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Jake Gyllenhaal

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   Jake Gyllenhaal
   Jake Gyllenhaal at Martha's Vineyard, 2006.
   Birth name    Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal
   Born          December 19, 1980
                 Los Angeles, California
   Height        6' (1.83 m)
   Official site JakeGyllenhaal.com

   Jacob Benjamin "Jake" Gyllenhaal (born December 19, 1980) is an
   American actor. The son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter
   Naomi Foner, Gyllenhaal began acting at age eleven, and his short
   career has seen performances in diverse roles. He has received an
   Academy Award nomination and won a British Academy of Film and
   Television Arts Award.

   Gyllenhaal's most notable film appearances began with 2001's cult hit
   Donnie Darko, in which he played a troubled schizophrenic. In the 2004
   blockbuster The Day After Tomorrow, he portrayed a student caught in a
   cataclysmic global cooling event. He played against type as an angry
   Marine in Jarhead (2005) and, that same year, he won critical acclaim
   as a " gay cowboy" in the controversial film Brokeback Mountain.

   Gyllenhaal has taken an activist role in supporting political and
   social causes. He appeared in Rock the Vote advertising, campaigned for
   the Democratic party in the 2004 election, and has promoted
   environmental causes and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Biography

Early life and education

   Gyllenhaal was born in Los Angeles, California, to film director
   Stephen Gyllenhaal and film producer and screenwriter Naomi 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.
   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.
   Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jake's sister, is also an actress. Gyllenhaal was
   raised in the Jewish faith, and his Bar Mitzvah took place at a
   homeless shelter because his parents wanted to instill in him a sense
   of gratitude for his privileged lifestyle. Gyllenhaal's parents
   insisted that he had summer jobs to support himself, and he worked as a
   lifeguard and busboy at a restaurant operated by a friend of the
   family.

Early career

   During his childhood, Gyllenhaal was regularly exposed to the film
   industry due to his family's deep ties to the trade. As an
   eleven-year-old, he was cast alongside Billy Crystal for his film debut
   in the 1991 film City Slickers. His parents, however did not
   subsequently allow him to appear in the 1992 film The Mighty Ducks,
   because it would have required him to be away from home for two months.
   In ensuing years, although his parents allowed him to audition for
   parts, they regularly forbade him to take them if he was chosen.

   An exception to this was if Gyllenhaal were to appear in one of his
   father's own films, and Stephen cast his son several times during his
   early career. Gyllenhaal appeared in the 1993 film A Dangerous Woman
   (along with his sister Maggie), in a 1994 episode of Homicide: Life on
   the Street, and in the 1998 comedy Homegrown. Along with their mother,
   Jake and Maggie appeared in two episodes of Molto Mario, an Italian
   cooking show on the Food Network. Prior to his senior year in high
   school, the only other film not directed by his father in which
   Gyllenhaal was allowed to perform was Josh and S.A.M., a little-known
   children's adventure.

   Gyllenhaal graduated from the Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles in
   1998, and then attended Columbia University (which his sister and
   mother also attended) to study Eastern religions and philosophy.
   Gyllenhaal dropped out after two years to concentrate on his acting
   career. He has stated that he hopes to return to school one day to
   finish his degree. Gyllenhaal's first lead role was in October Sky, Joe
   Johnston's 1999 adaptation of the Homer Hickam autobiography "Rocket
   Boys." He portrayed a young man struggling to win a science scholarship
   to avoid becoming a miner. The film earned $32 million and was
   described in the Sacramento News and Review as Gyllenhaal's "breakout
   performance".

Critical success

   Donnie Darko, Gyllenhaal's second major film, was not a box office
   success upon its release in 2001, but became a cult favorite with fans.
   The film, directed by Richard Kelly, is set in 1988 and stars
   Gyllenhaal as a troubled teenager who, after narrowly escaping death,
   experiences visions of a 6-foot-tall rabbit named Frank that tells him
   that the world is coming to an end. Gyllenhaal's performance was
   received well by critics. Dan Kois, writing in Salon.com, claimed that
   "Gyllenhaal manages the difficult trick of seeming both blandly normal
   and profoundly disturbed, often within the same scene".

   After the critical success of Donnie Darko, Gyllenhaal`s next role was
   as the lead character in 2002's Highway, a film ignored by audiences
   and critics alike. Gyllenhaal's performance was described by one critic
   as "silly, cliched and straight to video." Gyllenhaal had more success
   starring opposite Jennifer Aniston in The Good Girl, which premiered at
   the 2002 Sundance Film Festival; he also starred in Lovely & Amazing
   with Catherine Keener. In both films, he plays an unstable character
   who begins a reckless affair with an older woman. Gyllenhaal later
   described these as "teenager in transition" roles. Gyllenhaal later
   starred in the Touchstone Pictures romantic comedy Bubble Boy, which
   was loosely based on the story of David Vetter. The film portrays the
   title character's adventures as he pursues the love of his life before
   she marries the wrong man. The film was panned by critics, with one
   calling it an "empty-headed, chaotic, utterly tasteless atrocity".

