Hilary Swank
Biography
Hilary Ann Swank is an American actress and film producer born on July 30, 1974, in Lincoln, Nebraska. She first became known in 1992 for her role on the television series Camp Wilder and made her film debut with a minor role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 1992. Her breakthrough came when she starred as Julie Pierce in The Next Karate Kid in 1994, the fourth installment of The Karate Kid franchise, and as Carly Reynolds on the eighth season of Beverly Hills, 90210 from 1997 to 1998. Swank achieved international recognition for her performances as Brandon Teena in Boys Don't Cry in 1999 and as Maggie Fitzgerald in Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby in 2004.
Career overview
Hilary Ann Swank is an American actress and film producer who was born on July 30, 1974, in Lincoln, Nebraska. She first became known in 1992 for her role on the television series Camp Wilder and made her film debut that same year with a minor role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Swank subsequently achieved her breakthrough starring as Julie Pierce in The Next Karate Kid, which was the fourth installment of The Karate Kid franchise, and as Carly Reynolds on the eighth season of Beverly Hills, 90210 from 1997 to 1998.
Swank later came to international recognition for her acclaimed performances in two prominent feature films. She starred as Brandon Teena, a transgender man, in Kimberly Peirce's Boys Don't Cry in 1999. Following this, she portrayed Maggie Fitzgerald, an aspiring boxer, in Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby in 2004.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
110 titles- Clint Eastwood : la légende (2025) as Self
- Ordinary Angels (2024) as Sharon Stevens
- The Good Mother (2023) as Marissa Bennings
- The Good Mother (2023) Executive Producer
- Alaska Daily (2022) as Eileen Fitzgerald
- Alaska Daily (2022) Executive Producer
- Yellowjackets (2021) as Adult Melissa
- Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy (2021) as Self
- The Hunt (2020) as Athena
- Away (2020) as Emma Green
- Away (2020) Executive Producer
- Disclosure (2020) as Brandon Teena / Self (archive footage)
- Fatale (2020) as Det. Valerie Quinlan
- Fatale (2020) Producer
- The Kelly Clarkson Show (2019) as Self
- The Masked Singer (2019) as Special Message (via video)
- Today with Jenna & Sheinelle (2019) as Self
- I Am Mother (2019) as Woman
- Explained (2018) as Narrator (voice)
- Trust (2018) as Gail Getty
- What They Had (2018) as Bridget
- What They Had (2018) Executive Producer
- 55 Steps (2018) as Colette Hughes
- Kadyrov, The Dictator of Chechnya (2018) as Self (archive footage)
- Logan Lucky (2017) as Special Agent Sarah Grayson
- Double Dutchess: Seeing Double (2017)
- Chelsea (2016) as Self
- Spark: A Space Tail (2016) as The Queen (voice)
- The Late Late Show with James Corden (2015) as Self - Guest
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014) as Self
- BoJack Horseman (2014) as Joey Pogo (voice)
- Variety Studio: Actors on Actors (2014) as Self
- The Homesman (2014) as Mary Bee Cuddy
- You're Not You (2014) as Kate
- You're Not You (2014) Producer
- Mary and Martha (2013) as Mary
- Eastwood Directs: The Untold Story (2013) as Self
- New Year's Eve (2011) as Claire Morgan
- The Resident (2011) as Juliet Devereau
- The Resident (2011) Executive Producer
- Something Borrowed (2011) Producer
- The Talk (2010) as Self
- Conviction (2010) as Betty Anne Waters
- Conviction (2010) Executive Producer
- Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (2009) as Self - Guest
- The Jay Leno Show (2009) as Self
- Amelia (2009) as Amelia Earhart
- Birds of America (2008) as Laura
- P.S. I Love You (2007) as Holly
- Freedom Writers (2007) as Erin Gruwell
- Freedom Writers (2007) Executive Producer
- The Reaping (2007) as Katherine
