| ARTICLES | GALLERY | BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (MOVIE)

Bio

Hilary Swank was born in Lincoln, Nebraska to Judith Kay and Stephen Swank, she has Mexican, German, English and Scottish roots. Her family moved from Lincoln to Spokane, Washington and then to Bellingham, Washington when she was 6, where she live and attended school until she was 16..

Hilary took up acting an early age, starring in her first play at the age of 9 as Mowgli in the Jungle Book. After this she regularly appeared in theatre and school plays. As well as acting, Hilary was an avid swimmer and gymnast, and competed in the Junior Olympics and Washington State Championships

When Hilary was 16 she moved to Los Angeles with her mother where she attended South Pasadena High School and started her on screen career. Her first role of note being a guest spot in Harry and the Hendersons. From there she worked quite regularly before landing her role as Kimberly in Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 1992. Soon after this she landed her break out role as Julie Piece in The Next Karate Kid in 1994.

Hilary has worked steadily since the appearing in TV shows such as Beverley Hills, 90210, winning an Oscar for Best Actress for Boys Don’t Cry, starring along side Keanu Reeves and Cate Blanchet in The Gift and gaining a second Oscar for her performance alongside Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman in Million Dollar Baby. Most recently she has appeared in TV Show, Away (2020) and forthcoming movie, Fatale.

When not acting she loves outdoor pursuits such as sky diving, river rafting and skiing.

Trivia

Hilary lived as a boy for a month to prepare for her role as Brandon Tenna in Boys Don’t Cry.

When training for Million Dollar Baby, Hilary took boxing lessons and gained 20lbs.