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Sexy Margaret Ruth "Maggie" Gyllenhaal | Sexy Cute Babes

Margaret Ruth "Maggie" Gyllenhaal (born November 16, 1977) is an American actress. She is the daughter of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal, and the older sister of Jake Gyllenhaal. Gyllenhaal began her acting career in a film directed by her father, and later achieved recognition in her own right playing her real brother's on-screen sister in Donnie Darko. She made her break-through in the sadomasochistic romance Secretary, for which she received critical acclaim and 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. She participated in anti-war demonstrations prior to the US-led invasion of Iraq and achieved some notoriety for being quoted as saying U.S. government was "responsible in some way" for the 9/11 attacks.

Biography

Early life

Gyllenhaal was born in New York City, the daughter of film director Stephen Gyllenhaal and film producer and screen-writer Naomi Achs. Jake Gyllenhaal, her brother, is also an actor. Gyllenhaal's father was raised in the Swedenborgian religion and is a descendant of the Swedish noble Gyllenhaal family; her last Swedish ancestor was her great-great-grandfather, Anders Leonard Gyllenhaal. Her mother is from a Jewish family in New York City , and is the ex-wife of Eric Foner, a history professor at Columbia University.

Gyllenhaal grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from the Harvard-Westlake prep school. While there, she attended a semester away program in Vershire, Vermont called The Mountain School. She graduated from Columbia University in 1999 with a B.A. in literature and Eastern religions and spent a summer studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Career

Gyllenhaal's first film roles were directed by her father: Waterland (1992), her feature film debut, A Dangerous Woman (1993), and Homegrown (1998); the latter two also featured her brother. After graduating from college, she had a number of supporting roles, in such films as 40 Days and 40 Nights, Riding in Cars with Boys, and Cecil B. Demented. Paper magazine has described these roles, including her casting as Donnie Darko's sister opposite real-life brother Jake, as "the girl you're not supposed to notice".
Gyllenhaal at the premiere of The Dark Knight in 2008
Gyllenhaal at the premiere of The Dark Knight in 2008

Gyllenhaal's break-out role was in the black comedy Secretary (2002), a film about two people who embark on a mutually fulfilling BDSM lifestyle. The film earned Gyllenhaal widely-spread acclaim including a Golden Globe nomination, and marked the first time Gyllenhaal performed full frontal nudity on camera. Although impressed with the script, Gyllenhaal initially had some qualms about doing the film, which she believed could deliver an antifeminist message. Yet after carefully discussing the script with the film's director, Steven Shainberg, she agreed to join the project. Although insisting Shainberg did not exploit her, Gyllenhaal has said she felt "slightly taken advantage of" and in agreeing to do certain scenes she "conceded in a way that maybe in retrospect I wish I hadn't."

In 2003, Gyllenhaal then had a series of supporting roles in films such as the Spike Jonze/Charlie Kaufman comedy Adaptation., and Mona Lisa Smile starring Julia Roberts. She also appeared in smaller independent films such as John Sayles' Casa de los Babys, and Criminal with John C. Reilly and Diego Luna. Another notable appearance was in Happy Endings in which she played a singer. She further recorded songs for the movie's soundtrack. The following year, Gyllenhaal was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She also played a love interest of Harold Crick, played by Will Ferrell, in Stranger than Fiction.

Gyllenhaal has also appeared in theatre. She starred as Alice in the Mark Taper Forum production of Patrick Marber's Closer, and performed at the Taper in a production of Tony Kushner's Homebody/ Kabul. Kushner gave Gyllenhaal the role in Homebody/ Kabul on the strength of her performance in Closer. Gyllenhaal shot a commercial for Rock the Vote, and along with her brother Jake Gyllenhaal, visited the University of Southern California to encourage students to vote during the 2004 U.S. Election. Besides acting, she has modeled for Miu Miu, Reebok, and Agent Provocateur, and recorded the first unabridged audiobook version of Sylvia Plath's novel, The Bell Jar.

In 2008, Gyllenhaal was also set to play "Suky" in The Private Lives of Pippa Lee but pulled out before filming began. She has been replaced by Maria Bello. She appeared in The Dark Knight, the sequel to Batman Begins, in which she replaced Katie Holmes as Assistant District Attorney, Rachel Dawes. In the IGN review of the film, critic Todd Gilchrist wrote: "Meanwhile taking over for Katie Holmes, Gyllenhaal adds real depth and energy to Rachel Dawes, showing how her feelings for Bruce Wayne aren't simply unrequited, but actually based in both sincere affection and common sense."

Personal life

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 4, 2006, and reside in Brooklyn, New York. Sarsgaard is close friends with Gyllenhaal's brother Jake.

In November 2007, Gyllenhaal volunteered to help raise funds for TrickleUp.org, a non-profit organization that helps people take the first steps out of poverty by helping them start a micro-enterprise. In the latest fundraising campaign, Gyllenhaal helped design and promote a necklace that sells for $100, with all proceeds going to the charity.

Controversy

Gyllenhaal drew fire for a comment made during an interview with NY1 at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival where she suggested that the United States was somewhat responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks. She remarked, "I think America has done reprehensible things and is responsible in some way..." In response to the criticism, she issued a statement saying that 9/11 was "an occasion to be brave enough to ask some serious questions about America's role in the world" and that it was "useful as individuals or nations to ask how we may have knowingly or unknowingly contributed to this conflict." She pointedly denied saying that the 9/11 attacks were deserved. Gyllenhaal later said that she regretted her comments, and asserted that film interviews were not the "right place" to discuss politics. Gyllenhaal also said that she had "nothing but gratitude and admiration" for firefighters and that she should have "been more gentle and more thoughtful" in her comments.

Gyllenhaal eventually met with Port Authority officer Will Jimeno and his wife, Allison, whom Gyllenhaal depicted in the 2006 film World Trade Center. She said she would have left the project if the Jimenos wanted, but Allison Jimeno expressed that she and her husband were comfortable with her and "had no problem with her in [the] movie."