Maggie Gyllenhaal
Birthdate: Nov 16, 1977
Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA
Maggie Gyllenhaal (birthname: Margalit Ruth Gyllenhaal) has evolved from an actor who often matched and exceeded the acclaim of her younger brother actor-star Jake into a notable American filmmaker. Gyllenhaal began her acting career on the big screen in three consecutive movies directed by her father Stephen: Waterland (1992), co-starring Jeremy Irons, Ethan Hawke and Sinead Cusack; A Dangerous Woman (1993), written by Gyllenhaal’s mother Naomi Foner and co-starring Debra Winger, Barbara Hershey and Gabriel Byrne; and TriStar Pictures/Lakeshore Entertainment/Sony Pictures Releasing’s Homegrown (1998), co-written by Stephen Gyllenhaal and Nicholas Kazan, co-starring Billy Bob Thornton, Hank Azaria, Kelly Lynch, Ted Danson, John Lithgow and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Gyllenhaal was cast in a supporting role by director/writer John Waters in Cecil B. Demented (2000), alongside Melanie Griffith, Stephen Dorff, Alicia Witt, Adrian Grenier, and Patricia Hearst, and was released by Artisan Entertainment (U.S.)/BAC Films (France). Then Gyllenhaal joined her brother Jake (in the lead role) in the cast of director/writer Richard Kelly’s acclaimed debut feature, Donnie Darko (2001), with Jena Malone, Drew Barrymore, Mary McDonnell, Katharine Ross, Patrick Swayze and Noah Wyle, premiering at the Sundance Film Festival and finally grossing $7.5 million after it became a cult hit. Gyllenhaal joined the cast of Sony-Columbia’s comedy-drama, Riding in Cars with Boys (2001), directed by Penny Marshall and produced by James L. Brooks and co-starring Drew Barrymore, Steve Zahn, Brittany Murphy, Adam Garcia, Lorriane Bracco, and James Woods.
Maggie Gyllenhaal made her acting breakthrough in the lead title role of director/co-writer Steven Shainberg’s and co-writer Erin Cressida Wilson’s Secretary (2002), based on Mary Gaitskill’s 1988 story, with James Spader, Jeremy Davies, Patrick Bauchau, and Lesley Ann Warren, launching at the Sundance Film Festival and earning $9.3 million for Lionsgate. Gyllenhaal appeared in a supporting role in the StudioCanal/Working Title Films production, 40 Days and 40 Nights (2002), starring Josh Hartnett, Shannyn Sossamon, Vinessa Shaw, Paulo Costanzo, and Griffin Dunne under Michael Lehmann’s direction, grossing a robust $95 million for distributors Miramax Films (U.S.)/United International Pictures (International).
Gyllenhaal landed a higher profile role in director Spike Jonze’s and writer Charlie Kaufman’s version of Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief, Adaptation. (2002), co-starring Nicolas Cage (in dual roles as brothers, including one named “Charlie Kaufman”), Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper (who won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar), Tilda Swinton, Cara Seymour, Brian Cox, Judy Greer, and Ron Livingston, and which earned $33 million for Sony Pictures Releasing. Gyllenhaal appeared in her second movie in a row written by Charlie Kaufman, the extraordinary George Clooney-directed (in his debut) spy movie, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002), based on Chuck Barris’s 1984 biography, co-starring Sam Rockwell, Drew Barrymore, Julia Roberts and Rutger Hauer, premiering at the Berlin Film Festival (where Rockwell won the Best Actor Silver Bear) and grossed $33 million for Miramax Films.
