Maggie Gyllenhaal Biography

This section contains Maggie Gyllenhaal Biography
Maggie Ruth Gyllenhaal was born in November 16, 1977 in Lower East Side, New York. Born in a family of artists – Maggie’s mother Naomi Achs is a Golden Globe-winning screenwriter and film producer, while her father is the renowned Emmy-nominated director Stephen Gyllenhaal. She is of Swedish and Russian-Jewish descent. She is the older sister of Broke back Mountain’s star, Jake Gyllenhaal.

Gyllenhaal’s acting career started as she played parts in her father's films, but later on she was able to establish herself as an actress in her own right, and not just another Gyllenhaal in Hollywood, the other two being her younger brother Jake, and her father, director Stephen Gyllenhaal. She attended the Harvard-Westlake prep school and graduated with a BA in literature and Eastern religions in Columbia University.

She made her film debut in the movie Waterland (1992), which was directed by her father. She also landed on supporting roles in films including 40 Days and 40 Nights, Riding in Cars with Boys and Cecil B. DeMented, but it was her role in Donnie Darko where she was fully realized as an actress. She made a critically acclaimed performance in the BDSM inspired black comedy Secretary (2002), which earned her a Golden Globe nomination, despite not being fully convinced that the script was not good enough for her.

Gyllenhaal continued to appear in films such as the comedy Adaptation, Mona Lisa Smile, as well as independent films including Casa de los Babys, and Criminal, opposite Mexican heartthrob, Diego Luna. Aside from the big screen, she has also been active in theatre with notable roles being Alice in Patrick Marber's Closer, and Tony Kushner's Kabul. She has also modeled for designer brands such as Miu Miu and Reebok. She will also be replacing Katie Holmes in the upcoming movie The Dark Night (2008).

She has been in three movies with Jake Gyllenhaal (her brother) – 1993’s “A Dangerous Woman” and 1998’s “Homegrown”, which were both directed by her father as well as the 2001 film “Donnie Darko”.

Gyllenhaal used to be Kirsten Dunst’s best friend, but when Dunst and Jake broke up, Maggie and Kirsten’s friendship also came to an end. She is currently involved with actor Peter Sarsgaard, and together they have a daughter named Ramona. Along with her father and younger brother, Gyllenhaal is an active Democrat and has been controversial for saying that "America, has been in a way, responsible for the 9/11 attacks".

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