Hilary Ann Swank

Born on July 30, 1974
Hilary Ann Swank is an American actress. Her Hollywood film career 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 Julie Pierce, the first female protégé of the sensei Mr. Miyagi. She has become known for her two Academy Award-winning performances: first as Brandon Teena, a transgender man (FTM) in the movie Boys Don't Cry (1999), and a struggling waitress-turned-boxer, Maggie Fitzgerald, in Million Dollar Baby (2004).

When one of the most memorable performances of her career mandated that she conceal her feminine identity, and the other required her to put on 20 pounds of muscle to portray a boxer, it is difficult to judge Hilary Swank's sex appeal. However, Teena Brandon and Maggie Fitzgerald were just roles. We can overcome the images of Swank with a strapped chest or with bulging biceps in the interest of objectivity. Our panel does boast an impressive resume of female veneration after all.

So, Boys Don't Cry and Million Dollar Baby aside, how does Swank stack up? Not that well, we're afraid. Her score may even be more inflated than a Venezuelan beauty pageant. We gave her credit for the awards (hardware is sexy) and for marrying a man (Chad Lowe) whose family has the most notorious taste in women this side of the Sheen clan.

Even during the early stages of her career, Swank was never cast as the vixen or sex object. In order to emerge with a higher score the next time around, Swank will have to craft an image better suited to the British publication of the same name.

When Swank was nine years old, she made her first appearance on stage starring in The Jungle Book. She became involved in school and community theater programs, including those of the Bellingham Theatre Guild. She went to Sehome High Schoolin Bellingham until she was sixteen. Swank also competed in the Junior Olympics and the Washington state championships in swimming; she ranked fifth in the state in all-around gymnastics (which would come in handy when starring in The Next Karate Kid (1994) years later). Swank's parents separated when she was thirteen, and her mother, supportive of her daughter's desire to act, moved to Los Angeles, where they lived out of their car until Swank's mother saved enough money to rent an apartment. Swank has described her mother as the inspiration for her acting career and her life. In California, Swank enrolled in South Pasadena High School (although she later dropped out of school) and started acting professionally. She helped pay the rent with the money she earned appearing in television programs such as Evening Shade and Growing Pains.

The Next Karate Kid is a 1994 film starring Hilary Swank and Pat Morita. It is the fourth and final movie in the Karate Kid series. In September 1997, Swank was cast as single mother Carly Reynolds on Beverly Hills, 90210. She was initially promised it would be a two-year role, but saw her character written out after 16 episodes in January 1998. Swank later said that she was devastated at being cut from the show, thinking, "If I'm not good enough for 90210, I'm not good enough for anything."

As it turned out, the firing was a lucky break for Swank, freeing her to audition for the role of Brandon Teena in Boys Don't Cry. Swank reduced her body fat to seven percent in preparation for the role. Many critics hailed hers as the best female performance of 1999; her co-star, Chloë Sevigny, had her performance singled out as well. Swank's work ultimately won her the Golden Globe and Oscar for Best Actress. She subsequently won the Best Actress Oscar and Golden Globe again for playing a boxer in Clint Eastwood's 2004 Oscar-winning film Million Dollar Baby, a role for which she underwent training in the ring and gained 19 pounds of muscle.

Swank's success meant that she had joined the ranks of Vivien Leigh, Helen Hayes, Sally Field, and Luise Rainer as the only actresses to have been nominated for Academy Awards twice and win both times. She is the third-youngest double Best Actress winner (after Rainer and Jodie Foster). After winning her second Oscar, she said, "I don't know what I did in this life to deserve this. I'm just a girl from a trailer park who had a dream." Swank had earned only $75 per day for her work on Boys Don't Cry, culminating in a total of $3,000. Her earnings were so low, that (according to an anecdote on 60 Minutes) she had not even earned enough to qualify for health insurance.

In early 2006, Swank signed a three-year contract as spokesperson for Guerlain (a women's fragrance). In 2007, Swank starred in and executive produced Freedom Writers, a drama about a real-life teacher who inspired a California high school class. Many reviews of Swank's performance were positive, with one critic noting that she "brings credibility" to the role and another stating that her performance reaches a "singular lack of artifice, stripping herself back to the bare essentials".

