Hilary Swank (born July 30, 1974 in Lincoln, Nebraska and raised in Bellingham, Washington) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American actress. She is best known for her performances as troubled transman Brandon Teena in the movie Boys Don't Cry and as waitress-turned-boxer Maggie Fitzgerald in Million Dollar Baby; both roles earned her Oscars for Best Actress.
Her film career in Hollywood began with a small part in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) and then a major part in The Next Karate Kid (1994), where she played the title character, the first female protégé of the (by then) legendary sensei played by Pat Morita.
Swank also had a regular role on Beverly Hills 90210 during the show's eighth season, but was fired in the middle of the season, three weeks before landing the role in Boys Don't Cry.
The Black Dahlia (2006)
