Los Angeles, California, on 19th December, 1980, Jake is the youngest of two children to screenwriter Naomi Foner and director Stephen Gyllenhaal. His parents’ respective careers ensured Jake and his sister Maggie were frequently surrounded by filmmakers and both children developed an early interest in acting. Jake made his film debut at the age of 11; appearing opposite Billy Crystal in City Slickers in 1991. Jake made infrequent film appearances throughout his early teens, with roles in the family productions A Dangerous Woman, which was written by his mother and directed by his father, and the children’s film Josh and S.A.M. in 1993. His parents were keen that he experience a normal childhood however and encouraged him to take up working-class summer jobs and concentrate on his education. Jake attended Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, graduating in 1998, and enrolled at Columbia University to study Eastern religions before dropping out two years later after some early acting success.

FIRST SUCCESS AND INDEPENDENT BREAKTHROUGH

Jake’s first film appearance after graduating from high school was in the independent comedy Homegrown in 1998 but his first taste of critical success came a year later with a starring role in Joe Johnston’s October Sky, a drama based on the true story of NASA engineer Homer Hickham Jr. His breakthrough was soon to follow when he was cast in Richard Kelly’s Donnie Darko in 2001. The film was a cult smash; earning rave reviews and a host of nominations including an Independent Spirit Award award for Best Male Lead. The film made Jake a cult star and he followed it with more-acclaimed performances in high-profile independent features including The Good Girl (2002) with Jennifer Aniston, and Moonlight Mile with Dustin Hoffman (2002). Shortly afterwards Jake made his stage debut appearing in a West End production of This Is Our Youth in the same year. Jake’s acting talent would soon see him headlining big budget blockbusters, with the actor making the leap from independent favorite to box office star two years later with a role in Roland Emmerich’s disaster film The Day After Tomorrow (2004).

BOX OFFICE STAR

That film proved to be a worldwide hit, grossing over $500 million dollars, and Jake soon found himself one of Hollywood’s most sought after young actors; quickly exchanging independent dramas for big budget studio productions. A year later he would seal his A-list status with a highly acclaimed performance in Ang Lee’s romantic drama Brokeback Mountain (2005). Starring opposite Heath Ledger as a homosexual cowboy, Jake was praised for his depiction of a man struggling to come to terms with his sexual orientation, earning an Oscar nomination and a BAFTA award for his performance. More acclaimed turns would follow with Jake appearing in films by such celebrated auteurs as Sam Mendes and David Fincher, in Jarhead (2005) and Zodiac (2007) respectively. Jake has continued to balance challenging dramatic roles with more mass market blockbuster fare having recently starred in Brothers (2009), action blockbuster Prince of Persia (2010), and the romantic comedy Love and Other Drugs (2011) for which he earned a Golden Globe nomination. He can currently be seen headlining sci-fi thriller Source Code (2011).

Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain

POLITICAL ACTIVISM

A democrat, Jake campaigned for John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election, and counts former president Bill Clinton as a friend of his parents. His political views have also affected his film choices with the actor appearing in war drama Rendition in 2007, which publicly criticized the American military’s terrorist interrogation methods. He frequently campaigns to raise awareness for environmental issues such as climate change and the Future Forests program.

PERSONAL LIFE

A close friend of Brokeback Mountain co-stars Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams, Jake is godfather to their daughter, Mathilda. He briefly shunned the limelight after Heath’s tragic death and was said to have been devastated by the loss of his friend. Jake has had several high-profile relationships having dated actresses Reese Witherspoon and Kirsten Dunst for over 2 years, and has more recently been romantically linked to Natalie Portman and Taylor Swift. He is currently represented by Creative Artists Agency.

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