   Following Bubble Boy, Gyllenhaal appeared in Moonlight Mile, starring
   opposite Dustin Hoffman and Susan Sarandon, as a young man coping with
   the death of his fiancée and the grief of her parents. The story is
   loosely based on writer/director Brad Silberling's personal
   experiences. It received mixed reviews from critics.

   Gyllenhaal was almost cast as Spider-Man after Tobey Maguire injured
   his back while filming the sequel. Maguire recovered, however, and the
   sequel was shot without Gyllenhaal. Instead, Gyllenhaal starred in the
   blockbuster The Day After Tomorrow in 2004, co-starring 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.
   Gyllenhaal said, "every actor I look up to has done theatre work, so I
   knew I had to give it a try." The play, which had been a critical
   sensation on Broadway, ran for eight weeks in London's West End. For
   his role, Gyllenhaal received favorable critical reviews and an Evening
   Standard Theatre Award in the category "Outstanding Newcomer".

Brokeback Mountain and the future

   2005 was a very prolific year for Gyllenhaal, with the actor starring
   in Proof, Jarhead, and Brokeback Mountain -- all three becoming
   critically-praised fims. In Proof, featuring Gwyneth Paltrow and
   Anthony Hopkins, Gyllenhaal plays a math major who tries to convince
   Paltrow's character to publish a solution to a problem puzzling the
   mathematical community. In Jarhead, Gyllenhaal played against his
   previous roles—where he was often a sensitive but slightly disturbed
   young man—by displaying an aggressive masculinity as a violent US
   Marine during the first Gulf War. The public reaction to this film was
   muted due to Gyllenhaal's simultaneous appearance in Brokeback
   Mountain. Sam Mendes, who directed Jarhead, said, "He entered at a
   young age, and he's a good-looking boy, and he's got showbiz family and
   all that kind of stuff, and he's come up sensing that that was always
   where he was going to go. But he felt, on some level, that he hadn't
   earned it. And he wanted to earn it. He wanted to work, and he wanted
   to explore himself. And I couldn't be more excited about the
   performance he gives".

   Brokeback Mountain, which starred Gyllenhaal, after overcoming initial
   reluctance and Heath Ledger as two sheep herders who secretly fall in
   love in the 1960s, won the Golden Lion prize at the Venice Film
   Festival. The film went on to win four Golden Globe Awards, four BAFTA
   Awards, and three Academy Awards. Gyllenhaal was nominated for an
   Academy Award in the category of Best Supporting Actor for his
   performance, but lost to George Clooney. Gyllenhaal 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, Gyllenhaal was
   invited to join the Academy in recognition of his acting career. Most
   recently, Gyllenhaal was awarded the 2006 Young Artist Award for
   Artistic Excellence by The Americans for the Arts National Arts Awards
   for his role.

   Gyllenhaal expressed some mixed feelings about the experience of being
   directed by Ang Lee in Brokeback Mountain, but overall had more praise
   than criticism for Lee's directing style. While having complaints about
   the way Lee tended to disconnect with his actors once filming began,
   Gyllenhaal praised Lee's encouragement and direction of the actors, and
   the director's sensitive approach toward the material in the film. At
   the Directors Guild of America Awards on January 28, 2006, Gyllenhaal
   also praised Lee for "his humbleness and his respect for everyone
   around him."

   When asked about his kissing scenes with Heath Ledger in Brokeback
   Mountain, Gyllenhaal stated, "As an actor, I think we need to embrace
   the times we feel most uncomfortable" and when asked about the more
   intimate scenes with Ledger Gyllenhaal stated he approached them "like
   doing a love scene with a woman I'm not particularly attracted to".
   Following the release of Brokeback Mountain, rumors circulated
   regarding the actor's sexual orientation. When asked about such gossip
   during an interview, Gyllenhaal said:


   Jake Gyllenhaal

    You know it's flattering when there's a rumor that says I'm bisexual.
    It means I can play more kinds of roles. 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.


   Jake Gyllenhaal

   Also in 2005, Gyllenhaal narrated the short animated film The Man Who
   Walked Between the Towers, based on Mordicai Gerstein`s book of the
   same name about Philippe Petit's famous stunt. Gyllenhaal's current
   project is the upcoming movie Zodiac, directed by David Fincher and
   based on a true story. He plays Robert Graysmith, a San Francisco
   Chronicle cartoonist and author of two books about the Zodiac serial
   killer.

