Hilary Swank - Academy of Achievement

<!doctype html> <html lang="en-US" prefix="og: http://ogp.me/ns#"> <head><script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/bundle-playback.js?v=HxkREWBo" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/wombat.js?v=txqj7nKC" charset="utf-8"></script> <script>window.RufflePlayer=window.RufflePlayer||{};window.RufflePlayer.config={"autoplay":"on","unmuteOverlay":"hidden"};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/ruffle/ruffle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> __wm.init("https://web.archive.org/web"); __wm.wombat("http://www.achievement.org:80/achiever/hilary-swank","20181110183622","https://web.archive.org/","web","/_static/", "1541874982"); </script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/banner-styles.css?v=S1zqJCYt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/iconochive.css?v=3PDvdIFv" />  <meta charset="utf-8"> <meta http-equiv="x-ua-compatible" content="ie=edge"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="57x57" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/apple-touch-icon-57x57.png"/> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="114x114" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/apple-touch-icon-114x114.png"/> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="72x72" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/apple-touch-icon-72x72.png"/> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="144x144" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/apple-touch-icon-144x144.png"/> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="60x60" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/apple-touch-icon-60x60.png"/> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="120x120" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/apple-touch-icon-120x120.png"/> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="76x76" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/apple-touch-icon-76x76.png"/> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="152x152" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/apple-touch-icon-152x152.png"/> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/favicon-196x196.png" sizes="196x196"/> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/favicon-96x96.png" sizes="96x96"/> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/favicon-32x32.png" sizes="32x32"/> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/favicon-16x16.png" sizes="16x16"/> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/favicon-128.png" sizes="128x128"/> <meta name="application-name" content="Academy of Achievement"/> <meta name="msapplication-TileColor" content="#000000"/> <meta name="msapplication-TileImage" content="http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/mstile-144x144.png"/> <meta name="msapplication-square70x70logo" content="http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/mstile-70x70.png"/> <meta name="msapplication-square150x150logo" content="http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/mstile-150x150.png"/> <meta name="msapplication-wide310x150logo" content="http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/mstile-310x150.png"/> <meta name="msapplication-square310x310logo" content="http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/favicon/mstile-310x310.png"/> <link href="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622cs_/https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Source+Sans+Pro:400,600,400italic,600italic,700,700italic" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"> <title>Hilary Swank - Academy of Achievement</title>  <meta name="description" content="Today, television audiences are used to seeing Hilary Swank resplendently gowned, gliding over a red carpet at glittering Hollywood soirees, but her early years were anything but glamorous. She spent much of her childhood living in a trailer park near Lake Samish in Bellingham, Washington. Hilary Swank began acting professionally in her teens, appearing in television shows such as Growing Pains. Movie audiences got their first look at Hilary Swank in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Next Karate Kid. She was dropped from her regular role on Beverly Hills, 90210, a potential career disaster that proved to be a blessing in disguise. She was soon cast as the tragic Brandon Teena in Boys Don't Cry. Her devastating performance brought her the Oscar for Best Actress. The role had required a challenging physical transformation, but that was nothing compared to the grueling training regimen she undertook to convincingly portray a professional boxer onscreen. She received a second Best Actress Oscar for her physically demanding and emotionally wrenching portrayal of the doomed Maggie Fitzgerald in Million Dollar Baby. Audiences, critics and Oscar voters alike are awed by Hilary Swank's conviction, dedication and emotional power as an actress, but she professes to be mystified by her extraordinary success. "I don't know what I did in this life to deserve this," she has said. "I'm just a girl from a trailer park who had a dream.""/> <link rel="canonical" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/hilary-swank/"/> <meta property="og:locale" content="en_US"/> <meta property="og:type" content="article"/> <meta property="og:title" content="Hilary Swank - Academy of Achievement"/> <meta property="og:description" content="<p class="inputTextFirst">Today, television audiences are used to seeing Hilary Swank resplendently gowned, gliding over a red carpet at glittering Hollywood soirees, but her early years were anything but glamorous. She spent much of her childhood living in a trailer park near Lake Samish in Bellingham, Washington. Hilary Swank began acting professionally in her teens, appearing in television shows such as <i>Growing Pains</i>.</p> <p class="inputText">Movie audiences got their first look at Hilary Swank in <i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</i> and <i>The Next Karate Kid</i>. She was dropped from her regular role on <i>Beverly Hills, 90210</i>, a potential career disaster that proved to be a blessing in disguise. She was soon cast as the tragic Brandon Teena in <i>Boys Don't Cry</i>. Her devastating performance brought her the Oscar for Best Actress. The role had required a challenging physical transformation, but that was nothing compared to the grueling training regimen she undertook to convincingly portray a professional boxer onscreen. She received a second Best Actress Oscar for her physically demanding and emotionally wrenching portrayal of the doomed Maggie Fitzgerald in <i>Million Dollar Baby</i>.</p> <p class="inputText">Audiences, critics and Oscar voters alike are awed by Hilary Swank's conviction, dedication and emotional power as an actress, but she professes to be mystified by her extraordinary success. "I don't know what I did in this life to deserve this," she has said. "I'm just a girl from a trailer park who had a dream."</p>"/> <meta property="og:url" content="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/hilary-swank/"/> <meta property="og:site_name" content="Academy of Achievement"/> <meta property="og:image" content="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swank-Feature-Image-2800x1120.jpg"/> <meta property="og:image:width" content="2800"/> <meta property="og:image:height" content="1120"/> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary"/> <meta name="twitter:description" content="<p class="inputTextFirst">Today, television audiences are used to seeing Hilary Swank resplendently gowned, gliding over a red carpet at glittering Hollywood soirees, but her early years were anything but glamorous. She spent much of her childhood living in a trailer park near Lake Samish in Bellingham, Washington. Hilary Swank began acting professionally in her teens, appearing in television shows such as <i>Growing Pains</i>.</p> <p class="inputText">Movie audiences got their first look at Hilary Swank in <i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</i> and <i>The Next Karate Kid</i>. She was dropped from her regular role on <i>Beverly Hills, 90210</i>, a potential career disaster that proved to be a blessing in disguise. She was soon cast as the tragic Brandon Teena in <i>Boys Don't Cry</i>. Her devastating performance brought her the Oscar for Best Actress. The role had required a challenging physical transformation, but that was nothing compared to the grueling training regimen she undertook to convincingly portray a professional boxer onscreen. She received a second Best Actress Oscar for her physically demanding and emotionally wrenching portrayal of the doomed Maggie Fitzgerald in <i>Million Dollar Baby</i>.</p> <p class="inputText">Audiences, critics and Oscar voters alike are awed by Hilary Swank's conviction, dedication and emotional power as an actress, but she professes to be mystified by her extraordinary success. "I don't know what I did in this life to deserve this," she has said. "I'm just a girl from a trailer park who had a dream."