Swank starred in The Reaping, a horror film released on April 5, 2007, in which she plays a debunker of religious phenomena. Swank convinced the producers to move the film's setting from New England to the Deep South, and the movie was being filmed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, when Hurricane Katrina struck. Swank also appeared in the romantic comedy P.S. I Love You alongside Gerard Butler, an actor for whom she has much praise. It was released at the end of 2007.

Swank received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on January 8, 2007. Hers was the 2,325th star presented.

Variety online reported in February 2008, that Swank would be portraying Amelia Earhart, and be co-executive producer for a biopic titled Amelia. Filming occurred in the summer of 2008 in a number of international locations. Swank is also attached to star in the Hollywood remake version of Intimate Strangers.

Hilary Swank Quotes

“I'll pretty much just keep playing dudes till I’m shitting Oscars.””

"My most annoying question is `Hilary, are you ever going to play a pretty girl?` quoted in Newsweek. "

"You need to study and work on your craft. If you`re not prepared when that dream audition comes, you are not going to get that opportunity. To me, the definition of success is when opportunity meets preparation. So I really recommend that actors always work on their craft and their skills. Obviously you can`t make a living doing that, but you can get a lot of joy from it and learn and be inspired by the people you`re working with and by your teachers and by the material. As long as you`re still being inspired by it, you`re going to find joy. Then hopefully the role will come along. I just want every actor to know to keep chipping away at it. - On giving advice to beginning actors."

"I cut coupons, love specials and believe in buying toilet paper and toothpaste in bulk. It`s just who I am. quoted in Woman`s World - 7-19-05 "

"The truth is, after Boys Don`t Cry, I realized how few and far between the great roles are. I am beyond thankful for finding Million Dollar Baby. "

"I can remember crying on the set of Beverly Hills 90210 after being released from the show a few years ago. "

"Here I am: I'm a work in progress... and always will be."
- Hilary Swank"

Filmography

Actress:

1. Invasion of Privacy (2010) (filming) .... Dr. Juliet Dermer
2. Betty Anne Waters (2009) (post-production) .... Betty Anne Waters
3. Amelia (2009) (completed) .... Amelia Earhart
4. Birds of America (2008) .... Laura
5. P.S. I Love You (2007) .... Holly
6. The Reaping (2007) .... Katherine
7. Freedom Writers (2007) .... Erin Gruwell
8. The Black Dahlia (2006) .... Madeleine Linscott
... aka Black Dahlia (Germany)
... aka Die schwarze Dahlie (Germany: TV title)
9. Million Dollar Baby (2004) .... Maggie Fitzgerald
10. Red Dust (2004) .... Sarah Barcant
11. Iron Jawed Angels (2004) (TV) .... Alice Paul
12. 11:14 (2003) .... Buzzy
13. The Core (2003) .... Maj. Rebecca Childs
... aka Core (USA: poster title)
14. The Space Between (2002)
15. Insomnia (2002/I) .... Ellie Burr
... aka Insomnie (Canada: French title)
16. The Affair of the Necklace (2001) .... Jeanne St. Remy de Valois
17. The Gift (2000) .... Valerie Barksdale
18. The Audition (2000)
19. Boys Don't Cry (1999) .... Brandon Teena
20. "Beverly Hills, 90210" .... Carly Reynolds (16 episodes, 1997-1998)
... aka "Class of Beverly Hills" (USA: teaser title)
- The Elephant's Father (1998) TV episode .... Carly Reynolds
21. Heartwood (1998) .... Sylvia Orsini
22. Quiet Days in Hollywood (1997) .... Lolita
... aka The Way We Are
- Illegal Tender (1998) TV episode .... Carly Reynolds
- Ready or Not (1998) TV episode .... Carly Reynolds
- Santa Knows (1997) TV episode .... Carly Reynolds
- Comic Relief (1997) TV episode .... Carly Reynolds
(11 more)

