She Won Two Oscars: What Happened to Hilary Swank, the Star of Million Dollar Baby?

The American actress Hilary Swank made headlines in the early 2000s thanks to her two Oscars for Best Actress, but what has she been up to since then?

You surely recognize the face of Hilary Swank, who began to gain success thanks to her role in the film Boys Don't Cry by Kimberly Peirce (1999), adapted from the true story of Brandon Teena, a transgender man who was raped and murdered. A box office success (bringing in $20.7 million on a $2 million budget), the film earned her the Oscar for Best Actress the following year.

She was then sought after by Sam Raimi (Intuitions) and Christopher Nolan (Insomnia), landing leading roles (Fusion, Eleven Hours Fourteen, The Affair of the Necklace) before being chosen by Clint Eastwood to portray the heroine of Million Dollar Baby, which earned her another statuette for Best Actress.

But What Has She Been Up to Since Her 2 Oscars?

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Following her second Oscar, Swank worked with Brian De Palma (The Black Dahlia) and in 2007, she experienced further success with P.S. I Love You and a failure with Write to Exist. However, starting in 2007, the actress's career slowed down, and while her films were released in theaters, including in France, they did not leave a significant impact (The Resident, Amelia, Conviction).

After filming a segment of Happy New Year by Garry Marshall (2011), Hilary Swank found herself at the center of a controversy and, despite her apologies, her career was interrupted for two years. She returned to television with the HBO telefilm Mary and Martha (2013), followed by The Homesman directed by and starring Tommy Lee Jones, which was selected for competition at the Cannes Film Festival, and The Second Wind by George C. Wolfe (2014).

At that time, the actress voluntarily paused her career for three years to help her father recover from a lung transplant. She got back into the swing of things with a small role in Logan Lucky by Steven Soderbergh (2017), then regained her leading role status with 55 Steps by Billie August and What They Had by Elizabeth Chomko.

Danny Boyle hired her for his series Trust (2018), and she then joined the film The Hunt (2020). She later starred in two series that were canceled after one season: the sci-fi show Away for Netflix and Alaska Daily (ABC/Hulu).

She remains present on screens, but without her films making much noise. After The Good Mother with Olivia Cooke (2023) and Ordinary Angels (2024), which were released to some indifference, she joined for 2 episodes in season 3 of Yellowjackets in 2025, and that remains her latest news as of this writing.

And Before the Oscars?

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Hilary Swank began her career at 18, appearing in a few episodes of series in the early 90s, before landing her first film role in the horror-comedy Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) starring Kristy Swanson.

After securing one of the lead roles in the short-lived sitcom Camp Wilder (1992-1993), she landed the lead in the film The Next Karate Kid (1994). The film was a total failure and put a halt to her burgeoning career.

After a two-year absence from screens, she landed a few roles in direct-to-video films and a handful of telefilms, before being chosen for a role in the hit series Beverly Hills. The network promised to keep her for two years, but after 16 episodes aired during season 8, her character was written off the show. A new professional setback for Swank, who, although upset by this decision, would quickly bounce back thanks to the success of Boys Don't Cry.