Jake Gyllenhaal (born December 19, 1980) is an American actor from Los Angeles, California. Born into a Hollywood family, he is the son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner and the younger brother of actor and filmmaker Maggie Gyllenhaal. Jake started his career as a child actor in films such as "City Slickers" and "Homegrown" before having his own breakthrough moment as a leading star with acclaimed back-to-back turns in "October Sky" (1999) and the teen cult classic "Donnie Darko" (2001). Gyllenhaal made his debut as a blockbuster lead in Roland Emmerich's 2004 disaster movie "The Day After Tomorrow." His collaboration with Heath Ledger in Ang Lee's 2005 romance film "Brokeback Mountain" proved his dramatic acting chops on an international scale. Gyllenhaal won a BAFTA Award for "Brokeback Mountain" and was also nominated for an Oscar, the first of his career. He continued to star in critically acclaimed dramas thanks to collaborations with David Fincher in "Zodiac" and Denis Villeneuve, who directed him in "Enemy" and "Prisoners." Gyllenhaal's performance in 2014's "Nightcrawler" earned him a BAFTA Film Award nomination for best actor in a leading role. Many consider his lack of an Oscar nomination for the performance to be a major Academy Award snub. Gyllenhaal has continued to balance Hollywood blockbusters ("Spider-Man: Far From Home") with indie dramas ("The Guilty") in recent years. He's also made a name for himself on Broadway with performances in "Sunday in the Park with George" and "Sea Wall/A Life," the latter of which earned him a Tony nomination for best actor in a play.