Maggie Gyllenhaal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Maggie Gyllenhaal
Maggie Gyllenhaal in 2021
Born	Margalit Ruth Gyllenhaal (1977-11-16) November 16, 1977 (age 47) New York City, U.S.
Education	Columbia University (BA)
Occupation	Actress filmmaker
Years active	1992–present
Spouse(s)	Peter Sarsgaard ​ (m. 2009)​
Children	2
Parent(s)	Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal Stephen Gyllenhaal
Relatives	Gyllenhaal family
Family	Jake Gyllenhaal (brother)

Margalit Ruth "Maggie" Gyllenhaal (born November 16, 1977) is an American actress and filmmaker. She comes from the famous Gyllenhaal family of filmmakers. Her parents are Stephen Gyllenhaal and Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal, who are both filmmakers. She is also the older sister of actor Jake Gyllenhaal.

Maggie started acting when she was a teenager. She had small parts in movies directed by her father. She also appeared with her brother in the popular movie Donnie Darko (2001). Later, she acted in films like Adaptation (2002) and Mona Lisa Smile (2003).

She became well-known for her main roles in the comedy-drama Secretary (2002) and the drama Sherrybaby (2006). For both films, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. In 2006, she was in successful movies like World Trade Center. She gained even more fame playing Rachel Dawes in the superhero film The Dark Knight (2008).

Maggie Gyllenhaal was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Crazy Heart (2009). She has also starred in comedies and dramas such as Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (2010) and White House Down (2013). In 2021, Maggie made her debut as a writer and director with the movie The Lost Daughter. For this film, she won the Venice International Film Festival's Best Screenplay Award. She was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Besides movies, Gyllenhaal has acted in several plays. She also starred in TV shows like the BBC miniseries The Honourable Woman. For this role, she won a Golden Globe award for Best Actress. She also produced and starred in the HBO series The Deuce (2017–19). Maggie Gyllenhaal has been married to actor Peter Sarsgaard since 2009. They have two children together.

Early life and education

Maggie Gyllenhaal was born in Manhattan, New York. Her parents are Naomi Achs and Stephen Gyllenhaal. She found out in 2013 that her first name on her birth certificate is "Margalit." This is a Hebrew word meaning "pearl." She has a younger brother, actor Jake Gyllenhaal. She also has a half-brother, Luke, from her father's second marriage.

Her father is a film director, and her mother is a screenwriter and director. Her father's family is from Sweden and England. Her mother grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and is Jewish. Maggie has said she "grew up mostly Jewish, culturally." Her parents got married in 1977 and later divorced in 2008.

Maggie Gyllenhaal grew up in Los Angeles. She went to the Harvard–Westlake prep school. She also spent time studying at The Mountain School in Vermont. In 1995, she graduated from Harvard–Westlake. Then she moved to New York to attend Columbia University. There, she studied literature and Eastern religions. She also studied acting for a summer at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, England.

Career highlights

Early acting roles (1992–2001)

When she was 15, Maggie had a small part in her father's movie Waterland (1992). She also had supporting roles in other films directed by her father, like A Dangerous Woman (1993). Her brother Jake was also in some of these movies. After college, she had roles in films such as Cecil B. Demented (2000).

Maggie became more recognized for playing her real brother's sister in the independent film Donnie Darko (2001). This movie became a cult favorite. She also started acting on stage. Her first play was Closer in 2000, where she received good reviews. She has performed in other plays, including The Tempest and Antony and Cleopatra.

Breakthrough in film (2002–2005)

Maggie Gyllenhaal's big breakthrough role was in the comedy Secretary (2002). Critics praised her performance. The New York Times said her role should make her a star. The film was well-received, and Maggie won an award for Best Breakthrough Performance. She also received her first Golden Globe Award nomination for this role.

After Secretary, she had a supporting role in the comedy-drama Adaptation (2002). This film is about a screenwriter trying to adapt a book into a movie. She also appeared in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002). This movie had many famous actors like George Clooney and Julia Roberts.

Gyllenhaal at an event in Barcelona, 2008

In 2003, she co-starred with Julia Roberts again in Mona Lisa Smile. Maggie said she took the role to play a confident and beautiful woman. She also acted in smaller independent films like Casa de los Babys (2003) and Criminal (2004).

In 2004, Gyllenhaal was in the HBO film Strip Search. She played an American student in China who is suspected of terrorism. She also returned to theater in a play called Homebody/Kabul. In 2004, she was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This is the group that gives out the Academy Awards.

Her next film role was in the 2005 comedy-drama Happy Endings. She played a singer and even recorded songs for the movie's soundtrack. She called this role "scary acting" because she felt more natural singing than acting.

Successful comedies and dramas (2006–2009)

After Happy Endings, Maggie Gyllenhaal appeared in five films in 2006. These included Trust the Man, Stranger than Fiction, and Monster House. In Stranger than Fiction, she played the love interest of a character played by Will Ferrell. Her performance received good reviews. She also voiced a character in the animated horror film Monster House.

Maggie played Allison Jimeno in Oliver Stone's World Trade Center. This movie was based on the September 11 attacks in New York City. She said this was one of the films she enjoyed making the most. The movie was a success worldwide.

In Sherrybaby, Gyllenhaal played a young thief trying to fix her life. Her performance was highly praised. For this role, she earned another Golden Globe Best Actress nomination. She also won the Best Actress award at the 2006 Stockholm International Film Festival.