Producer:

1. Betty Anne Waters (2009) (executive producer)
2. Amelia (2009) (completed) (executive producer)
3. Freedom Writers (2007) (executive producer)
4. Beautiful Ohio (2006) (producer)
5. "Celebrity Charades" (2005) TV series (executive producer) (unknown episodes)
6. 11:14 (2003) (executive producer)

Archive Footage:

1. "The O'Reilly Factor"
- Episode dated 26 February 2008 (2008) TV episode .... Herself - 'Patriot' ('Pinheads & Patriots' segment)
2. Oscar, que empiece el espectáculo (2008) (TV) (uncredited) .... Herself/Maggie Fitzgerald
3. Cómo conseguir un papel en Hollywood (2007) (TV) .... Herself
4. 50 premios Sant Jordi de cinematografía (2006) (TV) .... Maggie Fitzgerald
5. VH1 News Presents: Hollywood Secrets Revealed - Scenes They Don't Want You to See (2006) (TV) .... Herself
6. El oficio de actor (2005) (TV) (uncredited) .... Herself
7. San Sebastián 2005: Crónica de Carlos Boyero (2005) (TV) (uncredited) .... Teena Brandon - Brandon Teena
8. 101 Biggest Celebrity Oops (2004) (TV) .... Herself - #63: Acceptance Speech Goofs
9. The European Film Awards (1999) (TV) .... Brandon Teena

Birthday:7/30/1974
Nickname:Hillary Skank
Birthname:Hillary Ann Swank
Hookups:Chad Lowe, Jean-Claude Inauen
Assets:Roundhouse, spinning side kick, ability to manipulate the oppressive constraints of gender
Vices:Face much like Gary Busey
Sign:Leo
Height:5'7
Job:Actress
Hobbies:Hiking, swimming, camping, rafting, cage fighting, Burmese boxing
Ethnicity:White
Country of Origin:United States
Hobbies:Hiking, swimming, camping, rafting, cage fighting, Burmese boxing
Country of Origin:United States

Hilary Erhard Duff

Born on September 28, 1987
Hilary Erhard Duff is an American actress and singer-songwriter. After working in local theater plays and television commercials in her childhood, Duff gained fame for playing the title role in the television series Lizzie McGuire. Duff went on to have a film career; her most commercially successful movies include Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003), and A Cinderella Story (2004).

Duff's early career was marked by playing minor roles, starting off with an uncredited appearance in Hallmark Entertainment's western miniseries True Women in 1997. She also served as an uncredited extra, in writer-director Willard Carroll's ensemble dramedy Playing by Heart in 1998. Her first major role was as a star of the 1998 film Casper Meets Wendy, a direct-to-video sequel to Casper in which she plays the young witch Wendy, who encounters the animated character Casper. The film was released to mostly unenthusiastic reviews.

In 1999, Duff appeared in a supporting role in the television film The Soul Collector, which was based on a Kathleen Kane novel. Duff won a Young Artist Award for "Best Performance in a TV Movie or Pilot (Supporting Young Actress)" for her role in the movie.

Duff's first serious rise to fame came when she was cast as one of the children in the pilot episode of the NBC sitcom Daddio in 2000. Her co-star Michael Chiklis, stated, "After working with her the first day, I remember saying to my wife, 'this young girl is going to be a movie star'. She was completely at ease with herself and comfortable in her own skin." Duff was dropped from the cast of Daddio before it being aired, which made her reluctant to pursue her acting career further. However, her manager and mother urged her on, and a week later she successfully auditioned for the children's television series, Lizzie McGuire where she portrayed the title role of a clumsy but an average middle school girl. The show focused on her growth into teenhood.

