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Hilary Ann Swank (born July 30, 1974) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American actress. She is best known for her two Oscar-winning performances: a troubled transman, Brandon Teena, in the movie Boys Don't Cry, and a struggling waitress-turned-boxer, Maggie Fitzgerald, in Million Dollar Baby.

Her film career in Hollywood began with a small part in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) and then a major part in The Next Karate Kid (1994), where she played Julie Pierce, the first female protégé of the (by then) legendary sensei Mr. Miyagi, played by Pat Morita.

Biography

Early life and career

Swank was born in Lincoln, Nebraska and makes no secret of her humble beginnings, particularly as a child growing up near Lake Samish in Bellingham, Washington. After winning her second Best Actress Oscar, she said: "I don't know what I did in this life to deserve this. I'm just a girl from a trailer park who had a dream."

When she was nine years old, Swank made her first appearance on stage starring as Mowgli in The Jungle Book, and thereafter became heavily involved in her school and community theater programs. She went to Sehome High School Biography spreads across 9 web pages. High School information is on page 2. in Bellingham, where she lived with her family, until she was 16. She competed in the Junior Olympics and the Washington State championships in swimming; she ranked 5th in the state in all-around gymnastics (which would come in handy when starring in The Next Karate Kid (1994) years later). Swank's parents separated when she was 15, and her mother, supportive of her daughter's desire to act, moved the two of them to Los Angeles, California, where they lived out of their car until Swank's mother saved enough money to rent an apartment. She enrolled in South Pasadena High School, and started acting professionally. Swank also helped pay the rent with the money she earned appearing in television programs such as Evening Shade and Growing Pains.

Career

In September 1997, Swank was cast as single mother Carly Reynolds on Beverly Hills, 90210. She was initially promised it would be a two-year role, but saw her character written out after 16 episodes in January 1998. Swank later said that she was devastated at being cut from the show, thinking, "If I'm not good enough for 90210, I'm not good enough for anything." As it turned out, the firing was the best thing to happen to Swank, as it freed her to audition for the role of Brandon Teena in Boys Don't Cry. The role made her a star, with almost every critic hailing hers as the best female performance of 1999. The performance ultimately won her the Golden Globe and Oscar for Best Actress. Swank's Oscar success means that she has joined the ranks of Vivien Leigh, Helen Hayes, Sally Field, and Luise Rainer as the only actresses to have been nominated twice and win both times. She is also the third youngest double Best Actress Oscar winner.

Even after winning her first Oscar, she was reminded of her humble roots. She had earned only $75/day for her work on Boys Don't Cry, a total of $3000 [1] [2]; her earnings were so low, that (according to an anecdote on 60 Minutes) she hadn't even earned enough to qualify for health insurance.

On February 28, 2006, it was announced Swank had signed a three-year contract "to be both the muse and the spokesperson for a new women's fragrance by Guerlain to be launched later this year." [3]

In October 2006 Swank started filming P.S. I Love You in Co.Wicklow in Ireland with Kathy Bates.

Personal life

Swank married actor Chad Lowe on September 28, 1997. They met at a 1992 Hollywood Athletic Club party and are both members at the AGAPE Spiritual Center in Culver City, California, along with fellow stars Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan. Swank infamously forgot to thank Lowe during her acceptance speech after winning her first Oscar in 2000, and she spent nearly every public appearance afterward making up for it. Upon winning her second Oscar in 2005, Lowe was the first person she thanked. However, in January 2006, the couple separated. In subsequent interviews, Swank expressed hope that they could reconcile, but they later announced in May 2006 that they were divorcing.[4][5]

On January 15, 2005, after arriving at a New Zealand airport she was fined NZ$230 by the Manukau District Court for not declaring an apple and orange she had in her purse when she landed. Swank appealed the fine, but it was upheld on March 30, 2005.

According to Life & Style magazine, Swank is dating Creative Artists Agency boss John Campisi. The couple were spotted kissing and holding hands on August 27, 2006. However, Campisi's lawyers deny they are together, saying "Mr. Campisi has a strictly platonic relationship with Ms. Swank." Swank's friend says, "Hilary cried on his shoulder when she and Chad split. He comforted her through that intensely difficult period." [6]

Filmography

Awards

• Academy Awards

• Winner: 2005 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role - Million Dollar Baby
• Winner: 1999 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role - Boys Don't Cry

• Screen Actors Guild Awards

• Winner: 2005 - Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role - Million Dollar Baby
• Nominee: 2005 - Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture - Million Dollar Baby
• Nominee: 2005 - Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries - Iron Jawed Angels
• Nominee: 2000 - Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role - Boys Don't Cry

• Golden Globe Awards

• Winner: 2005 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture: Drama - Million Dollar Baby
• Nominee: 2005 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Made for TV Movie - Iron Jawed Angels
• Winner: 2005 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture: Drama - Boys Don't Cry

• Independent Spirit Awards

• Winner: 2000 - Best Female Lead - Boys Don't Cry

• MTV Movie Awards

• 2005: Nominee: MTV Movie Award - Best Female Performance - Million Dollar Baby
• 2000: Nominee: MTV Movie Award - Best Kiss - Boys Don't Cry
• 2000: Nominee: MTV Movie Award - Best Female Performance - Boys Don't Cry

• BAFTA Awards

• Nominee: 2001 - Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role - Boys Don't Cry

References

External links

• Hilary Swank: Oscar Gold, a March 2005 article accompanying a 60 Minutes story
• AHA! Moment: Hilary Swank, a September 2001 story in O, The Oprah Magazine about her dreams
• Hilary Swank Interview

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