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Maggie Gyllenhaal
Actor Director Producer Writer

Maggie Gyllenhaal

Born November 16, 1977 in Lower East Side, New York City, New York, USA

25 films

Margalit 'Maggie' Ruth Gyllenhaal (born November 16, 1977) is an American actress and filmmaker. Part of the Gyllenhaal family, she is the daughter of filmmakers Stephen Gyllenhaal and Naomi Achs, and the older sister of actor Jake Gyllenhaal. She began her career as a teenager with small roles in several of her father's films, and appeared with her brother in the cult favorite Donnie Darko (2001). She then appeared in Adaptation, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (both 2002), and Mona Lisa Smile (2003). She received critical acclaim for her leading performances in the erotic romantic drama Secretary (2002) and the drama Sherrybaby (2006), each of which earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination. After several commercially successful films in 2006, including World Trade Center, she received wider recognition for playing Rachel Dawes in the superhero film The Dark Knight (2008). For her performance as a single mother in Crazy Heart (2009), she received a nomination for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She subsequently starred in the comedies and dramas: Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (2010), Hysteria (2011), and Won't Back Down (2012). Her other roles include a Secret Service agent in the action-thriller White House Down (2013), a musician in Frank (2014), and the title role in the drama The Kindergarten Teacher (2018). In 2021, she made her writing and directing debut with the psychological drama The Lost Daughter, for which she won the Venice International Film Festival's Best Screenplay Award and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. She has also appeared in five stage productions since 2000, including making her Broadway debut in a revival of The Real Thing. She has starred in several television series, including the BBC political-thriller miniseries The Honourable Woman. For her performance, she won a Golden Globe award for Best Actress, and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. She also produced and starred in the HBO period drama series The Deuce (2017–19). She has been married to actor Peter Sarsgaard since 2009 and they have two children together.

Awards

1 win, 7 nominations

Filmography 25

The Bride! (2026) movie poster
The Bride!2026
The Lost Daughter (2021) movie poster
The Lost Daughter2021
The Kindergarten Teacher (2018) movie poster
The Kindergarten Teacher2018
Frank (2014) movie poster
Frank2014
White House Down (2013) movie poster
White House Down2013
Won't Back Down (2012) movie poster
Won't Back Down2012
Hysteria (2011) movie poster
Hysteria2011
Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (2010) movie poster
Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang2010
Away We Go (2009) movie poster
Away We Go2009
Crazy Heart (2009) movie poster
Crazy Heart2009
The Dark Knight (2008) movie poster
The Dark Knight2008
Monster House (2006) movie poster
Monster House2006
Paris Je T'aime (2006) movie poster
Paris Je T'aime2006
Sherrybaby (2006) movie poster
Sherrybaby2006
Stranger Than Fiction (2006) movie poster
Stranger Than Fiction2006
Happy Endings (2005) movie poster
Happy Endings2005
Trust the Man (2005) movie poster
Trust the Man2005
Criminal (2004) movie poster
Criminal2004
Mona Lisa Smile (2003) movie poster
Mona Lisa Smile2003
40 Days and 40 Nights (2002) movie poster
40 Days and 40 Nights2002
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002) movie poster
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind2002
Secretary (2002) movie poster
Secretary2002
Donnie Darko (2001) movie poster
Donnie Darko2001
Cecil B. Demented (2000) movie poster
Cecil B. Demented2000
Homegrown (1998) movie poster
Homegrown1998