</p>"/> <meta name="twitter:title" content="Hilary Swank - Academy of Achievement"/> <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swank-Feature-Image-2800x1120.jpg"/> <script type="application/ld+json">{"@context":"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20181110183622\/http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"WebSite","@id":"#website","url":"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20181110183622\/http:\/\/www.achievement.org\/","name":"Academy of Achievement","alternateName":"A museum of living history","potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20181110183622\/http:\/\/www.achievement.org\/search\/{search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}</script> <script 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class="feature-area__text-inner text-white"> <h2 class="serif-8 feature-area__text-subhead back"><a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever">All achievers</a></h2> <h1 class="serif-1 entry-title feature-area__text-headline">Hilary Swank</h1> <h5 class="sans-6 feature-area__blurb">Two Oscars for Best Actress</h5> </div> </figcaption> </div> </div> </figure> </header> </div>  <nav class="in-page-nav row fixedsticky"> <ul class="nav text-xs-center clearfix" role="tablist"> <li class="nav-item col-xs-3"> <a class="nav-link active" data-toggle="tab" href="#biography" role="tab" data-gtm-category="tab" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever Biography">Biography</a> </li> <li class="nav-item col-xs-3"> <a class="nav-link" data-toggle="tab" href="#profile" role="tab" data-gtm-category="tab" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever Profile">Profile</a> </li> <li class="nav-item col-xs-3"> <a class="nav-link" data-toggle="tab" href="#interview" role="tab" data-gtm-category="tab" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever Interview">Interview</a> </li> <li class="nav-item col-xs-3"> <a class="nav-link" data-toggle="tab" href="#gallery" role="tab" data-gtm-category="tab" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever Gallery">Gallery</a> </li> </ul> </nav> <article class="post-3199 achiever type-achiever status-publish has-post-thumbnail hentry careers-actor"> <div class="entry-content container clearfix">  <div class="tab-content"> <div class="tab-pane fade in active" id="biography" role="tabpanel"> <section class="achiever--biography"> <div class="row"> <header class="editorial-article__header col-md-8 col-md-offset-2 text-xs-center"> <i class="icon-icon_bio text-brand-primary"></i> <h3 class="serif-3 quote-marks">I didn't have formal acting training. I just had my mom who believed in me.</h3> </header> </div> <div class="row"> <aside class="col-md-4 sidebar clearfix"> <h2 class="serif-3 p-b-1">Two Oscars for Best Actress</h2> <div class="col-xs-12 sidebar--chunk p-b-2"> <dt class="serif-7">Date of Birth</dt> <dd class="sans-2"> July 30, 1974 </dd> </div> </aside> <article class="editorial-article col-md-8"> <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"> <html><body><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Hilary Ann Swank was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. By the time she was six, her father, Stephen Swank, had moved the family to Bellingham, Washington. Hilary’s older brother and only sibling, Dan, left home in his teens. Hilary and her parents lived in a trailer park on the outskirts of Bellingham. Shunned by the snobbish families of many of her classmates, young Hilary sought solace in books and movies, identifying with the struggles of the characters she found there. She credits a close relationship with her mother, Judy, to developing her self-confidence despite the hardships of her early years.</span></p> <figure id="attachment_12324" style="width: 1390px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="wp-image-12324 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622im_/http://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-001-swank-Swank_CAASpeakersPhoto.jpg"></noscript><img class="wp-image-12324 size-full lazyload" alt="Hilary Swank, recipient of two Oscars for her performances in Boys Don't Cry and Million Dollar Baby. (Courtesy of Hilary Swank)" width="1390" height="2100" data-sizes="(max-width: 1390px) 100vw, 1390px" data-srcset="/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-001-swank-Swank_CAASpeakersPhoto.jpg 1390w, /web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-001-swank-Swank_CAASpeakersPhoto-252x380.jpg 252w, /web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-001-swank-Swank_CAASpeakersPhoto-503x760.jpg 503w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622/http://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-001-swank-Swank_CAASpeakersPhoto.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Hilary Swank, recipient of two Oscars for her performances in the films <em>Boys Don’t Cry</em> and <em>Million Dollar Baby</em>.</figcaption></figure><p class="p1"><span class="s1">As a child, Hilary Swank found relief from her loneliness when she discovered acting. One of her first performances on stage was in her fifth grade class production of <i>The Jungle Book</i>. Auspiciously, she was chosen to play the feral man-cub Mowgli. She was disturbed at first to find herself cast in a boy’s role, but she was thrilled to lose herself in a character and loved the intensity and camaraderie of the rehearsal process. With her mother’s support, she began to pursue acting outside of school, winning the Best Junior Actress Award at the Bellingham Theatre Guild. While she pursued self-expression through acting, she also distinguished herself as an outstanding swimmer and gymnast. In her teens, she competed in the Junior Olympics as a swimmer, but by age 16, acting had become her primary focus.</span></p> <figure id="attachment_12345" style="width: 1955px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="wp-image-12345 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622im_/http://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-022-swank-Swank-Hilary-AP-AP050205032738.jpg"></noscript><img class="wp-image-12345 size-full lazyload" alt="Hilary Swank and her mother Judy arrive at the 2005 Screen Actors Guild Awards. Swank credits her mother's faith in her for her success as an actress. (© AP Images/Jennifer Graylock)" width="1955" height="3000" data-sizes="(max-width: 1955px) 100vw, 1955px" data-srcset="/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-022-swank-Swank-Hilary-AP-AP050205032738.jpg 1955w, /web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-022-swank-Swank-Hilary-AP-AP050205032738-248x380.jpg 248w, /web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-022-swank-Swank-Hilary-AP-AP050205032738-495x760.jpg 495w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622/http://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-022-swank-Swank-Hilary-AP-AP050205032738.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">2005: Hilary Swank and her mother, Judy. Swank credits her mother’s faith in her for her success as an actress.</figcaption></figure><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Her mother, Judy, believed in Hilary’s talent and wanted to give her a chance to make a career of it. When Judy and Stephen Swank divorced, mother and daughter made the move to Los Angeles. The two drove south in 1990 with $75, one gas station credit card and no leads for finding a home. They lived in their car for the first few weeks until Judy found a job and temporary housing. Judy’s persistence in seeking opportunities for her daughter brought a meeting with Hollywood’s premier agent for child actors, Bonnie Liedtke, who represented Hilary Swank until she turned 21.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">The teenage Hilary settled into a new life, attending South Pasadena High School while auditioning for films, commercials and television pilots. Within her first year in Los Angeles, she made an appearance on the television series <i>Harry and the Hendersons</i> and soon won recurring roles on the popular situation comedies <i>Evening Shade</i> and <i>Growing Pains</i>. Television proved to be a solid training ground for the actress, and in 1992, Hilary landed a supporting role in the feature film <i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</i>.</span></p> <figure id="attachment_12334" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><noscript><img class="wp-image-12334 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622im_/http://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-011-swank-Swank-Corbis-0000299571-002.jpg"></noscript><img class="wp-image-12334 size-full lazyload" alt="Hilary Swank kicks it up a notch as The Next Karate Kid (1994). (© Bureau L.A. Collection/CORBIS)" width="1024" height="1536" data-sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" data-srcset="/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-011-swank-Swank-Corbis-0000299571-002.jpg 1024w, /web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-011-swank-Swank-Corbis-0000299571-002-253x380.jpg 253w, /web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-011-swank-Swank-Corbis-0000299571-002-507x760.jpg 507w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622/http://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-011-swank-Swank-Corbis-0000299571-002.