Born 1977 (age 48) · Lower East Side, New York City, New York, USA
Appears in 83 titles

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.

Filmography

The Dark Knight
8.5
The Dark Knight
2008
as Rachel
Donnie Darko
7.8
Donnie Darko
2001
as Elizabeth Darko
White House Down
6.5
White House Down
2013
as Finnerty
Monster House
6.7
Monster House
2006
as Zee (voice)
Adaptation.
7.3
Adaptation.
2002
as Caroline Cunningham
Stranger Than Fiction
7.3
Stranger Than Fiction
2006
as Ana Pascal
Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang
6.3
Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang
2010
as Isabel Green
Mona Lisa Smile
6.9
Mona Lisa Smile
2003
as Giselle Levy
Secretary
6.8
Secretary
2002
as Lee Holloway
World Trade Center
6.1
World Trade Center
2006
as Allison Jimeno
Frank
6.9
Frank
2014
as Clara
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
40 Days and 40 Nights
5.5
40 Days and 40 Nights
2002
as Sam
Crazy Heart
6.9
Crazy Heart
2009
as Jean Craddock
Hysteria
6.7
Hysteria
2011
as Charlotte Dalrymple
Paris Je T'aime
6.8
Paris Je T'aime
2006
as Liz (Quartier des Enfants Rouges)
Away We Go
6.7
Away We Go
2009
as LN
Riding in Cars with Boys
6.7
Riding in Cars with Boys
2001
as Amelia
The Kindergarten Teacher
6.6
The Kindergarten Teacher
2018
as Lisa Spinelli
Cecil B. Demented
6.4
Cecil B. Demented
2000
as Raven