Fun facts about Jake Gyllenhaal ahead of his birthday

Mother - 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).

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Sister - 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.

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

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

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

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

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Concerned parenting - 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.

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Bar mitzvah - 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.

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Summer jobs - 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.

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University years - 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.

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Out on his own - 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.’

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‘Donnie Darko’ (2001) - 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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Kirsten Dunst - 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...

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Almost slinging webs - 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.

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On the stage - 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.

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‘The Day After Tomorrow’ (2004) - 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.

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Environmental concerns - 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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I am Batman... almost - 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...

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‘Brokeback Mountain’ (2005) - 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.

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Dedicated actor -

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.

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

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'To Kill a Mockingbird' - This is his favorite book, and his dogs were named in tribute to two characters in the novel: Atticus and Boo.

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Taylor Swift - 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.’

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Not a fan - 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!

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Nobility -

The male Gyllenhaal line is reportedly descended from Swedish royalty!

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

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