Hilary Swank was born on July 30, 1974 in Lincoln, Nebraska to Judy Swank. Starred in her first play at age nine as Mowgli in a production of Disney’s The Jungle Book.

She grew up and attended school in Bellingham, Washington, until 1990, when she moved with her mother to Los Angeles and attended South Pasadena High School. She also attended Santa Monica City College. She was athletically gifted and while in High School, she competed in the Junior Olympics and the Washington State Swimming Championships. She ranked 5th in the state for gymnastics

Being in Los Angeles, Hilary Swank first appeared onscreen in 1992's Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Two years later, she earned a rudimentary degree of fame when she was picked to star in The Next Karate Kid, but this recognition proved fleeting: Swank subsequently appeared in a number of minor films and did a year-long stint on Beverly Hills 90210.

Hilary Swank played recurring characters on both "Evening Shade" (CBS) and "Growing Pains" (ABC) during the 1991-92 season before making her feature debut as Kristy Swanson's Valley Girl pal in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1992).

Her big break came in 1999, with the release of the movie Boys Don’t Cry. Her performance was critically acclaimed and won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Some of the other awards she has won include: TFCA Award for Best Performance, Female; Stockholm Film Festival Award for Best Actress; SEFCA Award for Best Actress.

Since 1997, Hilary Swank has been married to Chad Lowe, a fellow actor (best known to audiences from his roles on the TV drama Life Goes On and currently on the medical drama ER) and the brother of actor Rob Lowe. The couple lives in Los Angeles.