Maggie Gyllenhaal starred in director/writer/editor John Sayles’ drama, Casa de los Babys (2003), co-starring Marcia Gay Harden, Daryl Hannah, Susan Lynch, Mary Steenburgen, Lili Taylor, and Rita Moreno, launching at the Venice Film Festival and released to poor box office by IFC Films. Gyllenhaal co-starred with her name above the title with Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst and Julia Stiles in Mona Lisa Smile (2003), with Juliet Stevenson, Dominic West, Ginnifer Goodwin, Topher Grace, Marian Seldes and Ebon Moss-Bachrach under Mike Newell’s direction, produced by Columbia Pictures/Revolution Studios/Red Om Films Productions and released by Sony Pictures Releasing to $141.3 million gross. Gyllenhaal joined co-stars John C. Reilly, Diego Luna, and Maeve Quinlan in director/writer/producer Gregory Jacobs’ crime drama, Criminal (2004), the English-language remake of Fabian Bielinsky’s 2000 Argentine movie, Nine Queens, and was released by Warner Independent Pictures.
Gyllenhaal was part of the ensemble of director/writer Don Roos’s comedy-drama, Happy Endings (2005), with Tom Arnold, Jesse Bradford, Bobby Cannavale, Steve Coogan, Laura Dern, Lisa Kudrow and Jason Ritter, and released by Lionsgate, and then Gyllenhaal was cast in another ensemble for director/producer Danny Leiner’s 9/11 multi-character 9/11 drama, The Great New Wonderful (2005), co-starring Jim Gaffigan, Tony Shalhoub, Olympia Dukakis, Judy Greer, Tom McCarthy, Naseeruddin Shah, Edie Falco, Stephen Colbert, Jim Parsons and Will Arnett, and released in limited pattern by First Independent Pictures after premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival. Gyllenhaal co-starred with Billy Crudup, David Duchovny, Julianne Moore, and Eva Mendes in director/writer Bart Freundlich’s comedy-drama, Trust the Man (2005), grossing $7.4 million for Fox Searchlight Pictures/Capitol Films after premiering at the Toronto Film Festival.
Maggie Gyllenhaal portrayed an addicted woman in director/writer Laurie Collyer’s indie drama, Sherrybaby (2006), for which she won a best actress award from the Karlovy Vary Film Festival (among others) and a Golden Globe nomination, with Brad William Henke, Sam Bottoms, Kate Burton, Giancarlo Esposito and Danny Trejo, launching at the Sundance Film Festival and then distributed by IFC Films/Red Envelope Entertainment. Gyllenhaal was directed by Olivier Assayas in his segment, Quartier des Enfants Rouges, in the Paris-set anthology movie, Paris, je t’aime (2006), which included segments directed by Gurinder Chadha, Sylvain Chomet, Joel and Ethan Coen, Isabel Coixet, Gerard Depardieu, Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuaron, Nobuhiro Suwa, Alexander Payne, Tom Tykwer, Walter Salles, Yolande Moreau and Gus Van Sant, and which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.
Gyllenhaal took on her first voice role in an animated movie with director Gil Kenan in Sony-Columbia Pictures’ Oscar-nominated Monster House (2006), featuring the voices of Steve Buscemi, Nick Cannon, Jon Heder, Kevin James, Jason Lee, Catherine O’Hara, Kathleen Turner, and Fred Willard, and which grossed nearly $142 million. Gyllenhaal was then cast in her second 9/11-themed movie, the Oliver Stone-directed World Trade Center (2006), starring Nicolas Cage, Michael Peña, Maria Bello, Stephen Dorff, Jay Hernandez, and Michael Shannon, and delivering a solid $163.5 return (based on costs) for Paramount Pictures.
Maggie Gyllenhaal joined the colorful ensemble of Will Ferrell, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah and Emma Thompson under Marc Forster’s direction for Stranger Than Fiction (2006), written by Zach Helm, produced primarily by Columbia Pictures and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing (U.S., France, Italy, Spain and U.K.)/Mandate Pictures (International) for a $53.7 million box office. Gyllenhaal had the lead female role in director/co-writer/producer Christopher Nolan’s masterful Batman movie, The Dark Knight (2008), which was the first movie to be shot with high-resolution IMAX cameras starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart and Morgan Freeman, and earning a spectacular $1 billion (based on estimated costs).
Gyllenhaal was a supporting player in the Sam Mendes-directed road movie, Away We Go (2009), co-written by Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida, starring John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Jeff Daniels, Allison Janney, Chris Messina, Catherine O’Hara, and Paul Schneider, and released by Focus Features in a limited pattern for a $15 million gross.
