Hilary Swank (2000)

Today, television audiences are used to seeing Hilary Swank resplendently gowned, gliding over a red carpet at glittering Hollywood soirees, but her early years were anything but glamorous. She spent much of her childhood living in a trailer park near Lake Samish in Bellingham, Washington. Hilary Swank began acting professionally in her teens, appearing in television shows such as Growing Pains. Movie audiences got their first look at Hilary Swank in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Next Karate Kid. She was dropped from her regular role on Beverly Hills, 90210, a potential career disaster that proved to be a blessing in disguise. She was soon cast as the tragic Brandon Teena in Boys Don't Cry. Her devastating performance brought her the Oscar for Best Actress. The role had required a challenging physical transformation, but that was nothing compared to the grueling training regimen she undertook to convincingly portray a professional boxer onscreen. She received a second Best Actress Oscar for her physically demanding and emotionally wrenching portrayal of the doomed Maggie Fitzgerald in Million Dollar Baby. Audiences, critics and Oscar voters alike are awed by Hilary Swank's conviction, dedication and emotional power as an actress, but she professes to be mystified by her extraordinary success. "I don't know what I did in this life to deserve this," she has said. "I'm just a girl from a trailer park who had a dream."

Hilary Swank Wins Best Actress: 2000 Oscars

Actress Hilary Swank has portrayed bold, powerful women and a transgendered man during her prolific career. Learn about her life and aims on biography.com.

Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences

Award-Winning Actresses and Supporting Actresses Who Left Their Mark on the Decade

Roberto Benigni presents Hilary Swank the Oscar for Best Actress for Boys Don't Cry at the 72nd Academy Awards. Hosted by Billy Crystal. See more 2000 Oscar ...

Hilary Ann Swank (born July 30, 1974)[6] is an American actress and producer. She has won two Academy Awards for Best Actress.

From F-bombs to forgotten husbands, some Academy Awards speech slip-ups have been cemented in history.

Hilary Swank on IMDb: Awards, nominations, and wins