 |
 |
| |
|
| Maggie Gyllenhaal |
|
"I do seem to have a bit of a predilection for movies that say something transgressive."
| Date of Birth: November 16, 1977 |
| Birthplace: New York City's Lower East Side |
| |
|
 |
| Early on, Maggie Gyllenhaal's career consisted mainly of appearances as a teen in projects such as Waterland (1992) and A Dangerous Woman (1993). But it was her penchant for taking on new and risky projects that eventually catapulted her into stardom. From 2000's The Pornographer: A Love Story to 2002's Secretary, Maggie is taking Hollywood (and the rest of us) by storm. |
 |
| Maggie Gyllenhaal has been making men's libidos skyrocket for the past few years. Unless you've been asleep at the switch, it was hard to ignore her exposure (both literally and figuratively) as an actress. For one, she appeared nude and got down on all fours in the S&M film Secretary, so it's safe to say that she made a lasting impression on the male psyche. |
 |
Maggie Gyllenhaal (pronounced jill-un-holl, it means "Golden Hall" in Swedish) was born on November 16, 1977, in New York City's Lower East Side. Maggie hails from a Hollywood family -- her younger brother Jake has starred in movies like The Day After Tomorrow and Borkeback Mountain. Her mother, Naomi Foner, is a writer and producer, famous for her Running on Empty screenplay; and her father, Stephen Gyllenhaal, is a film director known for his work on TV shows like Wasteland and The $treet.
Maggie acquired the acting bug early on. As a child, she would perform at family events along with her brother, Jake. Fortunately for her, the Gyllenhaal family moved to Los Angeles while Maggie was still very young. Never one to follow trends, Maggie's days at the posh LA prep school Harvard-Westlake were rebellious, as she dyed her hair and took to wearing thrift-store clothing in order to buck the "prep school" scene.
Maggie Gyllenhaal began appearing in low-budget films (often directed by her father and/or written by her mother) like Waterland (1992) and A Dangerous Woman (1993) while in her teens.
After high school, Maggie returned to New York City to attend Columbia University where she earned her B.A. in English literature and Eastern religion. She complemented her education with studies at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
Both Maggie and Jake admit to a sibling rivalry throughout their careers, wanting to outdo each other's fame with some friendly competition. Though younger, Jake was involved in box-office blockbusters such as City Slickers (1991) earlier than Maggie.
Though she and her brother both appeared -- as brother and sister, no less -- in 2001's cult hit Donnie Darko, it was Jake who got the juicier role as the title character.
Maggie finally experienced her breakthrough moment with the 2002 release of Secretary. It was the role that put her face, body and acting skills on Hollywood's radar. Playing a troubled woman with a predilection for sadomasochism, Maggie received a lot of public acclaim and several awards, including the National Board of Review Award for Best Breakthrough Performance by an Actress and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical or Comedy.
Immediately afterward, Maggie was inundated with offers to play similar roles but she turned them down, not wanting to become typecast.
Still, her career took off and she appeared in successive hits, like 40 Days and 40 Nights (2002), Adaptation (2002), Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002), and Mona Lisa Smile (2003).
In 2006 she acted alongside Nicolas Cage in The World Trade Center and she worked with Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman in Stranger Than Fiction.
2006 also marked the year Maggie became a mom; she and her fiance, actor Peter Sarsgaard, welcomed their daughter, Ramona, into the world in October of that year. |
|
|
|
 |
MOST POPULAR |
|
| |
 |
 |
| one model place most super next top model ... |
|
 |
 |
 |
Find most glamour
women of the world... |
|
|
 |
 |
Find most famous
actress of the world... |
|
|
 |
 |
Find most and famous
singers of the world... |
|
|
 |
 |
Find most famous top
men of the world... |
|
|
|
 |
FEATURED MODELS |
|
|
|
|
|
