Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal ( JIL-ən-hawl, Swedish: [ˈjʏ̂lːɛnˌhɑːl]; born December 19, 1980) is an American actor who has worked on screen and stage for over thirty years. Born into the Gyllenhaal family, he is the son of film director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, and the younger brother of actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. He began acting as a child, making his debut in
City Slickers (1991), followed by roles in his father's films
A Dangerous Woman (1993) and
Homegrown (1998). His breakthrough roles were as Homer Hickam in the biopic
October Sky (1999) and a troubled teenager in the thriller
Donnie Darko (2001). Gyllenhaal expanded to big-budget films with a starring role in the 2004 disaster film
The Day After Tomorrow. Gyllenhaal played Jack Twist in Ang Lee's 2005 romantic dra...
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