Hilary Ann Swank was born on July 30, 1974, inLincoln, Nebraska, to Judy Kay (née Clough) and Stephen Swank.[1] Many of Swank's family members are fromRinggold County, Iowa.[2] Her maternal grandmother, Frances Martha Clough (née Domínguez), was born inEl Centro, California, and was of Mexican descent.[3][4][5] Swank's paternal grandmother was born in England; her other ancestry includes Dutch, German, Ulster-Scots, Scottish, Swiss, and Welsh.[3] The surname "Swank", originally "Schwenk", is of German origin.[6]
After living inSpokane, Washington,[7][8] Swank's family moved into a home nearLake Samish, nearBellingham, Washington, when Swank was six.[9] She attended Happy Valley Elementary School, Fairhaven Middle School, thenSehome High School in Bellingham until she was 16.[3][10] She competed in the Junior Olympics, the Washington state championships in swimming, and ranked fifth in the state in all-around gymnastics.[11] Swank made her first appearance on stage when she was nine years old, starring inThe Jungle Book.[10]
When Swank was 15, her parents separated, and her mother, supportive of her daughter's desire to act, moved with her to Los Angeles, where they lived in their car until her mother saved enough money to rent an apartment.[9] Swank has called her mother the inspiration for her acting career and her life.[12] In California, Swank enrolled inSouth Pasadena High School, later dropping out.[13] She described her time at that school: "I felt like such an outsider. I didn't feel like I fit in. I didn't belong in any way. I didn't even feel like the teachers wanted me there. I just felt like I wasn't seen or understood."[9] She explained that she became an actor because she felt like an outsider, "As a kid I felt that I belonged only when I read a book or saw a movie, and could get involved with a character. It was natural that I became an actor because I longed so much to be those other people, or at least to play them."[14]
Swank made her film debut in the 1992 comedy horror filmBuffy the Vampire Slayer, playing a supporting role, after which she acted in the direct-to-video dramaQuiet Days in Hollywood, where she co-starred withChad Lowe, to whom she was married from 1997 to 2007.[15]
Swank in 2004
Her first leading film role was in the fourth installment of theKarate Kid series,The Next Karate Kid (1994) asJulie Pierce. The role used her gymnastics background and paired her withPat Morita. In 1994, she also starred in the drama,Cries Unheard: The Donna Yaklich Story, as the abused stepdaughter who was protected by Donna (Jaclyn Smith). In 1995, she appeared with British actorBruce Payne inKounterfeit. In 1996, she starred in a TV movie, family dramaTerror in the Family, as a troubled teenager. In September 1997, Swank played single mother Carly Reynolds inBeverly Hills, 90210 and was initially promised it would be a two-year role, but saw her character written out after 16 episodes in January 1998.[3] Swank later stated that she was devastated at being cut from the show, thinking, "If I'm not good enough for90210, I'm not good enough for anything."[16]
Being cut fromBeverly Hills, 90210 freed her to audition for the role ofBrandon Teena inBoys Don't Cry. To prepare for the role, Swank lived as a man for a month and reduced herbody fat to 7%. She earned only $75 per day for her work on the film, culminating in a total of $3,000.[17] Her earnings were so low that she had not even earned enough to qualify forhealth insurance.[18] Upon release, many critics lauded her performance, withPremiere listing it as one of the "100 Greatest Performances of All Time".[19]James Berardinelli wrote at the time that Swank "gives the performance of her career".[20] Her work earned her several accolades, including theGolden Globe andAcademy Award for Best Actress.[3] In an interview withVariety in 2020, Swank said that she felt a trans actor should have played the role, and had she been offered it today, she would have refused it, stating "Twenty-one years later, not only are trans people having their lives and living, thankfully, although we still have a long way to go in their safety and their inclusivity, but we now have a bunch of trans actors who would obviously be a lot more right for the role and have the opportunity to actually audition for the role."[21][22]
Swank again won the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for playing a female boxer inClint Eastwood's 2004 filmMillion Dollar Baby, a role for which she underwent extensive training in the ring and weight room, aided by professional trainerGrant L. Roberts, gaining 19 pounds of muscle.[18] With her second Oscar, she had joined the ranks ofVivien Leigh,Sally Field, andLuise Rainer as the only actresses to have been nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actress twice and won both times.[23] After winning her second 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."[18]
In 2006, Swank signed a three-year contract withGuerlain to be the face of the women's fragrance Insolence.[24] She received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame in the motion picture category on January 8, 2007; it was the 2,325th star presented.[25][26] In 2007, Swank starred inFreedom Writers, about a real-life teacher,Erin Gruwell. Many reviews of her performance were positive, with one critic noting that she "brings credibility" to the role,[27] and another stating that her performance reaches a "singular lack of artifice, stripping herself back to the bare essentials".[28] Swank next starred in thehorror filmThe Reaping (2007), as a debunker of religious phenomena. Swank convinced the producers to move the film's setting fromNew England to theDeep South, and the film was filmed inBaton Rouge, Louisiana, whenHurricane Katrina struck.[29] The same year, she also appeared in the romantic dramaP.S. I Love You withGerard Butler.[29][30]
Swank portrayed the pioneering aviatorAmelia Earhart in the 2009biopicAmelia, which she also co-executive produced through 2S Films, a production company she established with producer Molly Smith.[31][32] In preparation for the role, she began a series offlight training lessons in aCirrus SR22.[33]