   There are indications that Gyllenhaal will 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 fictional newspaper publisher Britt Reid, whose secret
   identity is " The Green Hornet", a crime fighter dedicated to
   protecting his city's citizens. Both projects are still in development.
   It was confirmed that Gyllenhaal was to play Lance Armstrong in a
   biopic of his life, but Gyllenhaal's agents have denied any involvement
   in the project. On September 26, 2006 he was announced to play in the
   movie Rendition, a thriller that takes place in the Middle East.
   Gyllenhaal will star alongside Reese Witherspoon and the film is being
   directed by Gavin Hood.

Personal life

Family

   Members of the Gyllenhaal family have worked together on many Hollywood
   projects. His sister Maggie played his on-screen sister in Donnie
   Darko, and appeared with him in A Dangerous Woman, a film which their
   father, Stephen Gyllenhaal directed. Maggie is engaged to actor Peter
   Sarsgaard, Gyllenhaal's co-star in Jarhead. On October 3, 2006 Maggie
   gave birth to a girl, Ramona Sarsgaard. Both Gyllenhaal and his sister
   admit to sibling rivalry in their younger years, but often share
   problems and advice now. Jamie Lee Curtis is Gyllenhaal's godmother. He
   has repeatedly referred to his godfathers being a gay couple. He is the
   godfather of Matilda Rose Ledger (born October 28, 2005), the daughter
   of Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams, both of whom costarred with him
   in Brokeback Mountain.

Relationships

   Rilo Kiley singer Jenny Lewis and Gyllenhaal dated in 2001,, but his
   most notable relationship has been with actress Kirsten Dunst. The
   couple met through Gyllenhaal's sister, 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. Gyllenhaal
   faced Internet blog gossip regarding his relationship with friend
   Austin Nichols, who also appeared in The Day After Tomorrow. He has
   been linked to several famous women, including actress Natalie Portman
   and Gretchen Bleiler, an Olympic gold medalist in snowboarding.

   Internationally viewed as a sex symbol, Gyllenhaal was named one of
   People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" in 2006. He was also
   listed in People's "Hottest Bachelors of 2006".

   With Dunst, Gyllenhaal shares a German Shepherd named Atticus, which
   they rescued from a Los Angeles dog shelter. Gyllenhaal also owns a
   Puggle named Boo Radley. Both dogs are named after characters from the
   Harper Lee novel To Kill a Mockingbird, one of Gyllenhaal's favorite
   novels.

Politics and other interests

   Gyllenhaal is politically active; he shot a commercial for Rock the
   Vote, and during the 2004 U.S. Election, he visited the University of
   Southern California with his sister to encourage students to vote. He
   also campaigned for Democratic candidate John Kerry. He has stated,
   however, that "it frustrates me when actors talk politics; I’m
   political and I make choices in my movies that I think are political. I
   try and say things with what I do. Rightly or wrongly, young actors
   have all the power."

   Raised in a family concerned with social issues, Gyllenhaal has
   campaigned on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a
   cause which his entire family strongly supports. Environmentally
   conscious, he recycles regularly, and said in an interview that he
   spends $400 a year on having trees planted in a Mozambique forest,
   partly to promote the Future Forests program. After filming The Day
   After Tomorrow, he flew to the Arctic to promote awareness of climate
   change.

   In his spare time, Gyllenhaal enjoys woodworking and cooking. He has
   stated "[I am] not a card-carrying Buddhist, but I do try to practice
   mindfulness"; he makes it his goal to meditate every day.

Filmography

   Year         Title                     Role
   1991 City Slickers          Danny Robbins
   1999 October Sky            Homer Hickam Jr.
   2001 Donnie Darko           Donnie Darko
        Bubble Boy             Jimmy Livingston
   2002 Highway                Pilot Kelson
        Moonlight Mile         Joe Nast
        The Good Girl          Thomas 'Holden' Worther
   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

Awards

   Year Group Award Result Film
   2001 Independent Spirit Awards Best Male Lead Nominated Donnie Darko
   Chlotrudis Awards Best Actor Won
   2002 DVD Exclusive Awards DVD Premiere Award, Best Actor Nominated
   Highway
   Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Breakout Star - Male Nominated The Good
   Girl
   Young Hollywood Awards Breakthrough Performance - Male Won
   2006 MTV Movie Awards Best Performance Won Brokeback Mountain
   Best Kiss Won
   Screen Actors Guild Best Supporting Actor Nominated
   Best Ensemble Nominated
   National Board of Review Best Supporting Actor Won
   Critics' Choice Award Best Supporting Actor Nominated
   BAFTA Best Supporting Actor Won
   Academy Awards Best Supporting Actor Nominated
   Satellite Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor Nominated
   Americans for the Arts' National Arts Awards 2006 Young Artist Award
   for Artistic Excellence Won
   Satellite Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor Nominated Jarhead
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Gyllenhaal"
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