Jake Gyllenhaal

Jake Gyllenhaal was born on December 19, 1980 in Los Angeles, California as Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal, the son of producer/screenwriter Naomi Foner and director Stephen Gyllenhaal, and the younger brother of actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. He is of Ashkenazi Jewish (mother) and Swedish, English, and German (father) descent.

He made his movie debut at 11 in Amigos, Sempre Amigos (1991). From the late 1990s through the early 2000s, he starred in O Céu de Outubro (1999) & Donnie Darko (2001), receiving an Independent Spirit Award Best Actor nomination for the latter. He followed up w/ roles in Jimmy Bolha (2001), Por um Sentido na Vida (2002), Vida Que Segue (2002) & O Dia Depois de Amanhã (2004).

He made his theater debut in a revival of This Is Our Youth in London. The play was well-received & played for 8 weeks on West End. He then starred in Soldado Anônimo (2005) & A Prova (2005). However, it was his performance in O Segredo de Brokeback Mountain (2005) that won him critical acclaim. He won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role while also being nominated for the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role SAG Award, the Best Supporting Actor-Motion Picture Satellite Award & the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award. Afterwards, he starred in Zodíaco (2007), Entre Irmãos (2009), Príncipe da Pérsia: As Areias do Tempo (2010) & Amor & Outras Drogas (2010). For Amor & Outras Drogas (2010), he was nominated for the Best Actor-Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Golden Globe Award.