Lizzie McGuire, which first aired on the Disney Channel on January 12, 2001, was a ratings hit, drawing in 2.3 million viewers per episode. Her participation in the show led to her becoming highly popular among children between the ages of seven and fourteen, with critic Richard Huff of the New York Daily News calling her "a 2002 version of Annette Funicello".After Duff fulfilled her 65 episode contract with Lizzie McGuire, Disney considered continuing the franchise further, through films and a prime-time television series to be broadcast on ABC. However, the plans failed because Duff's representatives said she was not being paid enough for the proposed series. Duff also starred in the Disney Channel television film Cadet Kelly (2002), which became the network's most watched program in its 19-year history. In the movie, she plays a free-spirited girl who enrolls in a military school and finds it hard to adjust to its strict and disciplined environment.

Duff's first role in a theatrical motion picture was in Human Nature (2002), an independent film shot around the time of the start of Lizzie McGuire. It was first showcased at the Cannes and Sundance film festivals. The film, written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Michel Gondry, follows a female naturalist, played by Patricia Arquette. Duff played the younger version of Arquette's character. The same year, Duff recorded a cover version of Brooke McClymont's "I Can't Wait" for the Lizzie McGuire soundtrack, and "The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room" for the first DisneyMania compilation album. Her first album was Santa Claus Lane (2002), a collection of Christmas songs that included duets with her sister Haylie, Lil' Romeo and Christina Milian. Accompanied by the Disney Channel-only single "Tell Me a Story (About the Night Before)", it peaked at 154 on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart and was certified gold. The track "Santa Claus Lane" was included on the soundtrack to The Santa Clause 2 and the single, "What Christmas Should Be", was used in Cheaper by the Dozen. Duff sang several tracks for soundtrack to The Lizzie McGuire Movie, which included "I Can't Wait" and "Why Not", the latter peaking at # 14 in Australia. The soundtrack to The Lizzie McGuire movie went platinum in 2003

Duff's first full-length studio album, Metamorphosis (2003), reached number one on the U.S. and Canadian charts and had sold over 3.7 million copies by May 2005. The lead single, "So Yesterday" (co-written and produced by The Matrix), was a top ten hit in several countries, its follow-up, the Laguna Beach theme song "Come Clean", became Duff's first top forty U.S. hit and reached the top twenty in UK, Australia and New Zealand. The video was nominated in the category of Best Pop Video at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards. The third single, "Little Voice", was not released in the U.S. and was a minor hit in Canada and Australia. In late 2003, Duff embarked on her first concert tour, the Metamorphosis Tour, and later the Most Wanted Tour. Most shows scheduled in the major cities were completely sold out.

In January 2004, the second DisneyMania disc, DisneyMania 2, was released and featured a duet, "The Siamese Cat Song" with her sister. Another song, "Circle of Life", featured Duff and other Disney Channel stars. Duff and her sister recorded a cover of The Go-Gos' "Our Lips Are Sealed" for the soundtrack to A Cinderella Story, which also included two other songs by Duff. The video for "Our Lips Are Sealed" was popular on MTV's Total Request Live, but the song failed to chart on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

Duff's second full-length album was the self-titled Hilary Duff in which she co-wrote some songs. She described the album as more "personal" and having a "rock feel" than Metamorphosis. It was released on her seventeenth birthday (in September 2004) and debuted at #2 in the U.S. and at #1 in Canada. The album sold over 1.5 million copies in the U.S. in eight months,[but its only U.S. single, "Fly", failed to chart on the Hot 100. "Fly" reached the top forty in Australia, where the album produced a second top forty single, "Someone's Watching over Me", which was the theme song of the film Raise Your Voice. Duff contributed the song "(I'll Give) Anything but Up!" for the 2004 album Marlo Thomas & Friends: Thanks & Giving All Year Long

Entrepreneurship
Duff launched her clothing line, "Stuff by Hilary Duff", in March 2004, with clothes distributed through Target in the United States, Kmart in Australia, Zellers in Canada, and Edgars Stores in South Africa. The company, initially started as a clothing line, has expanded its business into furniture, fragrances, and jewelry, targeted at the teen and preteen crowd. In 2007, the Internet website Stardoll.com previewed Duff's clothing line to customers by allowing them to dress up a paper doll on the website (which include Hilary Duff's own doll) with the clothes.

