Actor Jake Gyllenhaal became a household name in 2005 after his career took off following his role as Jack Twist in Brokeback Mountain.
Recently, Jake was making headlines for his acting roles until November 2021 when his ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift rereleased her album Red, which is rumored to be about their breakup after dating for three months from October 2010 to January 2011.
From teenage roles to the big leagues, the Spider-Man: Far From Home actor broke into the business because of his parents — director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner. After acting for nearly 30 years, Jake’s net worth grew, reaching its whopping amount of $80 million, almost fives times less than Taylor’s, which is $400 million, per Celebrity Net Worth.
Keep reading to see how Jake makes his millions.
Jake Gyllenhaal Started Acting in His Father’s Films
The young actor’s parents didn’t want the industry to influence his childhood. As a way of teaching him independence, Stephen and Naomi insisted their son work various jobs to support himself in his early career. He thus worked as a lifeguard and later as a busboy at a restaurant managed by a friend of the Gyllenhaals, according to a May 2004 interview with IGN.
Jake first starred in the 1991 film City Slickers, then landed roles in his father’s movies A Dangerous Woman in 1993 alongside his older sister, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Homegrown in 1998.
By 1999, Jake earned his first leading role in October Sky when he was 19 years old. Two years later, the actor was cast for one of his most noteworthy movies, Donnie Darko. Although it wasn’t initially successful, only reaching $7.5 million at the box office against a $4.5 million budget, it later became a cult classic.
Jake Gyllenhaal’s Highest-Grossing Movie With Marvel Studios
Although he starred in multiple award-nominated roles, such as Brokeback Mountain in 2005 and Prisoners in 2013, Jake’s highest-grossing film of his career is Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Jake portrayed the villain Mysterio in the 2019 film.
The superhero sequel went on to earn over $1 billion worldwide, raking in a generous paycheck for Jake since his supporting role had a hefty amount of screen time.
Jake Gyllenhaal Is Also a Theater Actor
Despite his success as a film actor, Jake hasn’t taken his theatrical roots for granted. The Southpaw star has performed in Constellations, Sunday in the Park With George and Sea Wall/A Life.
After gaining further recognition for his stage roles, Jake started his own theater company, Nine Stories, in 2015.
“In the years since its founding, the Nine Stories family has become a lean and mighty force: sourcing material, developing it from the ground up, collaborating with artists, and shepherding the projects through release,” according to Nine Stories’ statement.