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From a family of great talent, it's no surprise that Jake Gyllenhaal is a star of the big screen. With an impressive range and an unshakable commitment to his roles, he's still one to watch. But how much do you really know about this Academy Award-nominated actor?

Let's take a closer look at the private life of Jake Gyllenhaal. Click on for more!

▲Jake Benjamin Gyllenhaal was born on December 19, 1980 in Los Angeles.

▲His father is director Stephen Gyllenhaal. He is known for movies such as ‘Paris Trout’ (1991) and ‘A Dangerous Woman’ (1993), in which he cast his son. He has also directed episodes for numerous TV shows.

▲His mother is screenwriter Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal. She has written the scripts for movies such as ‘Running on Empty’ (1988) and ‘Losing Isaiah’ (1995), which was directed by her then-husband, Stephen Gyllenhaal. She has also dabbled in direction, and made her debut with ‘Very Good Girls’ (2013).

▲While Gyllenhaal has several rounds of godparents, his "celebrity godfather" was the famous Paul Newman. He reportedly gave Gyllenhaal his first driving lesson!

▲Apparently all the stars are in the same school system! Gyllenhaal attended high school with Jason Segel.

▲His film debut came early in life, at the age of 11. He played Billy Crystal’s son in the comedy ‘City Slickers’ (1991).

▲His parents thought it was a good idea for him to work during the summer, so in the past he has worked as a lifeguard and a busboy, among other jobs.

▲From 2002 to 2004, Jake Gyllenhaal and Kirsten Dunst were an 'it' couple. They were introduced by his sister, and were then seen together at numerous events. Would have been interesting if he got this next role...

▲In this environmental disaster film, Gyllenhaal stars alongside Dennis Quaid and Emmy Rossum (pictured). The new ice age is coming, and Gyllenhaal has to figure out how to survive until help arrives.

▲After working on the environmental crisis film ‘The Day After Tomorrow,’ Gyllenhaal revealed that he donates money every year to plant trees in Mozambique.

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The male Gyllenhaal line is reportedly descended from Swedish royalty!

▲Gyllenhaal also dated this pop star for around three months. Swift has allegedly written three different songs about the actor: ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,’ ‘Red,’ and ‘All Too Well.’

▲Gyllenhaal followed in his older sister’s footsteps and attended Columbia University. He studied Eastern religions and philosophy for two years, but then dropped out to focus on his acting career.

▲After starring together in the 2007 film ‘Rendition,’ the pair dated for two years. They seem to still be on good terms.

▲Gyllenhaal made it to some of the final roles in the Batman casting, but eventually ended up losing out to Christian Bale. Maybe that’s for the best, as Maggie Gyllenhaal played the role of Rachel Dawes (Batman’s love interest) in the film...

▲His first big role came in the film ‘October Sky’ (1999). He played the lead role in this film adaptation of the book ‘Rocket Boys.’

▲His first foray in the world of theater was in 2002, in the production ‘This Is Our Youth.’ He wanted to give theater a try, as many other actors had done previously. His performance was well-received by critics.

▲In an interview on ‘The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,’ Gyllenhaal revealed that after his audition for Frodo in ‘Lord of the Rings,’ director Peter Jackson called him “the worst actor that [he had] ever seen.” Ouch!

▲The family is full of celebrities, and even the godparents aren’t left out. Gyllenhaal’s godmother is actress Jamie Lee Curtis.

▲For his bar mitzvah, instead of just having a giant party, he spent time volunteering at a homeless shelter. He gets his Jewish ancestry from his mother’s side.

▲This is his favorite book, and his dogs were named in tribute to two characters in the novel: Atticus and Boo.

▲Maggie Gyllenhaal is famous in her own right, in addition to being Jake Gyllenhaal’s older sister. She starred alongside her brother in the cult classic ‘Donnie Darko’ (2001), and has an impressive filmography.

▲Other than ‘City Slickers,’ Gyllenhaal wasn’t allowed to participate in many movies while growing up. His parents would allow him to audition, but he could never take the roles. He even got a part in the film 'The Mighty Ducks,' but had to turn it down.

▲Arguably his most critically acclaimed film, Gyllenhaal plays a cowboy who embarks upon a romantic relationship with another cowboy (Heath Ledger). The film won three Academy Awards, and Gyllenhaal himself was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor award. He and Heath Ledger also won the MTV Movie award for Best Kiss.

▲Gyllenhaal was strongly considered for the role of Spider-Man in ‘Spider-Man 2,’ as Tobey Maguire, who had played the part in the first film, had hurt his back on the set of ‘Seabiscuit.’ However, Maguire recovered in enough time, so no web-slinging for this star. Though he did get to star in 'Spider-Man: Far From Home,' alongside Tom Holland.

▲While ‘Donnie Darko’ wasn’t a huge success when first released, over the years it has become a cult classic. Gyllenhaal’s performance was well-received by critics, and likely opened doors for him.

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Gyllenhaal pulls out all the stops for his roles. For the movie ‘Southpaw’ (2015), the actor put on 45 lbs (over 20 kg) to play the part of the boxing champ. Additionally, during ‘Nightcrawler’ (2014), he punched through a mirror in a scene and ended up needing stitches.