In July 2019, Swank was cast in the thriller filmThe Hunt, oppositeBetty Gilpin. Before its release, the film's plot, about deadly violence between political liberals and conservatives caused controversy, after which its release was delayed by Universal from the original date of September 2019. Swank commented on the situation, stating: "No one's seen the film. You can't really have a conversation about it without understanding what it's about."[41] The film was released in 2020, and received mixed reviews.[42] In September 2020, Swank portrayed Emma, an astronaut, in the Netflix science drama seriesAway, which was canceled after one season.[43] For bothThe Hunt andAway, Swank earned a total of three nominations at the 2021Critics' Choice Super Awards.[44]
DuringCobra Kai's run, there was speculation that Swank might reprise the role of Julie Pierce fromThe Next Karate Kid (1994). According toJosh Heald, they had a storyline involving Julie related toMr. Miyagi and the mystery of a stolen necklace, "but before we got too deep, we had to reach out to Hilary and find out would she be willing to come and play with us."[45] At the end of the series in 2025, Heald,Jon Hurwitz, andHayden Schlossberg stated that Swank would not appear as, "people have all sorts of reasons why they will or will not be participating in something, and with the timing of whatever was going on, it just was never an option."[46] However, they also indicated that they will "have to see what might happen in this universe if we’re fortunate enough to continue writing within it. She’s a character that we have a lot of excitement to revisit."[45]
On October 18, 2016, Swank announced that she was launching a luxury clothing line, Mission Statement.[47][48][49] The collection includes jackets, tops, dresses, bottoms, sports bras and sweaters that are made ofeco-friendly technical fabrics, priced from $125 to $1,150.[47][50] Swank aimed to create clothing that is eco-conscious and devoid of large logos, saying in an interview withDuJour that "we believe in promoting the women wearing the clothes and not the brand itself, which is why there is no external branding."[51] The brand works with suppliers that follow strict environmental policies and sustainable production practices.[51]
In July 2007, hair product brandPantene, in partnership with theEntertainment Industry Foundation's Women's Cancer Research Fund, signed Swank to represent Pantene Beautiful Lengths charity campaign in 2008.[52][53] The campaign encouraged people to donate their healthy hair to create free wigs for women who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment.[54] Swank participated in Pantene's Million Inch Chain program by cutting her hair and donating it.[55]
Swank hosted and co-produced a two-hour television special, Fox'sCause for Paws: An All-Star Dog Special, which aired onThanksgiving night in 2014.[56] The show celebrated the human-dog connection and rescue dogs.[57][58] In 2014,The Petco Foundation honored Swank for her animal advocacy work and, in 2015, she received the Compassion Award byASPCA.[59][60][61] Also in 2015, Swank founded anonprofit organization, the Hilaroo Foundation, which aims to bring at-risk teenagers and rescue dogs together in the hope that the two can heal each other.[62][63] She was inspired to create the foundation after rescuing a dog called Karoo in South Africa.[64]
On February 24, 2024, Hilary Swank supportedUkraine by appearing in a video with 29 other world stars to support Ukraine againstRussia.[65] In May of that year, she joinedUNITED24 ambassadors and will raise funds for Ukraine.[66][67]
In a January 2009 episode ofThe Office, "Prince Family Paper", the subplot of the episode is the office coworkers debating whether or not Hilary Swank is "hot". Swank referred to such discussions emphasizing the looks of women in Hollywood as doing a "disservice".[68][69]
In October 2011, Swank attracted controversy for attending an event inChechnya's capitalGrozny on the 35th birthday ofChechen presidentRamzan Kadyrov on October 5.[70] After wishing him "Happy birthday, Mr. President", she reportedly claimed knowledge about Kadyrov saying, "I read. I do my research."[71] Following criticism from human rights groups, that reported having informed her about the human rights abuses in Chechnya prior to the event and asked her to reconsider her participation,[72][73] Swank said she was unaware that Kadyrov had been accused of human rights violations and that she "deeply regrets" taking part in the lavish concert. She donated her personal appearance fees "to various charitable organizations".[74]
In a 2020 interview withHealth, Swank revealed that she took a three-year break from acting beginning in 2014 to help her father recover from a lung transplant.[75][76]
She has been good friends with actressMariska Hargitay since the two met on the set of television seriesER.[77] Hargitay was amaid of honor at Swank's wedding to Philip Schneider in 2018.[78]
While filmingQuiet Days in Hollywood, Swank met actorChad Lowe. They married on September 28, 1997.[79] They announced their intention to divorce on January 9, 2006,[80] which was finalized on November 1, 2007.[81] Swank alleged that Lowe's substance abuse issues were a reason for the split.[82]
In 2007 Swank began dating her agent John Campisi, a relationship they ended in May 2012.[83]
On March 22, 2016, Swank announced her engagement toRubén Torres, a financial advisor withUBS and former professional tennis player. The two had been dating since May 2015.[84] In June 2016, Swank's representative confirmed that Torres and she had ended their engagement.[85]
On August 18, 2018, she married entrepreneur Philip Schneider after two years of dating.[86] On October 5, 2022, she announced that she and her husband were expecting twins.[87] On April 10, 2023, she announced that she had welcomed her twins, a son and a daughter.[88] On February 14, 2024, she announced on Instagram that they were named Aya and Ohm.[89]
^ab"Hilary Swank Biography".Tiscali UK. 2006. Archived fromthe original on December 26, 2008. RetrievedNovember 24, 2006. Biography spreads across 9 web pages. High school information is on page 2.