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">1994: Hilary Swank kicks it up a notch in the film <em>The Next Karate Kid</em>. (Bureau L.A. Collection/CORBIS)</figcaption></figure><p class="p1"><span class="s1">In 1994, Hilary Swank secured her largest film role to date, as the heroine of <i>The Next Karate Kid</i>. Although this sequel did not achieve the box office success of its predecessor, it demonstrated that the young actress could carry a feature film. Although she longed to expand her range, casting directors familiar with her work in television repeatedly told her she was “too half-hour” for dramatic roles. She was cast in numerous pilots for television series that were never picked up for production and broadcast. In 1997, she married fellow actor Chad Lowe. The same year brought a promising career breakthrough when Hilary was cast as a young single mother in the nighttime serial <i>Beverly Hills 90210</i>. A two-year contract with a primetime dramatic series offered a financial security rare in the life of a working actor, but the series, once extremely popular, was now in its eighth season and struggling to win back its dwindling audience. Swank’s contract was canceled after only 14 episodes. At first this appeared to be a devastating setback, but it opened the door to the film that would make Hilary Swank a major motion picture star.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">When she read the script for <i>Boys Don’t Cry</i>, Hilary Swank knew this was a part she had to play. The film told the tragic real-life story of Tina Brandon. Born, like Hilary Swank, in Lincoln, Nebraska, Brandon felt more comfortable dressing and identifying as a male and chose to live as a man under the name Brandon Teena. Passing as a male in rural Nebraska, Brandon entered a romantic relationship with a local woman. Gruesome tragedy followed when a number of young men in the community discovered Brandon’s secret. This powerful story captured Swank’s imagination and she resolved to win the role, flying to New York at her own expense to meet with the film’s director, Kimberly Peirce. On being informed that the role of Tina Brandon/Brandon Teena was hers, Swank undertook a remarkable physical transformation to be convincing as the film’s cross-dressing protagonist. She shed the long hair that had been a notable feature of her onscreen image, and reduced body fat from her already slender figure to achieve a leaner, more boyish appearance. For weeks, she walked the streets of New York City dressed as a boy, eliminating every trace of feminine mannerisms and experiencing the hostile confusion of strangers whenever her facade slipped.</span></p> <figure id="attachment_12343" style="width: 1417px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="wp-image-12343 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622im_/http://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-020-swank-Swank-Corbis-UT0023790.jpg"></noscript><img class="wp-image-12343 size-full lazyload" alt="Hilary Swank displays the Best Actress Oscar she received for her performance in "Boys Don't Cry."" width="1417" height="2048" data-sizes="(max-width: 1417px) 100vw, 1417px" data-srcset="/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-020-swank-Swank-Corbis-UT0023790.jpg 1417w, /web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-020-swank-Swank-Corbis-UT0023790-263x380.jpg 263w, /web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-020-swank-Swank-Corbis-UT0023790-526x760.jpg 526w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622/http://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-020-swank-Swank-Corbis-UT0023790.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">2000: Hilary Swank displays the Oscar for Best Actress that she received for her performance in <em>Boys Don’t Cry</em>.</figcaption></figure><p class="p1"><span class="s1">When <i>Boys Don’t Cry</i> was released in 1999, Swank’s performance stunned critics and audiences. She won every award in sight, from the National Board of Review’s “Breakthrough Performance” prize to the Best Actress awards of the New York, Los Angeles and Chicago Critics’ associations, to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Golden Globe. The awards season culminated with the Oscar ceremony, where Hilary Swank took home the statuette for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. Those in the television audience who only knew her from her performance in the film were surprised by the grace and elegance of the real Hilary Swank when she appeared onstage to accept her award. <i>Boys Don’t Cry</i> was a milestone in the portrayal of transgendered persons in cinema. Hilary Swank continued her advocacy for tolerance of human diversity as National Spokesperson for the New York-based Hetrick-Martin Institute, which supports a charter school for gay, lesbian and transgender youth. Her achievement also encouraged other leading actresses to take on characters outside the conventions of Hollywood formula.</span></p> <figure id="attachment_12339" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><noscript><img class="wp-image-12339 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622im_/http://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-016-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1123457.jpg"></noscript><img class="wp-image-12339 size-full lazyload" alt="Clint Eastwood and Hilary Swank in a tense scene from "Million Dollar Baby." (© Merie W. Wallace/Warner Bros/Bureau L.A. Collection/Corbis)" width="2280" height="1520" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-016-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1123457.jpg 2280w, /web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-016-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1123457-380x253.jpg 380w, /web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-016-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1123457-760x507.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622/http://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-016-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1123457.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">2004: Clint Eastwood and Hilary Swank in a tense scene from the film <em>Million Dollar Baby</em>. (Merie W. Wallace)</figcaption></figure><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Although Hilary Swank was eager to prove herself in a wide variety of roles, many producers and directors found the impression of her as the male-appearing Brandon Teena impossible to forget when they were asked to consider her for more traditional parts. Nevertheless, she appeared alongside many of the best actors in motion pictures, with Cate Blanchett in Sam Raimi’s <i>The Gift</i>, and with Al Pacino and Robin Williams in Christopher Nolan’s <i>Insomnia</i>. <i>The Affair of the Necklace</i> was a startling departure and gave her the first opportunity to appear in an elegant costume drama. In 2004, she received acclaim for her portrayal of suffragette Alice Paul in the HBO movie <i>Iron Jawed Angels</i>. At the same time, she received a new script from the producers of <i>The Gift</i>. The screenplay, <i>Million Dollar Baby,</i> came with Clint Eastwood attached as director and co-star. Once again, Swank knew she had found a part she had to play. After a brief meeting, Eastwood approved Swank for the powerful role of Maggie Fitzgerald, a struggling female boxer.</span></p> <figure id="attachment_12337" style="width: 2048px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="wp-image-12337 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622im_/http://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-14-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1123446.jpg"></noscript><img class="wp-image-12337 size-full lazyload" alt="Hilary Swank trains for her role as boxer Maggie Fitzgerald in "Million Dollar Baby." (© Merie W. Wallace/Warner Bros/Bureau L.A. Collection/Corbis)" width="2048" height="3072" data-sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" data-srcset="/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-14-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1123446.jpg 2048w, /web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-14-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1123446-253x380.jpg 253w, /web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-14-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1123446-507x760.jpg 507w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622/http://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-14-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1123446.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">2004: Hilary Swank trains for her role as boxer Maggie Fitzgerald in <em>Million Dollar Baby.</em> (Merie W. Wallace/Corbis)</figcaption></figure><p class="p1"><span class="s1">This role required a physical metamorphosis even more remarkable than <i>Boys Don’t Cry</i>. To appear convincing facing off against actual female boxers onscreen, Swank undertook brutally rigorous physical training. Starting at a mere 108 pounds, Swank gained 19 additional pounds of muscle in two months. To do this, she consumed 210 grams of protein a day, waking repeatedly during the night to drink protein shakes. Her training routine included two-and-a-half hours of boxing lessons, plus two hours of weight training, six days a week. While learning the boxer’s technique of punch and pivot, she developed a massive blister on her right foot. It soon turned into a painful and ultimately life-threatening Staph infection. Her doctors ordered her to quit boxing until the infection was under control. The determined actress continued weight training to strengthen her upper body until she could walk again. All the while, she concealed her condition from most of her associates, including Eastwood, and made a complete recovery in time to begin shooting on schedule.