Swank was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, the daughter of Judy (née Clough), a secretary and dancer, and Stephen Swank, who was an officer in the Air National Guard and later a traveling salesman. She has a brother, Dan. Many of her family members hail from Ringgold County, Iowa. Swank came from humble beginnings, particularly as a child growing up in a trailer park near Lake Samish in Bellingham, Read more...

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 Read more...

Swank has said that she is "an actor, not a celebrity" and has described herself as a "homebody." Swank considers herself a spiritual person, though, not a member of an organized religion. She has said that she is "athletically inclined" and that she "love[s] sports."

Swank developed potential health problems, including elevated mercury levels in her body, through certain preparations for Read more...