Top 10 Jake Gyllenhaal

Born into an industry family, Jake Gyllenhaal has worked hard to establish himself as a serious actor. Opting for obscure parts and avoiding big budget productions early on, Gyllenhaal has secured longevity and evolved from boy-next door to buffed-up A-lister. He’s been Academy Award nominated, enjoys diverse opportunities opposite the Hollywood elite, and has already amassed a fine resume. Here are our top 10...

His Top 10 Films

City Slickers (1991)

Son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner (and brother to Maggie), Jake Gyllenhaal received a first class ticket to the movie industry at a very young age. He would have to prove himself later on, but the L.A. born actor relied on his parents to kick-start his career. City Slickers, the superb mid-life-crisis comedy-adventure starring Billy Crystal and Jack Palance, is almost 20 years old. Have another look at Billy’s son in the film – that’s Jake Gyllenhaal!

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Donnie Darko (2001)

10 years after making his City Slickers debut, Gyllenhaal established himself in a film that became a cult classic, although not an out-and-out box office success. Director Richard Kelly has since revealed that he had difficulty finding funding for the film’s release, and the final product – a bizarre, reality-bending coming-of-age tale – left US distributors baffled too. Gyllenhaal’s reputation, however, emerged greatly enhanced.

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The Good Girl (2002)

Teaming up with Jennifer Aniston in girl-next-door mode, Gyllenhaal has described his part in The Good Girl as a “teenager in transition". Hoping to shed her Friends persona, Aniston ditched the glamour to play store assistant Justine Last, in a downbeat story about the conflicts in one woman’s mundane life. Gyllenhaal slipped into the role of her doe-eyed co-worker and lover with ease, and received critical praise for his performance.

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The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

BAFTA award-winning The Day After Tomorrow elevated Jake’s Hollywood status, with Dennis Quaid as his on-screen dad and the opportunity to work with director Roland Emmerich. Gyllenhaal actually auditioned for Spiderman 2 when pal Tobey Maguire fell ill, which might have saved him from global disaster (movie). But Maguire recovered, reclaimed the spandex suit, leaving Gyllenhaal to battle the catastrophic chill after all.

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Brokeback Mountain (2005)

After losing out to Christian Bale on Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins, Gyllenhaal’s consolation was not half bad – an Oscar-nomination for Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain. Less rootin’ tootin’ cowboy adventure and more dramatic love story steeped in same-sex angst, the story stirred up controversy, but received rave reviews and was a huge commercial success. And, of course, the shadow of the Bat also lurks in the shape of Gyllenhaal’s co-star, the late Heath Ledger, who would go on to be Nolan’s Joker.

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Jarhead (2005)

Shortly after success on Brokeback Mountain, Gyllenhaal moved into new territory under the wing of director Sam Mendes. Based on former Marine Anthony Swofford's best-selling memoirs of his time during the Gulf War, Jarhead gave Gyllenhaal a fresh challenge. It’s rumoured that he actually won out over Christian Bale this time (and Leonardo DiCaprio too), proving that – by this stage – he was rubbing shoulders with the best and brightest, and more than holding his own.

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Zodiac (2007)

Another drastically different part, demonstrating Gyllenhaal’s range as an actor. Based on San Francisco's most infamous unsolved crime, the film follows Chronicle reporter Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr) and political cartoonist Robert Graysmith (Gyllenhaal) in a classic who-dunnit storyline, set in the 1960s. Reviews were largely positive but the film didn’t drum up as much money as the studios had hoped.

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Rendition (2007)

Based on the true story of a man who was mistaken for being an al-Qaeda member, Rendition examines the controversial practise of transferring prisoners to countries where ‘extreme coercion’ is permitted. More heavyweight co-stars for Jake, not least Meryl Streep and Peter Sarsgaard. The film also introduced Gyllenhaal to Reese Witherspoon, with whom – after her marriage to Ryan Philippe ended – he embarked on a two year romance.

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Brothers (2009)

Brothers sees Gyllenhaal unite with friend Tobey Maguire in a story based on Susanne Bier's 2004 Danish film Brødre. Directed by Jim Sheridan, the film failed to impress the critics and suffered in its opening weekend at the US box office because of New Moon and The Blind Side. Reviewers have since branded the film’s three leads (Gyllenhaal, Maguire and Natalie Portman) as its most redeeming features.

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Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)

In 2010, Gyllenhaal flexed his action muscles in Jerry Bruckheimer’s swash-buckling adventure, based on the computer game. Orlando Bloom and Zac Efron were rumoured to be attached to the project, but Gyllenhaal’s acting credentials won over Pirates-producer Bruckheimer. Complete with shaggy hair do, rippling torso and British accent, Gyllenhaal embarked on his first Disney adventure, to – shall we say – mixed reviews.

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Jennifer Trevorrow