Jacob "Jake" Gyllenhaal was born in Los Angeles, California, on December 19, 1980. His father is of partial Swedish heritage and his mother is of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage. He was awarded the 2002 London Evening Standard Theate Award for Outstanding Newcomer for his performance in This is Our Youth at the Garrick Theatre in London, England and was named one of People Magazine's 50 Hottest Bachelors in 2004. As of 2007, has starred in three movies where he played not only a real person, but the person who wrote the book upon which the film was based: Homer Hickham (October Sky), Anthony Swofford (Jarhead) and Robert Graysmith (Zodiac). Voted #10 in Elle (France) Magazine's "15 Sexiest Men" poll (June 2007).In 2008 Gyllenhaal was ranked #8 on Entertainment Weekly's '30 Under 30' the actors list. Gyllenhaal career is booming and he is considered one of the most promising actors of his generation.