Gyllenhaal earned her first Oscar nomination for her supporting performance in director/writer/producer Scott Cooper’s music drama, Crazy Heart (2009), based on Thomas Cobb’s 1987 novel, starring Oscar-winning Best Actor Jeff Bridges, Robert Duvall (who was also a producer) and Colin Farrell, and earning an excellent $47.4 million box office (based on estimated costs).
Maggie Gyllenhaal co-starred with Emma Thompson (who also wrote the screenplay), Rhys Ifans, Asa Butterfield, Lil Woods, Ewan McGregor, Ralph Fiennes and Maggie Smith under Susanna White’s direction in the period fantasy, Nanny McPhee Returns (2010), based on Christianna Brand’s Nurse Matilda books and characters, produced by StudioCanal/Relativity Media/Working Title Films and earning over $93 million for distributors Universal Pictures (International)/StudioCanal (France). Gyllenhaal co-starred with Hugh Dancy and Rupert Everett in the British 1880s-set comedy, Hysteria (2011), with Felicity Jones, Jonathan Pryce, Sheridan Smith, and Gemma Jones under Tanya Wexler’s direction, with distributor Sony Pictures Classics earning over $15 million at the box office.
Gyllenhaal joined co-stars Viola Davis and Holly Hunter in director/co-writer Daniel Barnz’s drama, Won’t Back Down (2012), with Oscar Isaac, Rosie Perez, Ving Rhames, Lance Reddick, Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Bill Nunn, grossing a poor $5.8 million (based on estimated costs) for distributor 20th Century Fox, and then Gyllenhaal played support in one of her few action movie assignments, White House Down (2013), co-starring Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Jason Clarke, Richard Jenkins, Joey King and James Woods under Roland Emmerich’s direction, but losing money for Sony-Columbia Pictures with a weak $205 million gross (based on estimated costs). Gyllenhaal co-starred with Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson, Scott McNairy, and Francois Civil in the superb Lenny Abrahamson-directed black comedy, Frank (2014), written by Jon Ronson and Peter Straughan, premiering at the Sundance Film Festival and grossing $2 million worldwide.
Maggie Gyllenhaal joined the ensemble of actors performing with filmmaker-artist Matthew Barney (and co-director Jonathan Bepler) for the six-hour experimental film, River of Fundament (2014), inspired by Norman Mailer’s 1983 novel, Ancient Evenings, with Dave Bald Eagle, Milford Graves, John Buffalo Mailer, Ellen Burstyn, Paul Giamatti, Joan La Barbara, Elaine Stritch and Debbie Harry, produced by the Laurenz Foundation and released in a limited pattern in cinemas and in museums worldwide. Gyllenhaal wasthe star-producer of director/writer Sara Colangelo’s English-language remake of Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid’s 2014 film, The Kindergarten Teacher (2018), with Parker Sevak, Anna Baryshnikov, and Gael Garcia Bernal, and which received a limited theatrical release by Netflix after premiering at the Sundance Film Festival.
