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Maggie Gyllenhaal
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Date of birth: 16 November 1977
Birth Place: New York, New York, USA
A versitile and intriguing actress, whose penetrating acting and off-kilter beauty were initially relegated to supporting roles, Maggie Gyllenhaal broke out to the forefront with the edgy S&M themed drama "Secretary." Despite this being her first starring role, she did not spend much time in the trenches, having a relatively painless decade paying dues before getting her first major role at the age of 24.
Having grown up in a family of entertainment professionals, it is no surprise Gyllenhaal decided to pursue a career in acting. Her mother is successful screenwriter Naomi Foner (Oscar nominated for her 1988 screenplay for "Running on Empty," starring River Phoenix) and her father is accomplished film and television director Stephen Gyllenhaal (nominated for an Emmy for 1990 telepic "A Killing in a Small Town" and directed feature "Losing Isaiah" in 1995). Adding a healthy dose of sibling rivalry to go along with these parental expectations, her brother is successful actor Jake Gyllenhaal ("Moonlight Mile" 2002).
Gyllenhaal was born in New York City but grew up in Los Angeles where she and her brother attended the prestigious Harvard-Wakeland prep school, known as a "who's who among who's whose kids" in the Hollywood circle. Here Gyllenhaal was an excellent student and active in the drama program. At the age of 15, Gyllenhaal had her feature debut in the nostalgic drama "Waterland" (1992), directed by her father and starring Jeremy Irons and Ethan Hawke. She next had another small role in "A Dangerous Woman" (1993), also directed by her father. In 1995, Gyllenhaal moved to New York to attend Columbia University. While she was busy studying Eastern religion and literature in school, she also found the time to further her professional acting career. She appeared in two more television movies directed by her father as well as the feature "Homegrown" (1998), also written and directed by her father.
After graduating from Columbia in 1999, Gyllenhaal certainly had ample exposure to the film and television world. However, in order to really break into the business, Gyllenhaal would need a stand-out role to get her in the running for the high-profile parts. That break came in the form of her role as Raven, a Satanic make-up artist in the eccentric John Waters film "Cecil B. Demented." (2000). This gave Gyllenhaal enough recognition that she landed a string of supporting roles the following year. She played her brother's sister in the far-out sci-fi movie "Donnie Darko" (2001), appeared in "Riding in Cars with Boys" (2001) and was featured in the teen romance "40 Days and 40 Nights."
Not the kind of actress meant to lay wait in obscurity for very long, Gyllenhaal had a breakout performance with "Secretary" in 2002. Playing a timid young woman recovering from a mental breakdown who engages in a S&M relationship with her boss, Gyllenhaal brought the depth and delicacy called for in the role. The movie won the Special Jury Prize at Sundance and was promptly picked up for theatrical distribution. Gyllenhaal's indie actress, star-on-the-rise status was solidified with awards nominations--including a Golden Globe-- and her next projects, Charlie Kaufman's mind-bending film-about-writing-a-film "Adaptation" (2002) and the John Sayles directed "Casa de Los Babys" (2003). She also joined fellow up-and-comers Julia Stiles and Kirsten Dunst as students of a liberal-minded instructor (Julia Roberts) at 1950s Wellesley College, nearly stealing the entertaining but routine movie as Giselle Levy, the wised-up class rebel who sleeps around and almost loses her bearings. Quickly gaining a reputation as a cerebral actress, often compared to the likes of Cate Blanchett, Emily Watson or a young Diane Keaton, Maggie Gyllenhaal has stepped out from the shadow of her parents and her brother and to shine alone in the spotlight.
Untitled Oliver Stone/September 11 Project (2006) (pre-production) .... Allison Jimeno
Monster House (2006) (post-production) .... Zee
Stranger Than Fiction (2006) (post-production) .... Ana Pascal
Some Kind of Heaven (2005) (completed) .... Sherry Swanson
Trust the Man (2005)
The Great New Wonderful (2005) .... Emme
Happy Endings (2005) .... Jude
Criminal (2004) .... Valerie
The Pornographer: A Love Story (2004) .... Sidney
Strip Search (2004) (TV)
Mona Lisa Smile (2003) .... Giselle Levy
Casa de los babys (2003) .... Jennifer
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002) .... Debbie
Adaptation. (2002) .... Caroline Cunningham
40 Days and 40 Nights (2002) .... Sam
Secretary (2002) .... Lee Holloway
Riding in Cars with Boys (2001) .... Amelia
Donnie Darko (2001) .... Elizabeth Darko
Cecil B. DeMented (2000) .... Raven
The Photographer (2000) .... Mira
"Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story" (1999) (mini) TV Series
Resurrection (1999/II) (TV) .... Mary
Homegrown (1998) .... Christina
The Patron Saint of Liars (1998) (TV) .... Lorraine Thomas
Shattered Mind (1996) (TV) .... Clothes Clerk
A Dangerous Woman (1993) .... Patsy Bell
Waterland (1992) .... Maggie Ruth
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