After appearing in several more films helmed by her dad and honing her skills on London and New York City stages, Gyllenhaal's movie career picked up steam with her memorable turn as a devil worshipper in Cecil B. DeMented (2000).
The actress next co-starred with brother Jake in Donnie Darko (2001), but her breakthrough came in 2002 with her portrayal of a mentally unhinged woman in Secretary, for which Gyllenhaal received a Golden Globe nomination. Her subsequent film credits include Adaptation (2002) and Sherrybaby (2006), for which she earned another Golden Globe nod. Gyllenhaal scored her first Oscar nomination for 2009's Crazy Heart.