</span></p> <figure id="attachment_12342" style="width: 1515px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="wp-image-12342 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622im_/http://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-019-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1187307.jpg"></noscript><img class="wp-image-12342 size-full lazyload" alt="Hilary Swank won her second Oscar for her performance in "Million Dollar Baby" in 2005. (©Corbis)" width="1515" height="2418" data-sizes="(max-width: 1515px) 100vw, 1515px" data-srcset="/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-019-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1187307.jpg 1515w, /web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-019-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1187307-238x380.jpg 238w, /web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-019-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1187307-476x760.jpg 476w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622/http://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-019-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1187307.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">2005: Hilary Swank won her second Oscar for Best Actress for her performance in <em>Million Dollar Baby</em>. (Corbis)</figcaption></figure><p class="p1"><span class="s1">The resulting film was acclaimed by critics and a huge hit with audiences. At the 2005 Oscar ceremony, <i>Million Dollar Baby</i> was showered with awards, including a Best Supporting Actor award for Morgan Freeman, a Best Director Oscar for Eastwood and another for Best Picture of the Year. Hilary Swank received her second Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. With this award, she joined the handful of leading ladies to be so honored, an elite company that includes Katharine Hepburn and <span class="s2">Olivia de Havilland</span>. In 2006, Swank and her husband, Chad Lowe, parted amicably after nine years of marriage, speaking respectfully of each other to the press and public. The following year, she was honored with a star on Hollywood Boulevard’s Walk of Fame, an occasion she shared with her mother, Judy, whose faith in her had long since been redeemed.</span></p> <figure id="attachment_12346" style="width: 1963px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="wp-image-12346 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622im_/http://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-023-swank-Swank-Hilary-AP-AP070108018220.jpg"></noscript><img class="wp-image-12346 size-full lazyload" alt="Hilary Swank and her mother Judy enjoy the 2007 ceremony honoring her with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame (© AP Images/Nick Ut)" width="1963" height="3291" data-sizes="(max-width: 1963px) 100vw, 1963px" data-srcset="/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-023-swank-Swank-Hilary-AP-AP070108018220.jpg 1963w, /web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-023-swank-Swank-Hilary-AP-AP070108018220-227x380.jpg 227w, /web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-023-swank-Swank-Hilary-AP-AP070108018220-453x760.jpg 453w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622/http://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-023-swank-Swank-Hilary-AP-AP070108018220.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Hilary Swank and mother, Judy, enjoy a 2007 ceremony honoring her with a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.</figcaption></figure><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Never content to rest on the praise for her past achievements, Hilary Swank continually seeks out fresh challenges. Recent projects have included Brian Da Palma’s 1940s mystery <i>The Black Dahlia</i>, and the supernatural thriller <i>The Reaping</i>. She enjoyed one of her favorite roles as an inner-city high school teacher in <i>Freedom Writers</i> (2007); she was also the film’s Executive Producer. She plans to expand her activities as a producer; at the time of her interview with the Academy of Achievement, she was co-producing the films <i>Labyrinth</i> and <i>The Laws of Motion</i>, and had just completed shooting a romantic comedy, <i>P.S., I Love You</i>.</span></p> <figure id="attachment_5869" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="wp-image-5869 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622im_/http://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/wordpress_swank_paulson_academy_1810.jpg"></noscript><img class="wp-image-5869 size-full lazyload" alt="Two of the Academy of Achievement's 2007 Guests of Honor: Award-winning actress Hilary Swank and U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson enjoy the Banquet of the Golden Plate ceremonies in Washington, D.C." width="2280" height="1627" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/wordpress_swank_paulson_academy_1810.jpg 2280w, /web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/wordpress_swank_paulson_academy_1810-380x271.jpg 380w, /web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/wordpress_swank_paulson_academy_1810-760x542.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622/http://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/wordpress_swank_paulson_academy_1810.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Two of the American Academy of Achievement’s 2007 Guests of Honor: Award-winning actress Hilary Swank and U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson enjoy the Banquet of the Golden Plate ceremonies in Washington, D.C.</figcaption></figure><p class="p1"><span class="s1">Hilary Swank enjoyed another career high point when she played the aviation pioneer and feminist icon Amelia Earhart in the 2009 biopic <i>Amelia</i>, directed by Mira Nair. The following year, she starred in the drama <i>Conviction</i>, the real-life story of Betty Ann Waters, a high school dropout who put herself through law school in the course of an 18-year campaign to win the exoneration of a brother she believed had been wrongly convicted of murder. The film renewed public discussion of the role of DNA evidence in the criminal justice system. She won further acclaim for her performance in the 2014 Western <em>The Homesman.</em>  In 2016, she inaugurated a new clothing line for the active woman, Mission Statement. She has multiple films in production and is collaborating with Oscar-winning Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu on a new television series. </span>In August 2018, Hilary Swank married social venture entrepreneur Philip Schneider in an outdoor ceremony at Santa Lucia Preserve in Carmel, California.</p></body></html> <div class="clearfix"> </div> </article> </div> </section> </div> <div class="tab-pane fade" id="profile" role="tabpanel"> <section class="clearfix"> <header class="editorial-article__header"> <figure class="text-xs-center"> <img class="inductee-badge" src="/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/themes/aoa/assets/images/inducted-badge@2x.png" alt="Inducted Badge" width="120" height="120"/> <figcaption class="serif-3 text-brand-primary"> Inducted in 2007 </figcaption> </figure> </header> <div class="row"> <aside class="col-md-4 sidebar"> <dl class="clearfix m-b-0"> <div class="col-xs-12 sidebar--chunk p-b-2"> <dt class="serif-7">Career</dt> <dd class="sans-2"> <div><a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/#filter=.actor">Actor</a></div> </dd> </div> <div class="col-xs-12 sidebar--chunk p-b-2"> <dt class="serif-7">Date of Birth</dt> <dd class="sans-2"> July 30, 1974 </dd> </div> </dl> </aside> <article class="col-md-8 editorial-article clearfix"> <p class="inputTextFirst">Today, television audiences are used to seeing Hilary Swank resplendently gowned, gliding over a red carpet at glittering Hollywood soirees, but her early years were anything but glamorous. She spent much of her childhood living in a trailer park near Lake Samish in Bellingham, Washington. Hilary Swank began acting professionally in her teens, appearing in television shows such as <i>Growing Pains</i>.</p> <p class="inputText">Movie audiences got their first look at Hilary Swank in <i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</i> and <i>The Next Karate Kid</i>. She was dropped from her regular role on <i>Beverly Hills, 90210</i>, a potential career disaster that proved to be a blessing in disguise. She was soon cast as the tragic Brandon Teena in <i>Boys Don’t Cry</i>. Her devastating performance brought her the Oscar for Best Actress. The role had required a challenging physical transformation, but that was nothing compared to the grueling training regimen she undertook to convincingly portray a professional boxer onscreen. She received a second Best Actress Oscar for her physically demanding and emotionally wrenching portrayal of the doomed Maggie Fitzgerald in <i>Million Dollar Baby</i>.</p> <p class="inputText">Audiences, critics and Oscar voters alike are awed by Hilary Swank’s conviction, dedication and emotional power as an actress, but she professes to be mystified by her extraordinary success. “I don’t know what I did in this life to deserve this,” she has said. “I’m just a girl from a trailer park who had a dream.”