Jacob Benjamin "Jake" Gyllenhaal (born December 19, 1980) is an Academy Award-nominated and BAFTA Award-winning American actor.

Biography

Early life

Jake was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and producer/screenwriter Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal (née Achs). Gyllenhaal's father was raised in the Swedenborgian religion and is a descendant of the Swedish noble Gyllenhaal family; his last Swedish ancestor was his great-great-grandfather, Anders Leonard Gyllenhaal.^[1] His mother is from a New York City Jewish American family; she is the ex-wife of Eric Foner, a history professor at Columbia University. His sister Maggie Gyllenhaal is also an actress. Jake was raised Jewish and had a bar mitzvah at a homeless shelter, as his parents wanted to instill a sense of gratitude for his privileged lifestyle.^[2]

He graduated from the Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles in 1998, then attended Columbia University for two years, studying Eastern religions, but dropped out to concentrate on his acting career.

Career

Jake Gyllenhaal made his film debut at age eleven in City Slickers (1991), as Billy Crystal's character's son, and although cast in other films, his most notable success had been in October Sky (1999), before being cast in the title role in Donnie Darko (2001), for which he was nominated for a Best Actor Independent Spirit Award. Jake's performance as a troubled psychotic won him excellent reviews and the film quickly acquired cult status.

Jake also played opposite Jennifer Aniston in another Sundance favourite in 2002's The Good Girl, having previously earned critical acclaim for his role in Lovely and Amazing with Catherine Keener. In both films, he plays an unstable character who begins a reckless affair with an older woman. Jake also starred in the Touchstone Pictures romantic comedy Bubble Boy. Loosely based on the story of David Vetter, the film portrays the title character's adventure outside the confines of his bubble as he goes after the woman he loves before she marries the wrong man. He also starred in blockbuster The Day After Tomorrow (2004), which co-starred Dennis Quaid as his father.

Marking his theatre debut, he appeared on the London stage with a starring role in Kenneth Lonergan's revival of This is Our Youth^[3]. The play, which had been a critical sensation on Broadway, ran for eight weeks in London's West End. For his role, Jake received an Evening Standard Theatre Award in the category of "Outstanding Newcomer."^[4]

His sister Maggie played his on-screen sister in Donnie Darko, as well as appearing with him in A Dangerous Woman, which their father directed. In that film, which starred Debra Winger and Barbara Hershey, Jake was credited as "Jacob Gyllenhaal". With their mother, both Jake and Maggie appeared on two episodes of Molto Mario (an Italian cooking show on the Food Network featuring Chef Mario Batali).

In Jarhead (2005), however, Jake played against his previous roles of sensitive but slightly disturbed young man, displaying a markedly hostile masculinity as a violent Marine during the first Gulf War. The public reaction to this however, was muted due to Jake's simultaneous appearance in Brokeback Mountain.

Brokeback Mountain (2005), which stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger as two sheep herders who secretly fall in love in the 1960s, won the coveted Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival (2005). The film went on to win four Golden Globes, four BAFTA Awards and three Academy Awards. Jake himself was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Supporting Actor for his performance, but lost to George Clooney. He also won the Best Supporting Actor BAFTA for the same role and received a Best Supporting Actor nomination and Best Film Ensemble nomination from the Screen Actors Guild. Shortly after the 2006 Academy Awards, Jake was invited to join the Academy, in recognition of his acting career.

Jake expressed some mixed feelings about the experience of being directed by Ang Lee on Brokeback Mountain, but overall has had more praise than criticism for his directing style. While he has had complaints about the way in which Lee tends to disconnect with his actors once filming has begun, he has also had much praise for other aspects of his filmmaking style, especially the in-depth preparations that Lee makes with the actors before filming begins, and the sensitivity with which he approaches the material in the film. At the Director's Guild of America awards on January 28, 2006, Jake also praised Lee for "his humbleness and his respect for everyone around him."^{[citation needed]}

When asked about the kissing scenes with Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain, Jake stated that "As an actor, I think we need to embrace the times we feel most uncomfortable." He also commented that "I've never really been attracted to men sexually, but I don't think I would be afraid of it if it happened."^[5]

Jake has been mentioned to star in The Space Between, a comedy about a young A&R music executive who is ordered to drop an aging rock star from the record's label. He is also rumored to be in the running to star in The Green Hornet, an action movie about the exploits of newspaper publisher Britt Reid, whose secret identity is The Green Hornet, a crime fighter dedicated to protecting the lives and rights of the city's citizens. Both projects are still in development."^[6]

Jake has also been recently confirmed to play Lance Armstrong in a biopic of his life. ^[7]

Personal life

Jake Gyllenhaal dated Rilo Kiley singer Jenny Lewis in 2001. But his most notable relationship has been with actress Kirsten Dunst. Introduced through his sister, the two began dating in September 2002 and were reported to have officially broken up in July 2004; however, the relationship remained off and on up until December 2005. Together they own a German Shepherd named Atticus Finch, whom they rescued from a dog shelter. Jake also owns a Puggle named Boo Radley. Both dogs are named after characters from the Harper Lee novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, one of Jake's favourite novels.

Jake has encountered internet blog gossip^[8] about his relationship with friend Austin Nichols^[9] one of his co-stars from The Day After Tomorrow.

Jake has been linked to several famous women including Natalie Portman and Olympic medalist Gretchen Bleiler^[10].

Jake's sister Maggie Gyllenhaal is engaged to actor Peter Sarsgaard, Jake's co-star in Jarhead, and they announced in April 2006 that they are expecting their first child in October.

His godmother is Jamie Lee Curtis

He is the godfather of Matilda Rose Ledger, the daughter of Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams, both of whom co-starred with him in Brokeback Mountain.

Jake Gyllenhaal, who is internationally viewed as a sex symbol, was officially made so when he made the list of People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People 2006" Issue^[11]. He also made the list of People`s Hottest Bachelors of 2006^[12].

Selected filmography

Awards

References

External links

Interviews

• USA Weekend interview (October 30, 2005)
• Netribution interview
• Jake Gyllenhaal Interview, BrokeBack Mountain
• Details Interview
• Guardian Interview

Websites

• JakeGyllenhaal.com - Official site
• Official E-group
• IMDB- Internet Movie Database