Jake Gyllenhaal was born into Hollywood royalty. Jamie Lee Curtis is his godmother, Paul Newman is his godfather, his father is a director and his mother a producer-screenwriter. When he was 11, Gyllenhaal made his big-screen debut in “City Slickers.” Here is a look at his career since then. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
While Gyllenhaal continued to earn acting roles, his parents insisted that he keep it real. Just to remind him how privileged he was, they threw his bar mitzvah at a homeless shelter. Gyllenhaal also took summer jobs, including working as a busboy and lifeguard. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
Jake is the younger brother of actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. The two played on-screen siblings in 2001’s “Donnie Darko.” (Lucy Nicholson / AFP/Getty)
Reuniting with a “Brokeback” costar, Gyllenhaal portrays drug representative Jamie Randall opposite Anne Hathaway as Parkinson’s-inflicted Maggie Murdock in this romantic comedy based on the nonfiction book “Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman.” (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
