Maggie Gyllenhaal
Known for Acting · 79 credits
- Born
- 1977-11-16 (age 48)
- Place of birth
- Lower East Side, New York City, New York, USA
- Also known as
- Margalit Ruth Gyllenhaal
Biography
Margalit 'Maggie' Ruth Gyllenhaal (born November 16, 1977) is an American actress and filmmaker. Part of the Gyllenhaal family, she is the daughter of filmmakers Stephen Gyllenhaal and Naomi Achs, and the older sister of actor Jake Gyllenhaal.
She began her career as a teenager with small roles in several of her father's films, and appeared with her brother in the cult favorite Donnie Darko (2001). She then appeared in Adaptation, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (both 2002), and Mona Lisa Smile (2003). She received critical acclaim for her leading performances in the erotic romantic drama Secretary (2002) and the drama Sherrybaby (2006), each of which earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination. After several commercially successful films in 2006, including World Trade Center, she received wider recognition for playing Rachel Dawes in the superhero film The Dark Knight (2008).
For her performance as a single mother in Crazy Heart (2009), she received a nomination for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She subsequently starred in the comedies and dramas: Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (2010), Hysteria (2011), and Won't Back Down (2012). Her other roles include a Secret Service agent in the action-thriller White House Down (2013), a musician in Frank (2014), and the title role in the drama The Kindergarten Teacher (2018). In 2021, she made her writing and directing debut with the psychological drama The Lost Daughter, for which she won the Venice International Film Festival's Best Screenplay Award and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
She has also appeared in five stage productions since 2000, including making her Broadway debut in a revival of The Real Thing. She has starred in several television series, including the BBC political-thriller miniseries The Honourable Woman. For her performance, she won a Golden Globe award for Best Actress, and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. She also produced and starred in the HBO period drama series The Deuce (2017–19). She has been married to actor Peter Sarsgaard since 2009 and they have two children together.
Known For
TV Shows (26)
The Daily Show
1996
as Self
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
2014
as Self
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009
as Self - Guest
Late Night with Seth Meyers
2014
as Self / Self - Guest
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
as Self / Self - Guest
The Graham Norton Show
2007
as Self
Late Show with David Letterman
1993
as Self
The View
1997
as Self / Self - Guest
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
2005
as Self
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003
as Self
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
1988
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
2014
as Self
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
1993
as Self - Guest
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
2015
as Self
Independent Lens
1999
The Oscars
1953
as Self
Finding Your Roots
2012
as Self
Chelsea
2016
as Self
The Deuce
2017
as Eileen 'Candy' Merrell
Curiosity
2011
as Host
How To with John Wilson
2020
as Self
The Honourable Woman
2014
as Nessa Stein
Gotham Tonight
2008
as Rachel Dawes
Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story
1991
as Noreen Bixler
Live from Studio Five
2009
as Self
Movies (53)
The Dark Knight
2008
as Rachel
Secretary
2002
as Lee Holloway
Donnie Darko
2001
as Elizabeth Darko
Monster House
2006
as Zee (voice)
White House Down
2013
as Finnerty
Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang
2010
as Isabel Green
World Trade Center
2006
as Allison Jimeno
Stranger Than Fiction
2006
as Ana Pascal
Adaptation.
2002
as Caroline Cunningham
Paris Je T'aime
2006
as Liz (Quartier des Enfants Rouges)
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
2002
as Debbie
Mona Lisa Smile
2003
as Giselle Levy
Crazy Heart
2009
as Jean Craddock
40 Days and 40 Nights
2002
as Sam
Riding in Cars with Boys
2001
as Amelia
Criminal
2004
as Valerie
Frank
2014
as Clara
Hysteria
2011
as Charlotte Dalrymple
Joker: Put on a Happy Face
2020
as Self
Won't Back Down
2012
as Jamie Fitzpatrick
Away We Go
2009
as LN
Happy Endings
2005
as Jude
Strip Search
2004
as Linda Sykes
Homegrown
1998
as Christina
The Kindergarten Teacher
2018
as Lisa Spinelli
Sherrybaby
2006
as Sherry Swanson
Cecil B. Demented
2000
as Raven
Waterland
1992
as Maggie Ruth
Heath Ledger: A Tribute
2009
as Self
Trust the Man
2005
as Elaine
The Great New Wonderful
2005
as Emme Keeler
The Photographer
2000
as Mira
A Dangerous Woman
1993
as Patsy
Starring Austin Pendleton
2016
as Self
The Patron Saint of Liars
1998
as Lorraine Thomas
Resurrection
1999
as Mary
Shattered Mind
1996
as Clothes Clerk
River of Fundament
2014
as Hathfertiti
Casa de los Babys
2003
as Jennifer
Best Summer Ever
2020
as TV Reporter
The Pornographer: A Love Story
2004
as Sidney
Home
2016
as Ruth
The Sturgeon Queens
2014
as Self
Quartier des Enfants-Rouges
2006
as Liz
Sylvia Plath: Inside The Bell Jar
2018
as The Bell Jar Reader (voice)
High Falls
2007
as April
The Ben Cobb Show
2019
as Amun Ra
BAM150
2012
as Self
The Misbehavers
2004
as Self
Beauty Mark
2016
as Valerie
Lost Treasures of Arabia: The Nabataean Kingdom
2025
as Narrator (voice)
Voyage to the Bunny Planet
2008
The New Empress
2016
as Olive
About Maggie Gyllenhaal
Margalit 'Maggie' Ruth Gyllenhaal (born November 16, 1977) is an American actress and filmmaker. Part of the Gyllenhaal family, she is the daughter of filmmakers Stephen Gyllenhaal and Naomi Achs, and the older sister of actor Jake Gyllenhaal. She began her career as a teenager with small roles in several of her father's films, and appeared with her brother in the cult favorite Donnie Darko (2001). She then appeared in Adaptation, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (both 2002), and Mona Lisa Smile (2003). She received critical acclaim for her lea… With 79 credits spanning from 1953 to 2025, Maggie Gyllenhaal has appeared in 53 films and 26 TV shows.
Fans searching for Maggie Gyllenhaal movies, Maggie Gyllenhaal filmography, or the latest projects starring Maggie Gyllenhaal can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Maggie Gyllenhaal Movies
- The Dark Knight (2008) — as Rachel
- Secretary (2002) — as Lee Holloway
- Donnie Darko (2001) — as Elizabeth Darko
- Monster House (2006) — as Zee (voice)
- White House Down (2013) — as Finnerty
Where to Watch Maggie Gyllenhaal Films
Most Maggie Gyllenhaal movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Maggie Gyllenhaal, check our movies catalogue and browse page.