Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal (born December 19, 1980) is an American actor. Known for his performances on screen and stage, he has received numerous accolades, including a BAFTA Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, three Tony Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Born into the Gyllenhaal family, he is the son of film director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, and the younger brother of actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. Gyllenhaal began acting as a child, making his debut in City Slickers (1991), followed by roles in his father's films A Dangerous Woman (1993) and Homegrown (1998). His breakthrough came as Homer Hickam in the biopic October Sky (1999), before starring in the thriller Donnie Darko (2001), the romantic comedy The Good Girl (2002), and the disaster film The Day After Tomorrow (2004). He earned praise for his performance as Jack Twist in Ang Lee's romantic drama Brokeback Mountain (2005), including the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor and an Academy Award nomination. Gyllenhaal emerged as a leading man with roles in acclaimed films such as Zodiac (2007), End of Watch (2012), Prisoners (2013), Nightcrawler (2014), Southpaw (2015), Nocturnal Animals (2016), Stronger (2017), and Wildlife (2018). His other major successes include Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010), Source Code (2011), Everest (2015), and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019); the latter became his highest grossing release. He has since starred in various action and thriller projects, including the films The Guilty (2021), Ambulance (2022) and Road House (2024), as well as the Apple TV series Presumed Innocent (2024). Gyllenhaal has performed on stage, starring in a West End production of the play This Is Our Youth (2002) and Broadway productions of the musical Sunday in the Park with George (2017) as well as the plays Constellations (2014) and Sea Wall/A Life (2019), the last of which earned him a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. Aside from acting, he is vocal about political and social issues.