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Maggie Gyllenhaal

Maggie Gyllenhaal

Actor and producer, also director and writer · Born November 16, 1977 (48) · Lower East Side, New York City, New York, USA

Golden Globe winner · Oscar nominee · Primetime Emmy nominee · 6 other major award bodies

Margalit Ruth Gyllenhaal Sarsgaard (/ˈdʒɪlənhɔːl/JIL-ən-hawl, Swedish: [ˈjʏ̂lːɛnˌhɑːl]; born November 16, 1977) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, nominations for two Academy Awards, and two British Academy Film Awards. Part of the Gyllenhaal family, she is the daughter of filmmakers Stephen Gyllenhaal and Naomi Achs, and the sister of actor Jake Gyllenhaal. She began her career as a teenager with small roles in several of her father's films. She appeared with her brother in the thriller Donnie Darko (2001). She then appeared in Adaptation, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (both 2002), and Mona Lisa Smile (2003). Gyllenhaal received praise for her leading performances in the dramas Secretary (2002) and Sherrybaby (2006), both of which earned her  Golden Globe Award nominations. She had commercial success in the thriller World Trade Center (2006). She received wider recognition for her role as 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 the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She subsequently starred in the films Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (2010), Hysteria (2011), Won't Back Down (2012), White House Down (2013), Frank (2014), and The Kindergarten Teacher (2018). She has starred in several television series, including the BBC political thriller miniseries The Honourable Woman (2014), which won her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress and a  Primetime Emmy Award nomination. She also produced and starred in the HBO period drama series The Deuce (2017–2019). Gyllenhaal made her writing and directing debut with the psychological drama The Lost Daughter (2021), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and won the Venice Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay. She has also appeared in five stage productions since 2000, including making her Broadway debut in a revival of The Real Thing. Description above from the Wikipedia article Maggie Gyllenhaal, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 16, 1977 (48)
From
Lower East Side, New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Actor and producer, also director and writer
Titles
41 on MovieCove · 61 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 10% in 30 days

What are Maggie Gyllenhaal's films like?

Across their 34 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy13 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 54th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama12 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 74th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
26%
Bonds
23%
Morality
16%
Power
16%
Survival
9%
Society
8%
Ideas
3%
Family bonds8 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity8 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love7 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom5 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception4 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 32 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 16 · Serious 7 · Dark 9

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 16 · Stylized 11 · Heightened 5

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 7 · Charged 16 · Intense 9

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 16 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 8

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 14 · Some laughs 12 · Funny 6

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 16 · Even-paced 11 · Relentless 5

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 12 · Engaged 17 · Full focus 3

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 14 · Affecting 6 · Heavy 12

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 16 · Open-ended 8 · Ambiguous 8

Roles they play

18 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 8 of 18 analyzed roles.

Hero
8 of 18
Ally
5 of 18
Shapeshifter
2 of 18
Trickster
1 of 18
Shadow
1 of 18
Threshold guardian
1 of 18
Show the 18 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
19
Melancholic
14
Absurd
9
Bittersweet
9
Contemplative
7
Other
39

How their films linger

Thought-provoking12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 7 with a twist

  • Happy11
  • Bittersweet12
  • Ambiguous11

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Maggie Gyllenhaal's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 33 of their 41 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (14).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Maggie Gyllenhaal's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

61 credits, 41 with a MovieCove page; 24 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Flesh Impact (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Director · Writer

  • The Bride!(2026)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Lost Treasures of Arabia: The Nabataean Kingdom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • The Lost Daughter(2021)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Best Summer Ever(2020)

    Executive Producer · as TV Reporter

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Homemade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Writer

  • The Ben Cobb Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    as Amun Ra

  • The Kindergarten Teacher(2018)

    Producer · as Lisa Spinelli

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Sylvia Plath: Inside The Bell Jar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as The Bell Jar Reader (voice)

  • The Deuce(2017)

    Show 25 episodes · Producer · as Eileen 'Candy' Merrell

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Ruth

  • The New Empress (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Olive

  • Beauty Mark (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Valerie

  • The Honorable Woman(2014)

    Show 8 episodes · as Nessa Stein

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows

  • Frank(2014)

    as Clara

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • River of Fundament (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Hathfertiti

  • White House Down(2013)

    as Finnerty

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Won't Back Down(2012)

    as Jamie Fitzpatrick

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Curiosity(2011)

    Show 1 episode · as Host

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows

  • Hysteria(2011)

    as Charlotte Dalrymple

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang(2010)

    as Isabel Green

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Crazy Heart(2009)

    as Jean Craddock

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Away We Go(2009)

    as LN

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Dark Knight(2008)

    as Rachel

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Gotham Tonight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Show 1 episode · as Rachel Dawes

