Jake Gyllenhaal
Gyllenhaal in 2011, DFree / Shutterstock.com
Birth Name: Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal
Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California, United States
Date of Birth: December 19, 1980
Ethnicity:
*father – Swedish, English, Swiss-German, German, Scottish, distant Welsh and French
*mother – Ashkenazi Jewish
Jake Gyllenhaal is an American actor and producer. He has starred in the films A Dangerous Woman, Homegrown, October Sky, Bubble Boy, Donnie Darko, Lovely & Amazing, Highway, The Good Girl, Moonlight Mile, The Day After Tomorrow, Proof, Jarhead, Brokeback Mountain, Zodiac, Rendition, Brothers, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Love & Other Drugs, Source Code, End of Watch, Prisoners, Enemy, Nightcrawler, Southpaw, Everest (2015), Demolition, Nocturnal Animals, Life (2017), Okja, Stronger, Wildlife, The Sisters Brothers, Velvet Buzzsaw, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spirit Untamed, The Guilty (2021), Ambulance (2022), Strange World, Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant, and Road House (2024); and in many stage plays. He was initially billed as Jacob Gyllenhaal.
He is the son of Stephen Gyllenhaal, a director and poet, and Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal, a screenwriter and director. His sister is actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. Jake’s father is of one quarter Swedish ancestry, with Jake’s father’s other roots being English, Swiss-German, German, Scottish, and distant Welsh and French. The surname Gyllenhaal originates from Sweden.
Jake’s mother is Jewish, of Polish Jewish and Latvian Jewish descent. Jake was raised mostly in the Jewish religion. He has stated that he considers himself Jewish.
Jake’s patrilineal ancestry can be traced to Gunne Olofsson Haal, who was born, c. 1634, in Härene, Sweden. Gunne’s son, cavalry Lieutenant Nils Gunnarsson Haal, was ennobled, changing his name to Gyllenhaal.
Jake’s paternal grandfather was Hugh Anders Gyllenhaal (the son of Leonard Ephraim Gyllenhaal and Philo Pendleton). Hugh was born in Bryn Athyn, Montgomery, Pennsylvania. Leonard was the son of Anders Leonard Gyllenhaal, who was born in Klotens bruk, Ramsberg, Västmanland, Sweden, and of Selma Amanda Nelson, who was born in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, to Swedish parents. One of Leonard’s five times great-grandfathers, George Fleetwood, was English. Jake’s great-grandmother Philo was the daughter of Charles Rittenhouse Pendleton and Sara Patterson “Sallie” Peoples/Peeples.
Jake’s paternal grandmother was Virginia Lowrie/Lowry Childs (the daughter of Geoffrey Stafford Childs and Olivia Hughes Waelchli). Virginia was born in New York. Geoffrey was President and General Manager of the Michigan Sugar Company. He was the son of Walter Cameron Childs and Edith Worcester Smith. Olivia was born in Berlin, now Kitchener, Waterloo County, Ontario, Canada. Olivia’s father, The Rev. Frederick Edwin “Fred” Waelchli, was the son of Swiss parents, of Swiss-German descent. Olivia’s mother, Elizabeth Alena/Elena/Alma Hughes, was from Ontario, Canada, and had English, German, and distant Welsh, ancestry. Most of the rest of Jake’s father’s ancestry is English, with distant French.
Jake’s maternal grandfather was Samuel Achs (the son of Morris L. Achs and Etty/Ety/Etta Schneir). Samuel was born in New York, to Polish Jewish parents, from Galicia. Morris was born in Kolomea.
Jake’s maternal grandmother was Ruth Silbowitz (the daughter of Benjamin Silbowitz and Yetta Schklar/Sklar). Ruth was born in New York, to Latvian Jewish parents. Benjamin was born in Dvinsk, the son of Chaim Nosson/Nathan Zelbowitz and Fruma Gore. Yetta was the daughter of Jackob Schklar and Seroh Domge. Jake likely shares a recent ancestor with actor Logan Lerman through Jake’s Silbowitz line; his ancestors were listed on the same Zelbovitz family site as Logan’s Zelbovitz line.
