Background and career
Hilary Ann Swank (born July 30, 1974) is an American actress and film producer. Known for her leading roles in film, she has received numerous accolades including two Academy Awards, an Actor Award, two Critics' Choice Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards as well as nomination for a BAFTA Award. She was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2005.
Swank took early roles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) and The Next Karate Kid (1994). She later went on to win two Academy Awards for Best Actress for her portrayals of Brandon Teena in Kimberly Peirce's biographical drama Boys Don't Cry (1999) and a female boxer in Clint Eastwood's sports drama Million Dollar Baby (2004). She also acted in films such as P.S. I Love You (2006), Freedom Writers (2007), Amelia (2009), Conviction (2010), New Year's Eve (2011), The Homesman (2014), Logan Lucky (2017), and The Hunt (2020).
On television, Swank portrayed Carly Reynolds on the eighth season of Beverly Hills, 90210 (1997–98), and Alice Paul in the HBO television film Iron Jawed Angels (2004), the later of which earned her Actor Award and Golden Globe Award nominations. She also acted in the HBO film Mary and Martha (2013), the FX drama series Trust (2018), the Showtime series Yellowjackets (2025), the Netflix science-fiction series Away (2020) and the Hulu crime series Alaska Daily (2022–2023), the later two of which she also executive produced.
Hilary Ann Swank was born on July 30, 1974, in Lincoln, Nebraska, to Judy Kay (née Clough) and Stephen Swank. Many of Swank's family members are from Ringgold County, Iowa. Her maternal grandmother, Frances Martha Clough (née Domínguez), was born in El Centro, California, and was of Mexican descent. Swank's paternal grandmother was born in England; her other ancestry includes Dutch, German, Ulster-Scots, Scottish, Swiss, and Welsh. The surname "Swank", originally "Schwenk", is of German origin.
How Hilary Swank makes money
She earned only $75 per day for her work on the film, culminating in a total of $3,000. Swank portrayed the pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart in the 2009 biopic Amelia, which she also co-executive produced through 2S Films, a production company she established with producer Molly Smith.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (2026-09-30), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