Gyllenhaal launched her new career as a director/writer/producer with her outstanding filmmaking debut, The Lost Daughter (2021), based on Elena Ferrante’s 2006 novel, starring Oscar-nominated Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson, Oscar-nominated Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Dagmara Dominczyk, Peter Sarsgaard and Ed Harris, premiering at the Venice Film Festival (where Gyllenhaal won Best Screenplay), sweeping the top prizes at the Independent Spirit Awards, earning Gyllenhaal her second Oscar nomination (for Best Adapted Screenplay) and released in a limited theatrical window by Netflix. Gyllenhaal returned five years later with her second anticipated feature as director/writer/producer, The Bride! (2026), inspired by the movie Bride of Frankenstein (1935), starring Buckley (in the title role), Christian Bale, Peter Sarsgaard, Annette Bening, Jake Gyllenhaal, Penelope Cruz, Julianne Hough, John Magaro, Jeannie Berlin, and Linda Emond, and which was released widely by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Personal life
Maggie Gyllenhaal was born in New York City and raised in New York City and Los Angeles by her parents, Stephen Gyllenhaal (director, poet) and Naomi Foner (producer/screenwriter). Gyllenhaal has one younger brother, actor Jake, and one half-brother from her father’s second marriage named Luke. Gyllenhaal’s parents raised her as culturally Jewish because her mother, while her father Stephen is of predominantly Swedish and English ancestry through the Swedish family of nobility named the Gyllenhaals and raised in the Swedenborgian religion. Gyllenhaal’s parents divorced in 2008. Gyllenhaal attended and graduated from Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles in 1995. Gyllenhaal graduated from Columbia University in 1999 with a B.A. in Literature. Gyllenhaal then briefly attended the London-based Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Gyllenhaal has been married to actor Peter Sarsgaard since 2009; the couple has two children, Ramona and Gloria. Gyllenhaal’s height is 5’ 9”. Gyllenhaal’s estimated net worth is $25 million.
Known For
Maggie Gyllenhaal Movies
director
Upcoming (1)
- 2026 |
The Bride!
In 1930s Chicago, Frankenstein asks Dr. Euphronius to help create a companion. They give life to a murdered woman as the Bride, sparking romance, police interest, and radical social change.
Previous (1)
- 2021 |
The Lost Daughter
A woman's beach vacation takes a dark turn when she begins to confront the troubles of her past.
actor
Previous (29)
- 2018 | The Kindergarten Teacher
- 2016 |
- 2015 |
River of Fundament
asHathfertiti
In 2007, Matthew Barney and Jonathan Bepler began a new collaborative project inspired by American author Norman Mailer's 1983 novel Ancient Evenings, set in pharaonic Egypt. The project was conceived as a nontraditional opera with a series of one-time-only live acts performed ac... Read all
- 2014 | The Sturgeon Queens
- 2014 | Frank
- 2013 |
White House Down
asFinnerty
While on a tour of the White House with his young daughter, a Capitol policeman springs into action to save his child and protect the president from a heavily armed group of paramilitary invaders.
- 2012 | Bam150
- 2012 |
Won’t Back Down
Two determined mothers, one a teacher, look to transform their children's failing inner city school. Facing a powerful and entrenched bureaucracy, they risk everything to make a difference in the education and future of their children.
- 2011 | Hysteria
- 2010 | Nanny McPhee Returns
- 2009 | Crazy Heart
- 2009 | Away We Go
- 2008 |
The Dark Knight
asRachel
When a menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman, James Gordon and Harvey Dent must work together to put an end to the madness.
- 2006 | Sherrybaby
- 2005 | Trust the Man
- 2006 | World Trade Center
- 2006 |
Monster House
asZee
Three teens discover that their neighbor's house is really a living, breathing, scary monster.
- 2005 | The Great New Wonderful
- 2005 | Happy Endings
- 2004 | In the Company of Women
- 2004 | The Misbehavers
- 2004 | The Pornographer: A Love Story
- 2003 | Beyond Borders: John Sayles in Mexico
- 2003 | Mona Lisa Smile
- 2003 | Casa de los babys
- 2002 | Secretary
- 2001 |
Donnie Darko
asElizabeth Darko
After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.
- 2000 | Cecil B. Demented
- 1993 | A Dangerous Woman
Facts About Maggie Gyllenhaal
What’s in a Name?: Maggie Gyllenhaal’s ancestor, Swedish Army Cavalry Lieutenant Nils Gunnarsson Haal, was made a noble and changed his surname to Gyllenhaal.
Feminist: Gyllenhaal has stated that “it’s my responsibility to see what we can move and change about these old-school feminist mantras.”
Roles That Matter: “I find myself,” comments Maggie Gyllenhaal, “more and more interested only in roles which move the world forward.”
Causes: Gyllenhaal’s many progressive causes, which she supports, include Planned Parenthood, the human rights organization Witness, the poverty-fighting TrickleUp.org, and Hear the World Foundation.
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