</p> </article> </div> </section> </div> <div class="tab-pane fade" id="interview" role="tabpanel"> <section class="clearfix"> <div class="col-md-12 interview-feature-video"> <figure> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/fwM2rBZVMys?feature=oembed&autohide=1&hd=1&color=white&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&theme=light&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Swank-Hillary-2007-HDCAM-1of2-Orig.00_02_34_08.Still003-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Swank-Hillary-2007-HDCAM-1of2-Orig.00_02_34_08.Still003-760x428.jpg"></div> <div class="video-tag sans-4"> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> <div class="video-tag__text">Watch full interview</div> </div> </div> </figure> </div> <header class="col-md-12 text-xs-center m-b-2"> <i class="icon-icon_bio text-brand-primary"></i> </header> <aside class="col-md-4 sidebar"> <h2 class="serif-3 achiever--biography-subtitle">Two Oscars for Best Actress</h2> <div class="sans-2">Washington, D.C.</div> <div class="sans-2">June 22, 2007</div> </aside> <article class="editorial-article col-md-8">   <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>You won the Oscar for your performances in <i>Boys Don’t Cry</i> and <i>Million Dollar Baby</i>. <i>Boys Don’t Cry</i> was the role that really brought you widespread attention. Can you tell us how you got that role? What do you remember about that?</b></span></p> </div>     <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/yTvOZ2IGElg?feature=oembed&autohide=1&hd=1&color=white&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&theme=light&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Swank-Hillary-2007-HDCAM-1of2-Orig.00_01_36_06.Still001-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Swank-Hillary-2007-HDCAM-1of2-Orig.00_01_36_06.Still001-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p class="p1">Hilary Swank: I remember, first of all, reading that script and thinking, “Wow, I can’t believe that this happens in the world,” and that this really happened, and feeling like I really wanted to be a part of it, and going in and auditioning for the casting director. I was living in Los Angeles at the time, and I bought a cowboy hat and put my husband-at-the-time’s clothes on, and put my hair up in the hat, and was just scratching the surface of how I wanted to play the character. The casting directors knew who I was.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Yet, when I got there, they were looking at their clipboard and kind of looking at me.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They just went, “Hilary?” and I said, “Yep,” and they said, “Oh, okay.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Great.” And I went up, and I remember auditioning. The tape went to Kimberly Peirce in New York, and they said, “She’d like to meet you, but you have to fly yourself here,” and I didn’t have a lot of money.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>My manager said, “No. They should fly you,” and my agent said, “Get your ass on that plane.” So I bought my ticket.</p> </div> </div>      <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/c1Na8T2UOkM?feature=oembed&autohide=1&hd=1&color=white&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&theme=light&start=0&end=2580&version=3" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Swank-Hillary-2007-HDCAM-1of2-Orig.00_40_00_15.Still011-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Swank-Hillary-2007-HDCAM-1of2-Orig.00_40_00_15.Still011-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> <figcaption class="achiever__interview-video-terms"> <span>Keys to success —</span> <a class="comma-item" href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/keys-to-success/courage/">Courage</a> </figcaption> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p class="p1">I remember auditioning. I remember Kimberly having me not only read what I had prepared, but practically the whole script. After the audition, I remember feeling really liberated. I felt liberated, not because I felt like I had done a wonderful job or that I was going to get the movie, but that I had fought for myself and that I put myself on a plane and I went there and I fought for something that I really wanted. I remember I felt wonderful.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>It was a great feeling to have done that for myself and to not be afraid, to just get in there and give it all.</p> </div> </div>      <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"> <html><body><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>When did you find out after that?</b></span></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1">Hilary Swank: I didn’t find out right away, actually. I think it took about five days, and I found out that I had the role.</span></p> <figure id="attachment_12333" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-12333 " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622im_/http://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-010-swank-academy_1536.jpg"></noscript><img class="size-full wp-image-12333 lazyload" alt="Hilary Swank meets fellow Academy members Richard Leakey and Peyton Manning at the 2007 International Achievement Summit." width="2280" height="1520" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-010-swank-academy_1536.jpg 2280w, /web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-010-swank-academy_1536-380x253.jpg 380w, /web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-010-swank-academy_1536-760x507.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622/http://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-010-swank-academy_1536.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">At the reception prior to the Banquet of the Golden Plate ceremonies that concluded the 2007 International Achievement Summit in Washington, D.C., three Academy guests of honor: Oscar-winning actress Hilary Swank, renowned paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey, and the Super Bowl champion quarterback Peyton Manning.</figcaption></figure><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>That must have been an amazing moment.</b></span></p> <p class="p2"><span class="s1">Hilary Swank: It was an amazing moment. Yes. And at that moment, they said, “Okay. We want you to cut your hair off and start right now your preparation for the role,” which ended up being about a four-week preparation of trying to pass as a boy.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>What did you do physically to achieve that?</b></span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s2">Hilary Swank: First of all, I cut my hair.</span></p></body></html> </div>     <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/_Kpcytffwc4?feature=oembed&autohide=1&hd=1&color=white&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&theme=light&start=0&end=0&version=3" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Swank-Hillary-2007-HDCAM-1of2-Orig.00_52_17_18.Still015-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Swank-Hillary-2007-HDCAM-1of2-Orig.00_52_17_18.Still015-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p class="p1">I went into the Astor Place Barber Shop in New York City.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>It’s not there anymore. My hair was longer than it is now, and I asked them to please cut my hair off, and they wouldn’t do it.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They kept saying, “Is this for a student film?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Are you sure you want to cut your hair off?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>What are you doing?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>What are you doing?” and the first person wouldn’t do it. Finally, we got someone who would do it, and it was probably the most physical part of the kind of transformation. Afterwards, I had someone meet me at a coffee shop across the way, and I remember standing there, and I was in the clothes that I had auditioned in, and they were looking right past me.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>They would look at me and look right past me, and I thought, “Wow, this is wonderful.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>This is the first step in this preparation.” And then after that, for four weeks, I would just, every single day, go out and try and pass as a boy, which is what Brandon Teena had done.</p> </div> </div>      <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">I knew that when I got to the set that people would treat me like the role because they were saying the lines, and that’s what they were supposed to be doing, but I really wanted to know what mannerisms worked and what didn’t, what gave me away. Was I seen as a girl when I was trying to pass as a boy? Was it a voice inflection? Was it the way I was carrying myself? Was it the way I was looking? That was a really important part of my preparation. I learned a lot about life.</span></p> </div>     <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/BBEnALwL8MA?feature=oembed&autohide=1&hd=1&color=white&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&theme=light&start=0&end=59&version=3" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Swank-Hillary-2007-HDCAM-1of2-Orig.00_23_04_23.Still008-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Swank-Hillary-2007-HDCAM-1of2-Orig.00_23_04_23.Still008-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p class="p1">In these roles that I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of, I really learned a lot about things that I wouldn’t have any idea really about, except from what I’ve read, but I get to live it in such a deep profound way.