In February 2009, Duff and DKNY Jeans announced their new design partnership and the launch of their collaborative apparel line. Duff co-designed a collection of special pieces with DKNY Jeans brand called "Femme" for DKNY Jeans. The clothing line will debut in fine department and specialty stores nationwide in August 2009.

Playmates Toys released a celebrity doll of her in 2004. In late 2006, Mattel released a Hilary Duff Barbie doll. As a fashion designer, she had designed clothes for Barbie dolls in the past and with the release of her doll, she joined Reese Witherspoon, Beyonce Knowles and Lucille Ball who have their own celebrity-dolls.

In September 2006, Duff released her perfume, "With Love... Hilary Duff", which was distributed by the Elizabeth Arden company. The perfume was initially sold only in Macy's in the U.S. and soon it was being sold in other regions like Japan and Canada. In 2007, Duff announced that she will be releasing a summer version of the perfume titled, "Wrapped With Love". It was released in January 2008, and a Spring Gift Set version was released in time for Valentines Day.

Duff and her pet dog Lola made an appearance in the Electronic Arts game The Sims 2: Pets, which was released on October 2006. In console versions of the game, Duff's character visits public areas and allows the players to let their Sims socialize with her and Lola. Animal rights' organisation, "Animal welfare league" have criticised Duff and celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson for displaying their dogs as fashion accessories rather than pets.

Hilary Duff quotes
Every week I read about myself in a magazine, about something that I haven't done or some place that I've never been or don't even know. It's just gossip, rumors, egos, and politics.

"...(virginity) is definitely something I like about myself. It doesn't mean I haven't thought about sex, because everyone I know has had it and you want to fit in"

"I always wanted to be a veterinarian when I was younger, but then I figured out that animals actually die there, so that was not the job for me. Definitely something with kids or animals or something like that."
- Hilary Duff

Duff is involved with various charities, is an animal rights enthusiast and a member of Kids with a Cause.She also donated $250,000 to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. In 2005, she donated over 2.5 million meals to Hurricane Katrina victims in the south. In August 2006, Duff traveled to a New Orleans elementary school and worked with USA Harvest to distribute meals. She has also served on the Advisory Board of the "Audrey Hepburn Child Benefit Fund" and the Celebrity Council of "Kids with a Cause". On October 8, 2008, Duff starred in a public service announcement for The Think Before You Speak Campaign by Ad Council and GLSEN, to prevent youth from using anti-LGBT vocabulary, such as the phrase "That's so Gay".

Discography

Studio albums

* 2003: Metamorphosis
* 2004: Hilary Duff
* 2007: Dignity

Other albums

* 2002: Santa Claus Lane (Christmas album)
* 2005: Most Wanted (Compilation album)
* 2006: 4Ever (Compilation album) - released in Italy only.
* 2008: Best of Hilary Duff (Compilation album)

Awards

2000 Best Performance in a TV Movie or Pilot - Supporting Young Actress (The Soul Collector)
Young Artist Awards
2003 Teenager of the Year
Rolling Stone
2004 Favorite Female Singer
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, USA
Best Young Ensemble in a Feature Film (Cheaper by the Dozen)
Young Artist Awards


Birth name Hilary Erhard Duff
Born September 28, 1987 (1987-09-28)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Genre(s) Pop, teen pop, pop rock, dance-pop, bubblegum pop, electronic rock, electropop, synthpop
Occupation(s) Actress, singer, songwriter, fashion designer, film producer, spokesperson
Instrument(s) Vocals
Years active 1997—present
Label(s) Walt Disney (2001—2003)
Buena Vista (2001—2004)
Hollywood (2002—2008)

In 2005, Duff's earnings were estimated to be $15 million and in December 2007, Duff was ranked at #7 in the Forbes "Top 20 Earners Under 25", with an annual earnings of $12 million.
In 2007, Duff was ranked at #23 in Maxim's "Hot 100" list.
In 2008, Duff was ranked #7 for the US edition of FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World", while for the UK edition she ranked in at #8.
Website http://www.hilaryduff.com/