Maggie Ruth Gyllenhaal (born November 16, 1977) is an American actress.

She is the older sister of Jake Gyllenhaal and the daughter of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner. Gyllenhaal began her acting career in a film directed by her father, and later achieved recognition in her own right playing her real-life brothers on-screen sister in the cult hit Donnie Darko. Gyllenhaal made her breakthrough in the sadomasochistic romance, Secretary, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination.

Gyllenhaal has chosen an eclectic range of roles, from indie films such as Sherrybaby, for which she was also nominated for a Golden Globe, to the romantic comedy Trust the Man and big-budget studio films such as World Trade Center and The Dark Knight.


Gyllenhaal is a politically active Democrat and like her brother and parents supports the American Civil Liberties Union. Gyllenhaal participated in anti-war demonstrations in the lead-up to the US-led invasion of Iraq and achieved some notoriety for being quoted as saying America was "responsible in some way" for the 9/11 attacks.

Gyllenhaal has been in a relationship with actor Peter Sarsgaard since 2002. They announced their engagement in April 2006. They have a daughter, Ramona, born on October 3, 2006, and reside in Brooklyn, NY. Sarsgaard is close friends with her brother Jake.


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