Maggie Ruth Gyllenhaal (born November 16, 1977) is an American actress.

She is the older sister of Jake Gyllenhaal and the daughter of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner. Gyllenhaal began her acting career in a film directed by her father, and later achieved recognition in her own right playing her real-life brother's on-screen sister in the cult hit Donnie Darko. Gyllenhaal made her breakthrough in the sadomasochistic romance, Secretary, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination. (Auguest 30, 2006), blank">"Maggie Gyllenhaal In The Con",CBS News. Retrieved November 17, 2006.

Gyllenhaal has chosen an eclectic range of roles, from _indie films such as Sherrybaby, for which she was also nominated for a Golden Globe, to the romantic comedy Trust the Man and big-budget studio films such as World Trade Center and The Dark Knight.

Gyllenhaal is a politically active Democrat and like her brother and parents supports the American Civil Liberties Union. Gyllenhaal participated in anti-war demonstrations in the lead-up to the US-led invasion of Iraq and achieved some notoriety for being quoted as saying America was "responsible in some way" for the 9/11 attacks.

Maggie Gyllenhaal made her debut in her father, Stephen Gyllenhaal,'s film Waterland (1992) and emerged as full-blown star in Secretary (2002). Her sweet looks and conduct has a deep on-screen subtle style that emerges from the characters she plays, large part or small. Gyllenhaal's career has already shown through her presence on screen. After attending Columbia University, Gyllenhaal resides in New York City. She earned her BA in English, which gave her theater experience during college in addition to her literary point. In London, she studied briefly at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Focusing on English, her stage experience led her to acting after graduation.