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I get to see what it’s like for a transgender person, or a person with a sexual identity crisis, or a lesbian or a gay person, and really the daily harassment that you can get. I got to live that.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I knew that I could go back to being the person that people could define, and that I could step out of that. But for the people that can’t, and that’s their life, it’s a scary place to be, to feel not understood, and when people can’t define you, how it scares them and how their own weakness comes out because they don’t know how to be.</p> </div> </div>      <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"> <html><body><p><strong>It was a scary movie, actually.</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: It’s scary in the fact that it’s happening. It’s a true story, and it’s still happening in the world today.</p> <p><strong>Tell us briefly about the plot of the film. What happens to Brandon Teena?</strong></p> <figure id="attachment_12336" style="width: 1988px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><noscript><img class="wp-image-12336 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622im_/http://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-013-swank-Swank-Corbis-0000362221-004.jpg"></noscript><img class="wp-image-12336 size-full lazyload" alt="Hilary Swank as Brandon Teena in "Boys Don't Cry."(© CORBIS SYGMA)" width="1988" height="2928" data-sizes="(max-width: 1988px) 100vw, 1988px" data-srcset="/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-013-swank-Swank-Corbis-0000362221-004.jpg 1988w, /web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-013-swank-Swank-Corbis-0000362221-004-258x380.jpg 258w, /web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-013-swank-Swank-Corbis-0000362221-004-516x760.jpg 516w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622/http://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-013-swank-Swank-Corbis-0000362221-004.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Hilary Swank as Brandon Teena in film <em>Boys Don’t Cry</em>.</figcaption></figure><p>Hilary Swank: Tina Brandon was actually born in the same hospital I was born in, in Lincoln, Nebraska, two years before me. So there is that interesting coincidence. Tina grew up with her sister and her mother, and at one point in her life she started dressing more masculine. To this day, I try not to define who this person was, because she or he, however you look at it, never said, “Look, I’m a lesbian, and it wasn’t okay to be a lesbian in Nebraska, so I started passing as a boy,” or “I want to have a sex change. I don’t feel like I’m a girl.” The only thing we know that Tina Brandon said was, “I have a sexual identity crisis.” That’s the only thing we have on tape, when she was interviewed by a cop. So an important part of my job, I felt, was to not define her, but just to try and be as honest to who she was as we could.</p> <p>What I do know is that this person had a sexual identity crisis, and chose to be with women. All she — all he — wanted to do was find love and give love. She was quoted as saying, “I have a lot of love to give, and I want to give it,” and that’s something that I could relate to. That was the part that I could relate to. In essence, this was a love story about finding yourself, and becoming yourself, and that journey, and that journey getting cut short. The pain of it, and what is hard to understand, is how the people who were her — or his — friends ended up brutally raping her and then killing her. It was because of whatever came up in their minds when they found out that this person was really a girl. Why? What came up for them? Why was it so threatening? That’s occurring still. That’s not something that happened and it’s done and we all moved on and we all grew from it and we are enlightened. It’s still happening in the world today, every day.</p> <p><strong>Your transformation in that role was astonishing. There was also a real chemistry with Chloe Sevigny. Those of us watching the film saw a real relationship there. Was that difficult to work on, that relationship where she isn’t sure what’s going on, but kind of goes with it?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: Chloe, I feel, really embodied Lana fully. I felt like her performance was just beautiful. We were working off a script that was also wonderful. This script was really fleshed out. It was there. It was on the page. I think Kimberly and Andy, the co-writer, really captured the spirit of these people. So it was there on the page. I think what we really had to do was just get out of the way and not mess it up. It was there.</p> <figure id="attachment_12335" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><noscript><img class="wp-image-12335 size-full " src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622im_/http://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-012-swank-Swank-Corbis-0000362221-001.jpg"></noscript><img class="wp-image-12335 size-full lazyload" alt="Hilary Swank as Brandon Teena in "Boys Don't Cry." (© CORBIS SYGMA)" width="2280" height="1475" data-sizes="(max-width: 2280px) 100vw, 2280px" data-srcset="/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-012-swank-Swank-Corbis-0000362221-001.jpg 2280w, /web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-012-swank-Swank-Corbis-0000362221-001-380x246.jpg 380w, /web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-012-swank-Swank-Corbis-0000362221-001-760x492.jpg 760w" data-src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622/http://162.243.3.155/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-012-swank-Swank-Corbis-0000362221-001.jpg"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Hilary Swank as Brandon Teena in the acclaimed film <i>Boys Don’t Cry</i>. Female-born Teena Brandon adopts his male identity of Brandon Teena and attempts to find himself and love in Nebraska, but falls victim to a brutal hate crime perpetrated by two male acquaintances. The film’s themes include the nature of romantic and platonic relationships, and the causes of violence against LGBT people. Chloe Sevigny was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. The film received overwhelming acclaim from critics and was lauded as one of the best films of the year.</figcaption></figure><p><strong>This role inspired you to get involved in a community in New York.</strong></p></body></html> </div>     <div class="achiever__video-block"> <figure class="achiever__interview-video"> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"> <iframe class="embed-responsive-item embed-responsive--has-thumbnail" width="200" height="150" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622if_/https://www.youtube.com/embed/VCKqbF0Q_aE?feature=oembed&autohide=1&hd=1&color=white&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&theme=light&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="embed-responsive__thumbnail ratio-container__image lazyload" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Swank-Hillary-2007-HDCAM-1of2-Orig.00_05_34_00.Still004-380x214.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Swank-Hillary-2007-HDCAM-1of2-Orig.00_05_34_00.Still004-760x428.jpg"></div> <i class="embed-responsive__play icon-icon_play-full text-brand-primary"></i> </div> <figcaption class="achiever__interview-video-terms"> <span>Keys to success —</span> <a class="comma-item" href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/keys-to-success/integrity/">Integrity</a> </figcaption> </figure>  <div class="achiever__interview-video__copy"> <p class="p1">Hilary Swank: I was asked by the Hetrick-Martin Institute to give their yearly award out, right after I had finished filming, and the movie hadn’t even come out yet. I went and I presented this award, which is an award that is given to people who have done great things in the gay, lesbian, transgendered community to either raise awareness or funds, or actors who have played roles and brought enlightenment to the community. That’s when I learned about it, and I was asked to be the spokesperson.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>So I have been the spokesperson now, I guess for seven years, and worked closely with the kids there. There’s an accredited high school, the Harvey Milk School.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>I work closely with the school’s chancellor in New York City to help expand the school and make it bigger.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>There’s counseling services for the kids and their families.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>A lot of these kids have been either ostracized from schools or their families and have lived on the street, turned to prostitution, myriad things.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>So it is wonderful to be their spokesperson and be able to help raise money to give them a safe environment in which to learn and grow and realize their dreams.</p> </div> </div>     <aside class="collapse" id="full-interview">    <div class="achiever__interview-copy"> <p><strong>Let’s talk about your next Oscar-winning role. What drew you to the role of Maggie Fitzgerald in <em>Million Dollar Baby</em>?