Personal details
- Birth Date: 1971-03-07
- Height: 5′ 11″ (1.80 m)
- Birth Location: Belleville, Illinois, USA
- Children: (2 children) Ramona Sarsgaard
- Parents: Judy Lea Reinhardt
- Professions: Actor, Producer
Peter Sarsgaard, born March 7, 1971, at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, has this kind of boy-next-door vibe that’s almost misleading considering the wild range of characters he’s played. His parents, Judy and John, bounced around a bit—John was an engineer for places like Monsanto and IBM, so Peter probably grew up with more science talk than he ever wanted. He did the whole college thing at Washington University in St. Louis and geeked out on history and literature before heading to New York to chase the acting dream. He kicked off in comedy, co-founding an improv group called Mama’s Pot Roast (yeah, that’s actually the name), and started popping up in off-Broadway stuff. Then he landed his first film gig in Dead Man Walking back in ’95, and it snowballed from there. By ’98, he was already getting meatier roles—Desert Blue, Man in the Iron Mask (playing John Malkovich’s doomed son, no less). But what really made people sit up? Boys Don’t Cry. He played a homophobic killer and just absolutely owned the screen. Critics started paying attention—especially after Shattered Glass, where he tore it up so hard he snagged a bunch of awards. The guy’s played everything from Russian officers (K-19: The Widowmaker) to drug addicts (The Salton Sea) and even popped up in movies like Kinsey and Garden State. TV’s no stranger to him, either. He’s done everything from The Killing to Wormwood, The Looming Tower, and more. He even played Bobby Kennedy in Jackie. Married Maggie Gyllenhaal in 2009, and they’ve got two kids. Recently, he’s been in stuff like The Sound of Silence, Human Capital, and starred in The Lost Daughter, which Maggie wrote and directed. Versatile doesn’t even begin to cover it.
reference nJake Gyllenhaal’s brother-in-law? Yeah, that’s Peter Sarsgaard. Most folks spot him in movies like “Jarhead” or “Shattered Glass” and go, “Hey, isn’t that the guy married to Maggie Gyllenhaal?” Bingo. He’s got that cool, laid-back vibe but can turn on the creepy intensity when a role needs it. The guy’s got range, no doubt—he can play a total weirdo or just blend right in, depending on what the film calls for. Honestly, it’s wild how many movies he’s been in without ever being the super-flashy Hollywood headline, but his performances always stick with you. And yeah, the Gyllenhaal family gatherings must be a trip, with all that acting talent in one room. Peter’s one of those actors who’s always solid, even if he’s not always front and center—kind of like the secret sauce in a great movie.
referencennYou know, he never really goes for that squeaky-clean, big-budget hero stuff. Nah, he kinda gravitates to the strange corners – the dudes with wild problems, the ones nobody else wants to touch. And honestly, once you do enough of those weirdos and outcasts, Hollywood just decides you’re their guy for it. Suddenly, you get a reputation. The scripts come in, they’re like, “Here’s the blackout drunk, here’s the guy who talks to his plants, here’s the criminal with a heart of gold.” It’s a cycle, but hey, it’s his niche. He leans into it, owns the oddball energy, and people start to expect it. It’s almost like being typecast, but in reverse. Instead of polished superheroes, he gets the broken souls and wildcards – which, let’s be real, are way more interesting to watch.
March 7, 1971
5′ 11″ (1.80 m)
Konidela Ram Charan
Belleville, Illinois, USA
Yes, Ramona Sarsgaard
Judy Lea Reinhardt and Surekha
54 years old