She appeared in The Dark Knight (2008), which was the sequel to Batman Begins. She played Rachel Dawes, replacing Katie Holmes. Maggie said her character was strong and had clear morals. The Dark Knight was a huge success. It became one of the highest-grossing films of all time and is still her most successful movie.

In 2009, Gyllenhaal acted in the play Uncle Vanya in New York City. Her husband, Peter Sarsgaard, was also in the play. She also starred in the comedy Away We Go (2009). Her next role was in the musical-drama Crazy Heart. She played Jean Craddock, a journalist who falls for a musician. Her performance was highly praised and earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Independent films and television (2010–2020)

Gyllenhaal at the 66th Golden Globe Awards, 2009

Maggie Gyllenhaal also hosted 13 episodes of the PBS TV series Independent Lens. This show features documentary films by independent filmmakers. In 2010, she appeared in Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang with Emma Thompson. She played Isabel Green and had to speak with an English accent. The movie received good reviews and was a reasonable success.

For her next film, Gyllenhaal starred in the biographical romance Hysteria (2011). In 2011, she also starred in another play, Three Sisters. In 2012, she played a mother in the drama Won't Back Down. This movie was about parents taking over a struggling school.

Next, she appeared as a Secret Service agent in the action-thriller White House Down (2013). A year later, she starred in the musical comedy Frank. She played a musician in an unusual band. The film premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and received good reviews.

Gyllenhaal played the main role in the BBC political spy thriller TV miniseries, The Honourable Woman. The series was very well received. Critics praised her performance, calling it one of the best of her career. She won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film for this role.

In 2016, Gyllenhaal narrated Leo Tolstoy's novel Anna Karenina for Audible. She said this was a major achievement in her work life. In 2017, she was a judge at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival. In 2018, Gyllenhaal starred in The Kindergarten Teacher. She played a teacher who becomes obsessed with a student she believes is a child genius. The film received mostly positive reviews.

She also produced and starred in the HBO drama series The Deuce, which aired from 2017 to 2019. For this role, she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress.

Directing and writing (2021–present)

In 2021, Maggie Gyllenhaal made her debut as a director. She directed the psychological drama The Lost Daughter. She also produced and wrote the screenplay for the film. The movie received great reviews. It premiered at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, where Gyllenhaal won the Best Screenplay Award.

The Lost Daughter won several awards, including Best Feature and Breakthrough Director at the 2021 Gotham Awards. Maggie was also nominated for Best Director at the 79th Golden Globe Awards. She received a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 75th British Academy Film Awards. She also got her second Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 94th Academy Awards. Gyllenhaal will next direct a movie called The Bride!, which is a new version of Frankenstein. Her brother Jake will star in it.

Personal life

Sarsgaard and Gyllenhaal at the New York premiere of An Education, 2009

In 2002, Maggie Gyllenhaal started dating actor Peter Sarsgaard. They got engaged in April 2006. They married on May 2, 2009, in Italy. They have two daughters, born in October 2006 and April 2012.

Philanthropy and activism

Maggie Gyllenhaal supports Witness. This is a group that uses videos to show human rights violations. She also helped raise money for TrickleUp.org. This group helps people in poverty start small businesses. She even helped design a necklace to raise money for the charity.

Since 2008, Gyllenhaal has been an ambassador for the Hear the World Foundation. In this role, she helps people with hearing loss get equal opportunities. In 2008, she hosted a fashion show called "Fashionably Natural." This show featured designers who used only natural and eco-friendly materials. In 2012, Gyllenhaal said that women's health is very important to her. She wants all women to have access to good health care.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref(s)
1992	Waterland	Maggie Ruth
1993	A Dangerous Woman	Patsy
1998	Homegrown	Christina
2000	The Photographer	Mira
	Cecil B. Demented	Raven
2001	Donnie Darko	Elizabeth Darko
	Riding in Cars with Boys	Amelia Forrester
2002	Secretary	Lee Holloway
	40 Days and 40 Nights	Sam
	Adaptation	Caroline Cunningham
	Confessions of a Dangerous Mind	Debbie
2003	Casa de los Babys	Jennifer
	Mona Lisa Smile	Giselle Levy
2004	The ...: A Love Story	Sidney
	Criminal	Valerie
2005	Happy Endings	Jude
	The Great New Wonderful	Emme	Segment: "Emme's Story"
	Trust the Man	Elaine
2006	Sherrybaby	Sherry Swanson
	Paris, je t'aime	Liz	Segment: "Quartier des Enfants Rouges"
	Monster House	Elizabeth "Zee"	Voice role
	World Trade Center	Allison Jimeno
	Stranger than Fiction	Ana Pascal
2007	High Falls	April	Short film
2008	The Dark Knight	Rachel Dawes
2009	Away We Go	Ellen "LN"
	2010	Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang	Isabel Green
2011	Hysteria	Charlotte Dalrymple
2012	Won't Back Down	Jamie
2013	White House Down	Carol Finnerty
2014	Frank	Clara
	River of Fundament	Hathfertiti #2
2016	Beauty Mark	Valerie	Short film
	Home	Ruth
2018	The Kindergarten Teacher	Lisa Spinelli	Also producer
2020	Best Summer Ever	TV Reporter	Also executive producer
2021	The Lost Daughter	N/A	Director, writer, producer
2025	The Bride!	N/A	Filming; director, writer, producer

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Television

Theatre

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: Maggie Gyllenhaal para niños