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: There are, I would say, one in 50 scripts that you read — only — that blow your mind, that are riveting and get under your skin in a really profound way. <em>Million Dollar Baby</em> was one of them. It was sent to me by the producers at Lake Shore, who I had done <em>The Gift</em> with, and I knew nothing about it. I just knew the title, and I thought — I didn’t know if it was about a prostitute or — I had no idea what it was about. <em>Million Dollar Baby</em> was the name. I just thought — no idea. And I sat down and I read it, and it was such a page-turner, and it moved me so much. I think probably because, if I had to say, of all the characters I played, it was the one that was most similar to me and my story. It was like it was in my marrow. It was visceral. I just sat there and looked at it, and I was so moved, and I just knew that I had to be a part of it.</p> <p>And then I got to meet with Clint Eastwood, and at the time, I weighed 108 pounds. I have small bones, I’m little, and I just thought, “Oh, I hope he sees me as a boxer.” They sent me the script. Yet, Clint needed to approve me; he could have anyone he wanted. I went in and I sat down with him. People, to this day, say, “How did you get it? How did it work out?” He says that he knew my work ethic, and he knew of my sports background, and by the end of our meeting, he looked at me and he said, “Well, you better start training.” So I started. I went back to New York, and the following week, I started my training.</p> <p><strong>Perhaps it’s a function of where he is in his career that he has so much confidence. He didn’t agonize about it. He didn’t wonder if there were 17 other great actresses he could have hired.</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: I have so much respect for him, and I get really emotional because he’s such an anomaly. He has so much confidence, but he has no ego. He trusts his instincts. At the time when I met him, he was 74. He’s been doing it for so long. Yet, there are a lot of people who have been doing it that long and still don’t really trust their instinct.</p> <p>The one thing that I learned from Clint, of the many things I learned from Clint, is to always trust your instinct, and don’t think about it too much. Clint is well known for only doing one to two takes. He says that because he feels like he gets the people who are right for the role and the job, his whole crew as well, and he allows them to do it. He says he just gets out of the way, and he believes that people know when they’re working on all eight cylinders and that your first instinct is the right instinct if you’ve done your homework.</p> <p><strong>It’s almost a Zen quality you’re describing of someone at peace with his own decision-making process. Even some very prominent directors want many, many takes. They don’t know how to cover what they want.</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: Absolutely. Our longest day was 12 hours, and that was a company move. Just to give you an understanding of how amazing that is, I would say a normal workday for me is 15 to 18 hours. That’s normal, and you don’t think twice about that. He never questioned it. Some people would ask questions, and he’d say, “You’re thinking too much. We got it.” Wonderful instincts. It’s a talent, but it’s also a confidence and an understanding of film. Time is money, especially in the film business, and we came in under budget, under schedule. It’s very rare when that happens, and it’s a boxing movie, where anything could have happened. We could have gone over because of the fight scenes, but that’s Clint, and you hear it over and over and over from everyone who has worked with him. That’s Clint.</p> <p><strong>How long did you have to train to put on all that muscle?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: Every job that I get is an opportunity to learn more about myself and grow as a human being. This was, hands down, the most challenging thing I have ever asked myself to do physically. I started at 108 pounds, and I ended up getting to 129, so I put on at least 19 pounds of muscle, with the help of some wonderful people who, again, believed in me.</p> <p><strong>How long did that take?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: Two months. I trained for five hours a day, two-and-a-half hours in boxing, and then — it was between four and five hours a day — two-and-a-half hours of boxing every day, six days a week, and an hour and a half of weight training, to two hours. I needed to eat 210 grams of protein a day, and your body can’t assimilate a lot of protein, so I had to eat every hour and a half, and I was a vegetarian. I ate fish at that time, but I didn’t eat red meat or anything that could help me. So a lot of my diet was egg whites. I had to eat 60 egg whites in a day. I don’t know if you’ve ever even tried to eat five egg whites. It’s fine and everything, but I just couldn’t eat that many. So I would just drink them. I would drink flax oil. I would drink protein shakes, but I also needed a lot of sleep at night because my body was going through this change, but I couldn’t go to sleep without waking up and eating. So I would wake up, and I would drink my protein shakes, too.</p> <p><strong>Would you set an alarm?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: Yeah, or I would just wake up. I had shakes by my bed, and I’d shake them and I’d drink one and go back to sleep.</p> <p><strong>Was there a trainer or somebody who determined 19 pounds of muscle is what you needed?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: No. I was actually going for ten pounds. Ten pounds of muscle was my goal, and when I got to that weight, I just didn’t feel like it was enough. No one was saying, “You need more or less.” It just didn’t look right yet to me to make this believable. The wonderful Lucia Rijker, who I was boxing at the end of the movie, she fights at 158, but she came down to 148 for the film to help balance it out, and I just thought, “Right now, it’s just not going to work. It’s just not going to be believable.” So I just continued on that regimen and eventually put on the extra muscle.</p> <p>That preparation for me was so important in who I am today, because if I woke up in the morning, I ached everywhere. Everything. I just thought, “I’m so tired right now, and I can’t go. I can’t train today, I can’t.” And with that attitude, I wasn’t growing. With that attitude, I was staying where I was, and I realized that the biggest obstacle was my mind. It was the biggest obstacle, and if I could get out of the way of myself, I would grow. So every time I had that attitude, I changed it, and I’d say, “You can. Today you can, and take it one day at a time, and today, I’m going to get up and I’m not going to think about the other six days of this week. I’m going to get up right now, and I’m going to go to the gym, and I’m going to learn about my boxing, and I’m going to be in the moment.” You know, in anything, you hit a wall, and then you have to break through it, and I just had to get out of my own way.</p> <p><strong>Was there any moment when you thought this is too much? “I can’t do this for a role.”</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: No. I never thought I can’t do this for a role. I just wondered if I was going to be able to actually do it, to make it believable, to go the distance for this role. Am I going to be at the place that I need to be on the date that we have to start filming?</p> <p><strong>What have you taken away from that experience? You still look very strong. Have you maintained some of that?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: No. To drop weight and to lose that muscle, you just virtually stop lifting. Muscle memory, as everyone says, is really a powerful thing, and if I started lifting again, I’m sure that I could put it right back on, but it’s not how I choose to look. I’m a big proponent of exercise. I don’t exercise to look a certain way. I exercise for the mind-body connection. It’s a very important part of my life, for my stress, for overall well-being. I have to have it in my life, and it makes me feel great, and it’s helped me through a lot of difficult times in my life.</p> <p><strong>What do you do for exercise now?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: I run. I do Pilates. I swim. I bike. I’m a big outdoor person. I love the outdoors. So any time I can run or hike, I do that. I was not a runner at any point in my life, but because boxing was the most difficult thing I had ever done physically, it got my heart beating in a way that I didn’t know my heart could beat, and I really longed for my heart to beat like that again, and running was really one of the things that did that for me. So I took up running.</p> <p><strong>You were injured on <em>Million Dollar Baby</em>, weren’t you? You had a Staph infection.</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: I got a blister, the size of my palm, on my right foot from pivoting, and it was really swollen, and I couldn’t train and walk on it. So I popped it myself, and it got infected. It turned into a Staph infection, which I actually didn’t know much about. All I knew was that I couldn’t walk on my foot, and I was in an extraordinary amount of pain, and someone said to me, “You know, I’ve had Staph, and that might be Staph. Just keep watching it.” Well, it didn’t take that long. I went to bed one night and I woke up, and I had a streak up my leg, and they said, “Oh, you better get in. That’s not a good thing.”