Margalit Maggie Gyllenhaal, born Ruth Gyllenhaal Sarsgaard, is an American actress most recognized for her small but memorable roles in films. As a lead in the film ‘The Dark Knight,’ she received the most important role of her career. Maggie Gyllenhaal is the older sister of actor Jake Gyllenhaal and the daughter of prominent directors Stephen Gyllenhaal and Naomi Foner. Maggie was born in New York and moved to Los Angeles, California, with her family when she was a baby. During her adolescence, she developed an interest in acting and began attending theatrical classes at Harvard-Wakeland prep school. She made her cinematic debut at the age of fifteen, in the film ‘Waterland,’ directed by her father. She made her stage debut in Patrick Marber’s ‘Closer’ at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, where she earned great reviews. Her breakthrough performance came in the dark comedy ‘Secretary,’ for which she earned her first major award and received widespread critical acclaim. Maggie is the mother of two children, Ramona and Gloria Ray Sarsgaard, from her marriage to actor Peter Sarsgaard.
Childhood and Adolescence
Maggie Gyllenhaal was born in New York on November 16, 1977. She is the daughter of Stephen Gyllenhaal, a film director and writer, and Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal, a screenwriter. Jake Gyllenhaal, her younger brother, is an actor as well.
When she was a baby, her family relocated to Los Angeles. During her adolescence, she developed an interest in acting and studied drama at Harvard–Westlake prep school. She graduated in 1995 and went on to Columbia University in New York to study literature and Eastern religions.
Career of Maggie Gyllenhaal
Maggie Gyllenhaal made her film début at the age of fifteen, in 1992, with her father’s picture ‘Waterland.’ Her father directed her next two films, ‘A Dangerous Woman’ (1993) and ‘Homegrown’ (1998), which also featured her brother. In 1998, she starred in the television film ‘The Patron Saint of Liars.’
She made her stage debut in 2000 with ‘Closer,’ and appeared in supporting roles in the films ‘Cecil B. Demented,’ and ‘Riding in Cars with Boys,’ both in 2000. Maggie garnered a lot of praise for her role in the 2001 film ‘Donnie Darko.’
Her performance in the film ‘Secretary’ in 2002 catapulted her to popularity, and she earned her first Oscar for it. In 2002, she appeared in the comedies ‘Adaptation’ and ’40 Days and 40 Nights,’ demonstrating her versatility.
Maggie Gyllenhaal then went on to star in the films ‘Confessions of a Dangerous Mind’ (2002), ‘Casa de los Babys’ (2003), and ‘Mona Lisa Smile’ (2003), before returning to the stage in 2003 with ‘Homebody/Kabul.’
She appeared in the films ‘Criminal’ (2004), ‘Strip Search’ (2004), ‘Happy Endings’ (2005), ‘The Great New Wonderful’ (2005), and ‘Trust the Man’ (2005) throughout the next several years (2005). In 2006, she portrayed an adolescent heroin addict in the film ‘Sherrybaby.’
In 2006, she starred in the films ‘Paris, je t’aime,’ ‘World Trade Center,’ and ‘Stranger than Fiction,’ as well as lending her voice to the film ‘Monster House.’ In 2007, she also starred in the short film ‘High Falls.’
In 2008, Maggie Gyllenhaal starred in the commercially successful picture ‘The Dark Knight.’ In 2009, she appeared in the play ‘Uncle Vanya’ and as a bohemian college lecturer in the film ‘Away We Go.’
For her supporting role in the 2009 film ‘Crazy Heart,’ she gained widespread recognition and an Academy Award nomination. She acted in the Classic Stage Company’s performance of ‘Three Sisters’ in 2011, as well as in the films ‘Nanny McPhee Returns’ (2010) and ‘Hysteria’ (2011). In 2012, she hosted the documentary “Discovery’s “Curiosity” and starred in the television film “The Corrections.”
She appeared in the films “Won’t Back Down” (2012), “White House Down” (2013), “Frank” (2014), “River of Fundament” (2014), and “The Real Thing” at the American Airlines Theater in 2014. In 2014, she starred in the TV miniseries ‘The Honourable Woman.’
In August 2016, Gyllenhaal’s narration performance of Leo Tolstoy’s ‘Anna Karenina’ was made available for purchase. In 2016, she appeared in one episode of ‘Inside Amy Schumer’ and narrated the documentary ‘Truth and Power.’ In 2017, she made an appearance in the TC show ‘The Deuce.’
Major Projects of Maggie Gyllenhaal
Maggie Gyllenhaal gained fame and reputation in 2002 for her appearance in the dark comedy ‘Secretary.’ She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and won the Boston Society of Film Critics Award for her performance.
In 2008, she made her feature picture debut in ‘The Dark Knight,’ which was a box office smash. Her performance was well-received by critics, earning her nominations for the Critics’ Choice Movie Award and the Saturn Award.
In 2009, she was nominated for an Academy Award for her supporting role in the film “Crazy Heart.”
Achievements & Awards
For her performance in ‘Secretary,’ Maggie Gyllenhaal received the Boston Society of Film Critics Award, the National Board of Review Award, and the Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award, an MTV Movie Award, a National Society of Film Critics Award, and a number of other awards for her work in the film.
For her supporting role in ‘Happy Endings,’ she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award in 2005. In 2006, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, a Chicago Film Critics Association Award, and a London Film Critics’ Circle Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture for her performance in “Sherrybaby.”
In 2008, she was nominated for a Saturn Award and a Critics’ Choice Movie Award for her supporting role in ‘The Dark Knight,’ and in 2009, she garnered her first Academy Award nomination for her supporting role in ‘Crazy Hearts.’
Maggie earned a Golden Globe Award for ‘The Honourable Woman’ in 2014 for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film.
She was a member of the Berlin Film Festival jury in 2017.
Personal History and Legacy
From 2002 through 2009, Maggie Gyllenhaal was in a relationship with actor Peter Sarsgaard, and the two married on May 2, 2009. Ramona (b. 2006) and Gloria Ray Sarsgaard (b. 2012) are their two daughters, and the family currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.
She is politically active, having spoken at the 18th Independent Spirit Award and the Artists United to Win Without War campaign on her opposition to the Iraq War. In June 2013, she was also included in a film demonstrating support for Chelsea Manning.
Maggie is a supporter of Witness, a non-profit organization that exposes human rights crimes through video and online technologies. She has also been an ambassador for Hear the World Foundation for the past nine years.
Estimated Net Worth
Maggie Gyllenhaal is a well-known actress. Maggie Gyllenhaal has a net worth of $25 million and works as an actress in the United States. That is her joint net worth with her husband, fellow actor Peter Sarsgaard, who she has been married to since 2009. Maggie is best recognized for her appearances as Rachel Dawes, Bruce Wayne’s love interest, in films such as “World Trade Center” (2006) and “The Dark Knight” (2008). She’s had a successful and critically acclaimed career as a blockbuster and character actress since then, earning an Academy Award nomination for her role in “Crazy Heart” (2009), co-starring with Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx in “White House Down” (2013), and starring in David Simon’s acclaimed HBO series “The Deuce.”
Trivia
Following the 2004 Academy Awards, Maggie Gyllenhaal was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
In FHM’s ‘100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005’ special feature, she is placed #58.
Maggie enjoys T Bone Burnett and her favorite actress is Gena Rowlands.
In order to begin filming ‘The Dark Knight’ in 2008, she returned to work six months after giving birth to her daughter, Ramona.