Jake Gyllenhaal's Family Tree

Jake Gyllenhaal comes from a strong Swedish background with family roots that can be traced as far back as 1650. His family comes straight from Swedish nobility, which just might explain the reason for his status as Hollywood royalty.

Born as Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal on December 19, 1980, he was raised by parents who enjoyed a healthy status in Hollywood right from the start. His father, Stephen, was a film director while his mother, Naomi, was a well-established screenwriter who wrote for Bee Season, Losing Isaiah, and A Dangerous Woman, the latter of which would have Jake play his earliest supporting roles in 1993. His early childhood granted him ample exposure to the inner workings of film, which may have propelled his success in the field of acting.

Jake had one older sister who had already gotten a good start with acting, which makes sense in a family where creativity is honored. He himself got his first role in City Slickers at the tender age of eleven. There, he acted alongside major names such as Billy Crystal, and from there he would continue to be cast in a myriad of supporting roles while gaining acting experience.

Gyllenhaal's First Big Break

Jake Gyllenhaal's first big break came in 1999 when he was cast as the main character in Donnie Darko. His introduction to lead roles soon took off, and he found himself starring alongside Jennifer Aniston in The Good Girl in 2002. He then went to tackle other major roles in films such as The Day After Tomorrow in 2004, which allowed him to make up for his previous loss of the Bubble Boy role.

Bisexual Or No?

The question of Jake Gyllenhaal's sexuality came into play when he accepted another lead role as a grumpy Marine in Jarhead. Around the same time, in 2005, he took on the lead role in the blockbuster smash Brokeback Mountain, where he plays a young cowboy who falls for his partner, played by none other than the infamous Heath Ledger.

His variety of the range of male characters he's played have sparked rumors that Gyllenhaal might be at least bisexual, but this is something that he has been able to readily shrug off with a grain of salt. However, it was rumored that he has shown an interest in women such as Taylor Swift and Reese Witherspoon in his past. At present, it is said that he is dating a French model by the name of Jeanne Cadieu, and things could soon be getting very serious. Even with his hyper-busy acting career, Gyllenhaal is very much open to the idea of marriage and fatherhood someday.

Continued Success as an Actor

Jake Gyllenhaal's greatest lead role was one that granted him his one wish: to be cast as a superhero. He finally landed this role in the 2019 film adaptation of the classic Spiderman, which gave his earnings the boost that they both needed and deserved. To this day, the 39 year old actor can now boast a net worth of up to $65 million total, and that's just the beginning.