Hilary Ann Swank (born July 30, 1974) is an American actress and film producer. 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 (1992). She then had her breakthrough for starring as Julie Pierce in The Next Karate Kid (1994), the fourth installment of The Karate Kid franchise, and as Carly Reynolds on the eighth season of Beverly Hills, 90210 (1997–1998).
Swank came to international recognition for her performances as Brandon Teena, a transgender man, in Kimberly Peirce's Boys Don't Cry (1999), and as Maggie Fitzgerald, an aspiring boxer, in Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby (2004). Both of her performances earned her critical acclaim, and she earned numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two Critics' Choice Movie Awards and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2005.
Swank later ventured into producing with the films Amelia (2009), Conviction (2010), You're Not You (2014), and What They Had (2018), all of which she also starred in. Her other notable films include the television film Iron Jawed Angels (2004), and the feature films Freedom Writers (2007), Logan Lucky (2017), The Hunt (2020), and Fatale (2020).
Ordinary Angels
Sharon Stevens
2024
The Good Mother
Marissa Bennings
2023
Disclosure
Brandon Teena / Self (archive footage)
2020
I Am Mother
Woman
2019
What They Had
Bridget
2018
55 Steps
Colette Hughes
2018
Double Dutchess: Seeing Double
2017
Logan Lucky
Special Agent Sarah Grayson
2017
Spark: A Space Tail
The Queen (voice)
2016
You're Not You
Kate
2014
The Homesman
Mary Bee Cuddy
2014
Eastwood Directs: The Untold Story
Self
2013
Mary and Martha
Mary
2013
New Year's Eve
Claire Morgan
2011
The Resident
Juliet Devereau
2011
Conviction
Betty Anne Waters
2010
Amelia
Amelia Earhart
2009
Birds of America
Laura
2008
P.S. I Love You
Holly
2007
The Reaping
Katherine
2007
Freedom Writers
Erin Gruwell
2007
...So Goes the Nation
Self
2006
The Black Dahlia
Madeleine Linscott
2006
On Native Soil
Narrator (voice)
2006
Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast
Self - Presenter
2005
Million Dollar Baby
Maggie Fitzgerald
2004
Iron Jawed Angels
Alice Paul
2004
Red Dust
Sarah Barcant
2004
11:14
Buzzy
2003
The Core
Maj. Rebecca Childs
2003
Under Antarctic Ice
Narrator (voice)
2003
Insomnia
Ellie Burr
2002
The Affair of the Necklace
Jeanne St. Remy de Valois
2001
The Concert for New York City
Self
2001
The Gift
Valerie Barksdale
2000
Boys Don't Cry
Brandon Teena
1999
Heartwood
Sylvia Orsini
1998
The Sleepwalker Killing
Lauren Schall
1997
Dying to Belong
Lisa Connors
1997
Quiet Days in Hollywood
Lolita
1997
Kounterfeit
Colleen
1996
Sometimes They Come Back... Again
Michelle Porter
1996
Terror in the Family
Deena Marten
1996
The Next Karate Kid
Julie Pierce
1994
Cries Unheard: The Donna Yaklich Story
Patty Yaklich
1994
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Kimberly Hannah
1992
N.A.R.
Clint Eastwood : la légende
Herself
2025
Alaska Daily
Eileen Fitzgerald · (11 episodes)
2022
Yellowjackets
Adult Melissa · (2 episodes)
2021
Clint Eastwood: A Cinematic Legacy
Self · (9 episodes)
2021
Fatale
Det. Valerie Quinlan
2020
Away
Emma Green · (10 episodes)
2020
The Hunt
Athena
2020
I'm a LA... Get Me Out of Here!
Self - Contestant · (20 episodes)
2019
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Self · (2 episodes)
2019
Today with Hoda & Jenna
Self · (2 episodes)
2019
The Masked Singer
Special Message (via video) · (1 episode)
2019
Explained
Narrator (voice) · (1 episode)
2018
Kadyrov, The Dictator of Chechnya
Self (archive footage)
2018
Trust
Gail Getty · (10 episodes)
2018
Chelsea
Self · (1 episode)
2016
The Late Late Show with James Corden
Self - Guest · (1 episode)
2015
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
Self · (1 episode)
2014
BoJack Horseman
Joey Pogo (voice) · (5 episodes)
2014
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Self · (1 episode)
2014
The Jay Leno Show
Self · (1 episode)
2009
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Self - Guest · (1 episode)
2009
The Reichen Show
Self · (1 episode)
2005
Sex at 24 Frames Per Second
Self
2003
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Self · (2 episodes)
2003
Punk'd
Self · (1 episode)
2003
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self · (1 episode)
2003
The Audition
2000
The Early Show
Self · (1 episode)
1999
The View
Self · (2 episodes)
1997
Leute heute
Self · (1 episode)
1997
Leaving L.A.
Tiffany Roebuck · (6 episodes)
1997
The Daily Show
Self · (2 episodes)
1996
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Self - Guest · (2 episodes)
1993
Camp Wilder
Danielle · (19 episodes)
1992
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Self · (3 episodes)
1992
Harry and the Hendersons
Chelsea · (1 episode)
1991
Beverly Hills, 90210
Carly Reynolds · (30 episodes)
1990
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
(1 episode)
1988
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
Self - Guest · (1 episode)
1988
Growing Pains
Sasha Serotsky · (2 episodes)
1985
Goldene Kamera Verleihung
Self · (1 episode)
1984
Wetten, dass..?
Self · (1 episode)
1981
Saturday Night Live
Self - Host · (1 episode)
1975
The Oscars
Self · (5 episodes)
1953
Today
Self · (2 episodes)
1952
Bambi-Verleihung
Self · (1 episode)
1948
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Nominee/Presenter · (1 episode)
1944