Born: Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal on 19 December 19 1980 in Los Angeles, California, US.

Jake Gyllenhaal (pronounced jill-en-hall) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor. He was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and producer/screenwriter Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal, and the brother of actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. His father is of partial Swedish heritage and his mother is Jewish of Ashkenazi heritage. Jake graduated from the Harvard-Westlake School in 1998 and studied at Columbia for two years, but dropped out to concentrate on his acting career.

Gyllenhaal made his film debut at age eleven in City Slickers (1991) and began to establish himself as an up-and-coming actor in such films as October Sky (1999) before being cast in the title role in Donnie Darko (2001), for which he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for best actor. Gyllenhaal's performance as a troubled schizophrenic won him excellent reviews and the film quickly acquired cult status. He played opposite Jennifer Aniston in another Sundance favourite in 2002's The Good Girl and once again earned good reviews.

Gyllenhaal also starred in the Walt Disney romantic comedy, Bubble Boy. Loosely based on the story of David Vetter, the film portrays the title character's adventure outside the confines of his bubble as he goes after the woman he loves before she marries the wrong man. He also starred in the science fiction movie, The Day After Tomorrow (2004), which also starred Dennis Quaid.

Marking his theatre debut, Gyllenhaal appeared on the London stage with a starring role in Kenneth Lonergan's revival of This Is Our Youth. The play, which had been a critical sensation on Broadway, ran for eight weeks in London's West End. For his role, Gyllenhaal received an Evening Standard Theatre Award in the category of "Outstanding Newcomer."

Gyllenhaal's performance in Jarhead (2005) came as a surprise to critics and fans alike. Gyllenhaal played against type, displaying a markedly hostile masculinity as a violent Marine during Gulf War I, while balancing this with the sensitive, vulnerable qualities of the lead character. Gyllenhaal was reportedly paid $6,000,000 for the role.

You know, it's flattering when there's a rumour that says I'm bisexual. It means I can play more kinds of roles. I'm open to whatever people want to call me. I've never really been attracted to men sexually, but I don't think I would be afraid of it if it happened.

Brokeback Mountain (2005), which stars Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, won the coveted Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival 2005, four Golden Globe Awards, four British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards, and three Academy Awards. Gyllenhaal was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Supporting Actor for his performance, but lost to George Clooney for Syriana. Gyllenhaal also won the Best Supporting Actor BAFTA for the same role and received a Best Supporting Actor nomination and Best Film Ensemble nomination from the Screen Actors Guild.

Gyllenhaal has an "on-again, off-again" relationship with actress Kirsten Dunst. The two lived together briefly, but continue to appear together in public. He has also been linked to actress Natalie Portman.