Sources: Genealogies of Jake Gyllenhaal – http://www.geni.com
http://famouskin.com
Genealogies of Jake Gyllenhaal (focusing on his father’s side) – http://www.wargs.com
https://www.wikitree.com
Marriage record of Jake’s paternal great-great-grandparents, Anders Leonard Gyllenhaal and Selma Amanda Nelson – https://www.familysearch.org
Death records of Jake’s paternal great-great-grandparents, Anders Leonard Gyllenhaal and Selma Amanda Nelson – https://www.findagrave.com
Jake’s paternal grandmother, Virginia Lowrie/Lowry Childs, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Jake’s paternal great-grandmother, Olivia Hughes Waelchli, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Genealogy of Jake’s paternal great-great-grandmother, Elizabeth Alena/Elena/Alma (Hughes) Waelchli – https://www.findagrave.com
JWeekly column mentioning Jake’s Jewish heritage – http://www.jweekly.com
How exactly does one differentiate between a Jewish person with typically German name and surname and a German person with typically German name and surname? For example, Einstein’s great-grandfather’s name was Ruppert Einstein. If no one ever knew that Ruppert was related to Albert, nor that he was Jewish, wouldn’t he absolutely seem German to all genealogists? Not all German/ Polish Jews are actually named ‘Leb’, ‘Yitschak’, ‘Amrom’, “Moscheh”, etc.
Nothing exactly to do with Jake’s family tree, but just for the future researches (and potential misunderstandings therein).
In Eastern Europe “of old”, it was generally easy to differentiate between Jews and non-Jews based on names, because almost all Jews had “very Jewish” names, other than the rare upper-class/assimilated Jews (for example, the names Samuel Achs, Morris Achs, Ruth Silbowitz, Benjamin Silbowitz, and Yetta Sklar, especially in combination, could more or less not possibly be those of non-Jewish Polish/Latvian/Russian people).
As for German Jews and non-Jewish Germans, I agree, it’s harder. The name Ruppert Einstein wouldn’t be definitive. So there are two ways:
1. Birth/marriage records, if taking place at church.
2. Ruppert Einstein’s parents’ names. We simply go back up the family tree and see if the names are more definitive. For example, Ruppert’s father was Naphtali Hirsch Einstein and another ancestor was Moyses Einstein. Usually we’re dealing with more than one generation.
Did you have a particular genealogy in mind?
For example, I was wondering whether Bud Brutsman (the TV producer and husband of the model Adrienne Janic) was of Jewish or German ancestry?
Bud Brutsman is the son of Faye and James W. Brutsman, of Cheyenne, Wyoming. I’d rule him out of being Jewish pretty much based on that information.
More specifically, I believe his paternal grandfather was Everett Melvin Brutsman, of Iowa. His parents were Frank Deshler Brutsman and Lois Simpson. Frank’s parents were Peter Brutsman and Marcia Ella Harriott. Peter’s parents were John Frederick Brutsman and Catherine Yetter. John’s parents were Phillip Jacob Brotzman and Christina Barbara Lattig. Phillip’s parents were Jacob Heinrich Brotzman and Maria Margaretha Ficen. Jacob’s parents were John Frederick Brotzman and Maria Barbara Weber.
Given everything we know about them, from their names to their history (moving from Germany to Pennsylvania in the 1700s), it’s pretty obvious that the name originally comes from a non-Jewish German, Lutheran, background. This site, for example, even mentions that John Brotzman and Maria Weber’s marriage took place in a Reform (Lutheran) church.
http://www.geni.com/people/Maria-Barbra-Weber/5094770181680135313
Easy, Ashkenazi Jews look more like Italians and not German/Eastern Euro.
He’s a shitty actor.
*yawn*
That is what I want my future husband to look like. ;~)
He is biracial and the epitome of mixed-race beauty.
lol
@I love you, Roger Scientist
(He is biracial and the epitome of mixed-race beauty.)
I’m confuse,how is he bi-racial or mixed-race?
He’s biracial because his dad is of European descent and his mother is of Israelite origin.
I don’t know, I think there are many biracial men who are better looking than him. Boris Kodjoe, for example.
@follers
Ok,I know those racist guys on sites like stormfront,refer to Ashkenazi Jews as non-whites,but I never thought you guys saw yourselves that way.Anyhow,I lost all respect for Jake when he did brokeback,as was the chick
I was just kidding. And I love you, Roger Scientist/Levangelista was just having a little fun/trolling.
I don’t get the joke his mother is of Israelite origin?
I love you, Roger Scientist you’re 100% right he is!
Why did Megan Fox say he was a white guy? He’s Jewish!
He was the right choice for the Prince of Persia! Most Persians look like Ashkenazi Jews. :D
That’s not true either…if anything, Jews look kinda Levantine…
You mean he’s green?
But why does it matter if he’s white or not?