- The Black Dahlia (2006) as Madeleine Linscott
- Beautiful Ohio (2006) Producer
- ...So Goes the Nation (2006) as Self
- On Native Soil (2006) as Narrator (voice)
- The Reichen Show (2005) as Self
- Born to Fight (2005) as Self
- Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast (2005) as Self - Presenter
- James Lipton Takes on Three (2005) as Self
- Million Dollar Baby (2004) as Maggie Fitzgerald
- 11:14 (2004) as Buzzy
- 11:14 (2004) Executive Producer
- Iron Jawed Angels (2004) as Alice Paul
- Red Dust (2004) as Sarah Barcant
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003) as Self
- The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2003) as Self
- The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2003) as Self - Guest
- Punk'd (2003) as Self
- The Core (2003) as Maj. Rebecca Childs
- Sex at 24 Frames Per Second (2003) as Self
- Under Antarctic Ice (2003) as Narrator (voice)
- Insomnia (2002) as Ellie Burr
- The Concert for New York City (2001) as Self
- The Affair of the Necklace (2001) as Jeanne St. Remy de Valois
- The Gift (2000) as Valerie Barksdale
- The Audition (2000)
- The Early Show (1999) as Self
- Boys Don't Cry (1999) as Brandon Teena
- Heartwood (1998) as Sylvia Orsini
- The View (1997) as Self
- Leute heute (1997) as Self
- Quiet Days in Hollywood (1997) as Lolita
- Leaving L.A. (1997) as Tiffany Roebuck
- The Sleepwalker Killing (1997) as Lauren Schall
- Dying to Belong (1997) as Lisa Connors
- The Daily Show (1996) as Self
- Kounterfeit (1996) as Colleen
- Sometimes They Come Back... Again (1996) as Michelle Porter
- Terror in the Family (1996) as Deena Marten
- The Next Karate Kid (1994) as Julie Pierce
- Cries Unheard: The Donna Yaklich Story (1994) as Patty Yaklich
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993) as Self - Guest
- The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992) as Self
- Camp Wilder (1992) as Danielle
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) as Kimberly Hannah
- Harry and the Hendersons (1991) as Chelsea
- Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990) as Carly Reynolds
- LIVE with Kelly and Mark (1988)
- LIVE with Kelly and Mark (1988) as Self - Guest
- Growing Pains (1985) as Sasha Serotsky
- Goldene Kamera (1984) as Self
- Wetten, dass..? (1981) as Self
- Saturday Night Live (1975) as Self - Host
- The Oscars (1953) as Self
- Today (1952) as Self
- Bambi (1948) as Self
- Golden Globe Awards (1944) as Self - Nominee / Presenter
- N.A.R.
- N.A.R. Executive Producer
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Hilary Swank best known for?
Hilary Swank is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Ordinary Angels (2024), The Good Mother (2023), The Good Mother (2023), Yellowjackets (2021).
When and where was Hilary Swank born?
Hilary Swank was born on July 30, 1974 in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.
How many credits does Hilary Swank have?
Hilary Swank has accumulated over 110 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1944 to 2025.
What is Hilary Swank's background in cinema and television?
Hilary Ann Swank is an American actress and film producer born on July 30, 1974, in Lincoln, Nebraska. She first became known in 1992 for her role on the television series Camp Wilder and made her film debut with a minor role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 1992. Her breakthrough came when she starred as Julie Pierce in...
Hilary Swank by the numbers
Age in their best-rated roles
- Bambi (1948) as Self — aged about 26
- BoJack Horseman (2014) as Joey Pogo (voice) — aged about 39
- Million Dollar Baby (2004) as Maggie Fitzgerald — aged about 29
- Freedom Writers (2007) as Erin Gruwell — aged about 32
- Disclosure (2020) as Brandon Teena / Self (archive footage) — aged about 45
- Ordinary Angels (2024) as Sharon Stevens — aged about 49
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