Jake Gyllenhaal

Born: 19th December 1980
Where: Los Angeles, California, USA

The actor has carved out an impressive career after his breakout performance in the cult thriller Donnie Darko.

Gyllenhaal (pronounced Jill-en-hall) starred alongside his sister Maggie in writer-director Richard Kelly's 2001 sci-fi mystery.

Subsequent roles have seen him play a student escaping the big freeze in the blockbuster Day After Tonmorrow and as a gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain.

However, it was for his performance as US army grunt Swoff in Sam Mendes' Gulf War satire Jarhead that he won his best notices.

Born Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal, to film director father Stephen and psychologist mother Naomi, he was exposed to the Hollywood machine at an early age.

His dad directed episodes of Twin Peaks as well as features such as Waterland and A Dangerous Woman, in which the youngster had a role.

He also appeared as an 11-year-old in the Billy Crystal comedy City Slickers in 1991.

Educated at the exclusive LA private school Harvard-Westlake (with Freaks & Geeks star Jason Segel), he went on to Columbia University in New York.

But he dropped out after two years in 2002 - by which time he already has a promising film career going (as well as a brief stint as a lifeguard).

Gyllenhaal first garnered critical critical acclaim for his performance as Homer Hickam in October Sky, alongside Laura Dern and Chris Cooper.

The role earned him a Young Star Award nomination and a nomination for Best Actor at the Young Artist Awards.

However, it was 2001's Donnie Darko which put him firmly on the map and landed him an Independent Spirit Award for best actor.

The following year, he starred in the unlikely love story Moonlight Mile about a young man who finds himself lingering in the family home of his dead fiancee.

After Donnie Darko, Gyllenhaal starred in another Sundance - the 2002 black comedy The Good Girl opposite Jennifer Aniston as a married woman.

He also embarked on a tortuous on-off relationship with Spider-Man star Kirsten Dunst.

Switching to the stage, he starred in Kenneth Lonergan's This Is Our Youth, a critical hit on Broadway which ran for eight weeks in London's West End.

Gyllenhaal portrayed a rich kid who spends a decadent weekend stealing, dealing, and consuming drugs along side Hayden Christensen and Anna Paquin.

In 2004, he played scientist Dennis Quaid's missing son in The Day After Tomorrow and was in line to play Spider-Man before Tobey Maguire returned to the role.

The following year he played a gay cowboy opposite Heath Ledger in director Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain.

In 2005, he starred alongside Gwyneth Paltrow in Proof and in the military satire Jarhead.