  • Voyage to the Bunny Planet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Actor

  • High Falls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as April

  • Stranger Than Fiction(2006)

    as Ana Pascal

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Sherrybaby(2006)

    as Sherry Swanson

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • World Trade Center(2006)

    as Allison Jimeno

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Monster House(2006)

    as Zee (voice)

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Paris, Je T'aime(2006)

    as Liz (Quartier des Enfants Rouges)

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Quartier des Enfants-Rouges (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    as Liz

  • Trust the Man(2005)

    as Elaine

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • The Great New Wonderful(2005)

    as Emme Keeler

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Happy Endings(2005)

    as Jude

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • The Dying Gaul(2005)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Criminal(2004)

    as Valerie

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • The Pornographer: A Love Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Sidney

  • Strip Search(2004)

    as Linda Sykes

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Mona Lisa Smile(2003)

    as Giselle Levy

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Casa de los babys(2003)

    as Jennifer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Confessions of a Dangerous Mind(2002)

    as Debbie

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Adaptation.(2002)

    as Caroline Cunningham

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Secretary(2002)

    as Lee Holloway

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • 40 Days and 40 Nights(2002)

    as Sam

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Riding in Cars with Boys(2001)

    as Amelia

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Donnie Darko(2001)

    as Elizabeth Darko

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Cecil B. Demented(2000)

    as Raven

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Photographer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Mira

  • Independent Lens (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 278 episodes · Actor

  • Resurrection (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as Mary

  • Homegrown(1998)

    as Christina

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • The Patron Saint of Liars(1998)

    as Lorraine Thomas

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Shattered Mind(1996)

    as Clothes Clerk

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • A Dangerous Woman(1993)

    as Patsy

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Waterland(1992)

    as Maggie Ruth

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

  • Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Show 1 episode · as Noreen Bixler

  • Live with Kelly and Mark(1988)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all shows

  • Creation Lake (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 61 titles, 60 of them dated from 1988 to 2026; peak year 2005.

Biggest box office

The Dark Knight (2008)

$1B worldwide

Highest rated

The Dark Knight (2008)

Midcredits 99th

Film career

MilestoneNomination
19882026

Peak 2005 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 12 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

Show 1 more milestone

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting55 of 61: 52 only acting, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score65thDirecting5 of 61: 0 only directing, 5 with another roleWriting5 of 61: 0 only writing, 5 with another roleProducing6 of 61: 0 only producing, 6 with another role · typical Midcredits score66thOther crew1 of 61: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

61 titles, 8 with more than one role — acting and producing overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

1980s1 · acting1990s9 · acting2000s29 · 28 acting · 1 crew2010s15 · 15 acting · 2 crew2020s6 · 2 acting · 5 crew

Billing

usually 4th · top billed in 18% of 28 roles
920207

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

a Golden Globe and 5 other major awards from 21 major nominations, 2003–2022.

WinNomination
  1. 2022
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Adapted Screenplay
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Director - Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Screenplay (Adapted)
    • +3 other major bodies · 4 wins and 1 nomination
      • Directors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Feature Film
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Adapted Screenplay
      • Independent Spirit Award, won · Best Director
      • Independent Spirit Award, won · Best Feature
      • Independent Spirit Award, won · Best Screenplay
  2. 2021
    • Venice award, won · Best Screenplay
    • Venice award, nominated · Best Film
  3. 2019
    • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Actress in a Drama Series
  4. 2018
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama
  5. 2015
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
  6. 2010
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
  7. 2009
    • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Acting Ensemble
  8. 2007
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Show 2 earlier years
  1. 2006
    • Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Supporting Female
  2. 2003
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Female Lead

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Maggie Gyllenhaal's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 63rd percentile, the median of all 37; across their 32 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 58th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 32

Approval · how many liked their films

59thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 32

Reach · how many have seen their films

91stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 32

Midcredits score across 41 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up12
  • 50th to 74th16
  • 25th to 49th11
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

24 of their 41 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Divisive2
  • Crowd Pleaser24
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed9

Most divisive · actor, producer

Best Summer Ever (2020)

93rd percentile spread · 41% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Dark Knight (2008)

Midcredits 99th · 95% liked

Reviewers score the acting 76/100 in their films, across 31 reviewed titles; fans 83, detractors 54. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Maggie Gyllenhaal's work okay for kids?

Across up to 24 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity and profanity run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore17 titles13–71 · median 48 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity24 titles20–71 · median 47 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity20 titles27–82 · median 62 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs17 titles28–72 · median 37 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense17 titles24–73 · median 44 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Maggie Gyllenhaal work with?

People who share at least 2 of Maggie Gyllenhaal's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Stephen Gyllenhaal shares the most, 3.

Directors

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles