Hilary Swank is a successful actress who has taken on many challenging roles and portrayed various characters. She was born July 30th, 1974 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Her mother was a secretary and dancer while her father was in the National Guard and became a traveling salesman later on. Hillary Swank has one brother. The Swank family was very modest financially and lived in a trailer park for part of Hillary's childhood. Because Hillary Swank always felt like an outsider, she felt more comfortable while reading or seeing movies because she could pretend to be the character. This is what led her to a career in acting.

While still a child, Swank performed in local theatre productions and also competed in swimming and gymnastics. When Swank's parents split when she was thirteen, her mother supported Hillary's desire to pursue acting and they moved to Los Angeles. They lived in their car until they could afford apartment rent. Hillary Swank eventually dropped out of high school to pursue acting and to help pay the rent by appearing in TV series such as "Growing Pains". Swank's first major role was in "The Karate Kid" in 2004. However, it didn't lead to any major career options. It wasn't until the 1999 film "Boys Don't Cry" that Swank really started to get attention. She won a Golden Globe and an Oscar for Best Actress for her role.

Over the next few years, Swank had small roles in various films. In 2004, she starred in the film "Million Dollar Baby" and won many major awards for Best Actress. This role established Swank as a serious actress with a gift for playing strong-willed female lead characters. Hillary Swank was married to actor Chad Lowe from 1997 to 2006.