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Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal (the Anglicized pronunciation is Jill-en-hall, although in Swedish it is pronounced Yull-en-hall). (born December 19, 1980 in Los Angeles, California) is an American film actor. Gyllenhaal is often considered to be one of the most promising actors of his generation.

Family background

Jake is the son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and producer/screenwriter Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal, and the brother of actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, who also played his sister in Donnie Darko. The siblings also worked together in the film A Dangerous Woman. His father is of partial Swedish heritage and his mother is Jewish of Ashkenazi heritage. His mother's brother, Eric Foner, is a well known American historian at Columbia University. His father's family is descended from the Swedish noble Gyllenhaal family. Jake graduated from the Harvard-Westlake School in 1998 and studied at Columbia for two years, but dropped out to concentrate on his acting career.

Acting career

Gyllenhaal made his film debut in City Slickers (1991) and began to establish himself as an up-and-coming actor in such films as October Sky (1999) before being cast in the title role in Donnie Darko (2001), for which he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for best actor. Gyllenhaal's performance as a troubled schizophrenic won him excellent reviews and the film quickly acquired cult status. He played opposite Jennifer Aniston in another Sundance favourite in 2002's The Good Girl and once again earned good reviews. Gyllenhaal also starred in the Walt Disney 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 the science fiction movie, The Day After Tomorrow (2004), which also starred Dennis Quaid. The movie was considered a commentary on the possible effects of global warming, if they are continued to be ignored.

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

Gyllenhaal's performance in Jarhead (2005) came as a surprise to critics and fans alike. Gyllenhaal played against type, displaying a markedly hostile masculinity as a violent Marine Corps soldier during Gulf War I, while balancing this with the sensitive, vulnerable qualities of the lead character. Gyllenhaal was reportedly paid $6,000,000 for his role in Jarhead.

Brokeback Mountain (2005), which stars Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, won the coveted Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival 2005, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Picture-Drama. When asked for his thoughts on playing a character who falls in love with another man, Gyllenhaal showed comfort with his own same-sex attractions by openly stating every man goes through a period of questioning attractions for other men. However, he later told Details magazine, "I'm open to whatever people want to call me. I've never really been attracted to men sexually, but I don't think I would be afraid of it if it happened."

On January 5, 2006 Jake was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award in the category of Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Brokeback Mountain.

Gyllenhaal has strongly criticized director Ang Lee's style of directing during the filming of the movie, stating that Lee often shunned him and Heath Ledger, purposely making them feel uncomfortable. "It was really hard for us," Gyllenhaal was quoted as saying. "Ang disengages with his actors as we start filming. As soon you start shooting he backs off; he just doesn't do anything with you. You're just alone." However, Gyllenhaal also states that the success of Brokeback Mountain is largely due to Lee's unique style of directing.

When asked about the kissing scenes with Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain, Gyllenhaal stated that "As an actor, I think we need to embrace the times we feel most uncomfortable."

Private life

Gyllenhaal has an "on-again, off-again" relationship with actress Kirsten Dunst. The two lived together briefly, but continue to appear together in public. Jake is friends with Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine, and the two have known each other since kindergarten. He has a German Shepherd named "Atticus" and a Puggle named "Boo Radley", named after characters from the novel To Kill a Mockingbird.

Enjoys cooking and "woodwork".

Fans of Gyllenhaal refer to themselves as "Gyllenhaalics".

Trivia

Gyllenhaal and his sister Maggie appeared on an episode of Molto Mario (an Italian cooking show on Food Network featuring Chef Mario Batali) apparently as regular guests and friends rather than celebrities. Jake asked many questions.

Selected filmography

External links

• "Jake's official place in cyberspace"
• I Heart Jake Newspaper (subsection of fansite iheartjake.com) comprehensive, up-to-date collection of Jake Gyllenhaal-based news, interviews and media reports
• A timeline of his life
• Fan site
• Article on Jake Gyllenhaal fashion sense
• Jake Gyllenhaal at the Internet Movie Database

• 1980 births
• Jewish American actors
• Swedish-Americans
• Living people