Margalit Ruth Gyllenhaal, better known as Maggie, is an American actress and filmmaker. Born into the movie industry, she is the daughter of notable filmmakers Stephen Gyllenhaal and Naomi Achs and the older sister of actor Jake Gyllenhaal. She began her acting career at age 15, appearing in small roles in films directed by her father, and since then has been in more than 50 television, film, and theatre roles. In 2021, she made her directorial debut with the psychological drama “The Lost Daughter,” which she also produced and wrote.
Gyllenhaal was born in New York City and grew up in Los Angeles. She studied at the Harvard–Westlake preparatory school and went to Columbia University, where she pursued degrees in Literature and Eastern Religions. After graduation, she spent a semester studying acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England.
Gyllenhaal is known for performances featuring what she calls “troubled women,” she told The Guardian in 2021. “The ones that are a real challenge. They really need me.”
Gyllenhaal’s interest in these roles can be seen in the black comedy “Secretary,” in which her character embarks on a alternative sexual lifestyle with her boss at a law firm. For this performance, she earned the Best Breakthrough Performance by an Actress award from the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, her first Golden Globe nomination, and an Independent Spirit Award nomination.
In Laurie Collyer’s “Sherrybaby,” she played an ex-con drug user and mother. In 2004’s “Stripsearch,” she portrayed an American student in China suspected of terrorism. In 2005’s comedy-drama “Happy Endings,” she was a singer who seduces a young gay man and his father.
Most recently, Gyllenhaal took the reins behind the camera to create another “troubled woman.” Leda, in “The Lost Daughter,” is a self-described “unnatural and selfish” mother who abandons her daughters and admits that it “felt amazing” being away from them.
“The Lost Daughter” received critical acclaim and won the Best Screenplay Award, Best Feature, and Breakthrough Director at the 78th Venice International Film Festival. At the 79th Golden Globe Awards, Gyllenhaal received a nomination for Best Director.