Stephen Roark Gyllenhaal was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Hugh Anders Gyllenhaal and Virginia Lowrie (née Childs). He is of Swedish and English descent; through his father, he is a descendant of the cavalry officer Nils Gunnesson Haal, who was ennobled by Queen Christina of Sweden in 1652 and given the family name "Gyllenhaal".[1][2]
He is also a poet, who has been published in literary journals such as Prairie Schooner and Nimrod. His first collection of poetry, Claptrap: Notes from Hollywood,[5] was published in June 2006 by Cantara Christopher's New York–based literary small press, Cantarabooks.[6]
In 2013, Gyllenhaal directed a backdoor pilot originally titled Sworn to Silence that aired as the Lifetime TV movie An Amish Murder. It stars Neve Campbell as a local police detective who must solve a murder case that involves the Amish Community she was shunned from years ago.[7] Gyllenhaal is also in post-production on a documentary about dream interpretation titled Exquisite Continent.[8]
Gyllenhaal was married to screenwriter Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal for 32 years, from 1977 until their divorce was finalized in 2009.[11] Together, they are the parents of actors Maggie and Jake Gyllenhaal.
In July 2011, he married Kathleen Man, a filmmaker and professor who was a co-producer on Gyllenhaal's 2012 film Grassroots. Their son Luke was born in 2014.[12][13]
