March 25, 2009

Jake Gyllenhaal

Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal was born on December 19th, 1980, in Los Angeles, California, to director Stephen Gyllenhaal and producer/screenwriter Naomi Foner. Jake is the brother to Maggie Gyllenhaal who played his sister in Donnie Darko (2001).

Gyllenhaal made his film debut at age eleven in City Slickers (1991) playing Billy Crystal's son and established himself as an up-and-comming actor in films such as October Sky (1999) before being cast as Donnie Darko. In 2002 he worked with Jennifer Aniston in The Good Girl and in the 2004 science fiction blockbuster The Day After Tomorrow he co-stared with Dennis Quaid. Jake is still good friends with Aniston.

Gyllenhaal's performance in Jarhead (2005) with Jamie Foxx came as a surprise to critics and fans, alike. Gyllenhaal played a markedly hostile, masculinely violent Marine during Gulf War I, while balancing this with the sensitive, vulnerable qualities of the lead character. Brokeback Mountain (2005), in which he co-starred with Australian actor Heath Ledger as sheep herders who fall in love in the 1960s and depicts their relationship over the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s. The film went on to win four Golden Globes, four BAFTA Awards and was nominated for a leading eight Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Gyllenhaal was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Brokeback Mountain (2005). Jake is also the godfather of Matilda Rose Ledger, daughter of actor Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams. (Source http://www.imdb.com/)

Jake Gyllenhaal's most notable relationship was with actress Kirsten Dunst. He is currently dating Reese Witherspoon and has asked her to marry him to which she replied that it just wasn't the time. He is good friends with Maroon 5's frontman Adam Levine who he has known since kindergarden. Gyllenhaal's favorite book is "To Kill A Mockingbird" and has a German Shepherd named "Atticus" and a Puggle named "Boo Radley" after the characters. When asked who his idols are he said Anthony Quinn, Paul Newman, Sean Penn, Bruce Springsteen and Bono.

Quotes:

"I admire actors and artists who devote just as much time to their life as they do to their work."

"I fooled around with Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams got pregnant." Interview about filming Brokeback Mountain (2005), 2006."

"We live in a sad time where actors are politicians & politicians are actors."