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Top 10 Hilary Swank

Hilary Swank has enjoyed a diverse and remarkable career since the age of 16, with a knack for persuasive performances and portraying real-life characters, and Oscar wins to her name already. Here's her Top 10 so far...

Her Top 10 Films

The Next Karate Kid (1994)

With just a small role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), part four in The Karate Kid franchise was Hilary's breakthrough performance, and the first to feature a girl as the Kid. Swank shows great screen presence as angry teen Julie – taken in by the ever-present Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) – and won the part from over 500 other girls. Her intensive training was an early precursor to future Million Dollar Baby efforts.

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Beverley Hills, 90210 (1997-1998)

1997 saw Swank's career go down the TV route when she starred in 90210 as Carly Reynolds, a single mother and Hills newcomer who swings a waitressing job at The Peach Pit and enjoys a whirlwind romance. It was just a short stint at the famous post-code (she appeared in 16 episodes), but Swank’s Hollywood status would soon be on the rise for real – just a few months later, she was cast in Boys Don't Cry.

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Boys Don't Cry (1999)

Based on true events, Boys Don't Cry is famed for its hard-hitting subject matter, and for giving Hilary her first Best Actress Oscar. She was highly praised for her courageous performance as Brandon Teena – a transgender boy who suffers the rage of small-town pals when they discover he’s female – and prepared for the role by passing as a man for a month on the streets of Los Angeles.

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Insomnia (1997)

This Christopher Nolan-directed thriller put Swank alongside Al Pacino and Robin Williams as eager-to-please Detective Ellie Burr. A rookie cop, she goes out of her way to help visiting LAPD detective Dormer (Pacino) who’s in her small Alaskan fishing port to solve a murder, all the while battling his interminable insomnia. It’s part noir nightmare, part cat-and-mouse chase, and Swank described her stripped-down role as "almost a challenge playing someone normal."

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11:14 (2003)

Taking place in just a half an hour time frame, this offbeat indie drama shows how the lives of several small-town characters collide when a car crash occurs at 11:14pm. Swank’s portrayal of a dim-witted hapless store clerk – originally written for a man, then rewritten specially for her – stands out in a strong ensemble cast. Slightly absurd, yet never ridiculous, this unfairly overlooked film is not to be missed.

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Red Dust (2004)

Swank takes another dramatic turn in this political thriller, Tom Hooper's cinematic debut, as human rights lawyer Sarah Barcant. Returning from New York to her childhood village in South Africa to work on the case of Alex Mpondo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Sarah's own bitter memories of the town are reignited. Set during South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation hearings, Red Dust was further evidence of Swank's confidence with intensely dramatic storylines.

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Million Dollar Baby (2004)

After a few years starring in lower-key films, Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby catapulted Swank back into the limelight and brought her second Oscar for Best Actress. Waitress-turned-amateur boxer Maggie Fitzgerald has plenty of guts and is determined to launch a successful boxing career, and it was Hilary's most physical challenge yet – she gained 19lbs in muscle in order to appear believable, with some considerable success.

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Freedom Writers (2007)

This stirring, sympathetic drama has Hilary play real-life high school teacher Erin Gruwell, whose idea of using Anne Frank as a role model for her troubled inner-city students doesn't exactly thrive – at first. Ever-hopeful, she convinces her unruly class to start their own diaries as a way to overcome a life of violence. Although the plot may not seem too unfamiliar, Freedom Writers was praised for its host of first-time actors, and the story's authentic feel.

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P.S. I Love You (2007)

2007 also saw Swank star in novel-based chick flick P.S. I Love You – as Holly, who learns to cope with her husband’s death through letters and tapes he has thoughtfully left behind. P.S. is a breakaway from Swank's more dramatic and muscular turns, and – since Holly is instructed to 'get out and celebrate herself', she uses this film to explore her softer, funnier side.

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Conviction (2010)

Based on a true story of tenacious loyalty, Conviction sees Swank play single mother Betty Anne Waters, who dedicates 18 years of her life to clearing brother Kenny's (Sam Rockwell) name, after he’s charged for murder. The chemistry between Swank and Rockwell is utterly captivating, and the film's title neatly applies both to Kenny’s legal situation, and Hilary’s own trademark fervour for such meaty roles.

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Jennifer Trevorrow