</p> <p><strong>That can be very dangerous.</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: Staph is very dangerous. When I got to my doctor’s, he said, “Put your foot down. Stand up.” Not on it, but to stand up. “Put your foot down. I’ll be right back in.” He came back in, and he said, “This is very serious. You have to stop boxing immediately, and you are going to stay right here.” He drew a line on my leg, so it wouldn’t go above that, because if that gets to your heart, you die. So if that infection makes it up to your heart, that’s it. So obviously, it was devastating news to me that I wasn’t going to be able to box, and I only had this limited amount of time. So he said, “I can’t express to you…” I said, “I need to box. I need to box. Two days? Will it be over in two days?” and he said, “Listen to me. You have to stop. This is life-threatening. You have to stop. Just stop. Get your infection, until it’s gone, and then you can go training again.” So I took most of the advice. When I felt like the line was gone and it wasn’t red anymore, I couldn’t box still ’cause I couldn’t pivot on it, but I was still doing weight training. My trainer would piggyback me to the gym, and I’d do everything I could where I wasn’t standing on it. I was doing all my upper body and my sit-ups, and then he’d piggyback me back to my place.</p> <p><strong>Did the crew know? Did Mr. Eastwood know about the Staph?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: No. I didn’t tell anybody because I just didn’t want it to hold anything up. I just didn’t say anything. I didn’t want people to stop the process. I felt like I was in a groove, and it was something that I was dealing with. I didn’t need to worry anybody. He found out when I did my <em>60 Minutes</em> piece with Mike Wallace.</p> <p><strong>Mike Wallace always finds out everything. Morgan Freeman was also amazing in that film. What was he like to work with?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: Wonderful. Such a professional and also just an incredible work ethic. Getting the opportunities to work with people that I’ve admired my whole life is one of my big blessings that I’m grateful for. To work with them and grow, I just learned more about everything, getting that opportunity.</p> <p><strong>Clint Eastwood’s performance was so moving in the film, too. What was it like seeing him direct himself?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: I was wondering how it was going to be. I thought, “Wow, what a challenging role for an actor and a challenging job for a director. How do you do both?” I do feel like it was Clint’s best performance, because at that age, he was still pulling cards out of his sleeve, doing things that you’d never seen him do before. He was emotional in a way that I feel like we’ve never seen him, and at the same time, being at the helm of this movie. How he did it all, I have no idea. To me, he’s worthy of every accolade because of it.</p> <p><strong>There was a tremendous feeling of connection between the two of you in the film. Was that true off camera as well?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: Absolutely. Clint being this person that I’ve admired my whole life and certainly my whole career, it really mirrored our characters’ relationships. I’m living this dream, I want this role, I want to work with Clint Eastwood. Maggie has this dream. She needs the help of this person to help get her there, and it was very, very funny how life can imitate art or vice versa. It was very, very similar to the relationship that we have and the relationship that the characters have.</p> <p><strong>You went from being incredibly physical to having to be still for the second half of the film. That must have been quite difficult.</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: More than anything, it was a reminder — after all those days when I complained about getting up to use my body — of the position I could have been in, or anyone can be in, where all of a sudden there’s a big shift, and you’re not able to use your body, and how easily we take our health for granted is what it did for me. Every time I got to get up out of that bed and realize that I hadn’t broken my neck and I could still utilize my body was also a wonderful reminder to me to not take my health for granted and to use it. It’s another reason why I use my body, and I treat it with respect, because I’m thankful.</p> <p><strong>That’s a good lesson, too. Tell us about winning the second Oscar. Was that a surprise?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: Yes. It’s amazing to me that I’ve won. I don’t know if it will ever quite hit me that it’s really happened. It’s such a big honor to receive, and I still feel like I am this girl from this trailer park who had a dream. I’ve been given the highest honor from people who I watched all my life, and who inspire me and move me. It’s something that is quite amazing and leaves me really speechless.</p> <p><strong>For somebody who had never seen a movie and doesn’t know what acting is, how could you explain what it does for you, what draws you to this art form?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: Well, I personally became an actor because, as a child, I felt like an outsider, and that’s not just specific to me. I think everyone has felt like that at one point or another in their life, but for me, I would read books and watch movies, and in that way, I would feel understood. I felt like characters were going through something I was going through, or that would make me feel, “Oh, there’s someone in the world that is understanding,” and they almost became like they were my friends. And when I realized that it was something I could do with my life — that I could become an actor and tell these stories, that I could continue to learn about myself in a deeper way, that I could entertain at the same time, and hopefully give that to another child or person and just continue to learn about the human experience — it was really my draw to become an actor and how I describe what movies are.</p> <p><strong>What kind of books did you like to read as a child? Do you remember any particularly that really meant something to you?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: <em>To Kill a Mockingbird</em>, I would say is still my favorite book and was one of the most moving books I remember reading as a child. I just loved it. Scout, this little girl who felt like she was going through so many similarities that I was going through, it was just a wonderful reminder that I wasn’t alone, really, in a way. And the movies that I watched, the first few movies I watched that I really remembered being important to me were <em>The Wizard of Oz</em>, <em>The Miracle Worker</em>, and <em>The Elephant Man</em>. I remember at a really young age — I think I was maybe seven when I watched <em>The Wizard of Oz</em> — thinking, “Wow, there are these people who want to go and get a heart and a brain, and they go to this man behind the curtain, only to realize that that man isn’t really there, and they have to find it within themselves.” I feel like I grew up really quickly, and those things helped me realize things about myself, that I’d have to look within. My mom also gave me that gift. My mom was a wonderful, wonderful person in my life and still is a wonderful person in my life. My mom gave me the most important gift that I will ever have been given, which is the gift of believing in myself.</p> <p><strong>She believed in you?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: Yes. She believed in me, and she continued to tell me my whole life, “You can do anything you want as long as you work hard enough. You will hit a lot of walls, and there will be a lot of obstacles, but you just keep persevering, and you will make it.”</p> <p><strong>Could you tell us a little bit about your childhood? We understand you were born in Nebraska, but then moved to Washington.</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: Yes. My dad was in the military, and they did most of their moving before I was born. I was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, and when I was three, my dad got moved to Spokane, Washington, and we drove there. I remember that drive. We drove there and lived there for about four years, and then we moved to Bellingham, Washington. That was the extent of our moving.</p> <p><strong>But moving at that age, you still felt like an outsider in Bellingham?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: I did. I was from a lower income family. I lived in trailer parks, and to me that didn’t mean anything, because I was a kid and it has no meaning. I had a roof over my head and I had food and I had love, and it was not a big deal. But it was at that young age that I learned classism, because of my friends — not my friends, but my friends’ parents — who wouldn’t allow their kids to play with me, like I was somehow contagious and they would all become poor or something. Looking back now as well, I realize how narrow-minded (that was), and that led me to feel like an outsider, like I didn’t belong. I look at kids now, and you just realize we’re all the same and what a terrible thing to do to any child, but it helped make me who I am, and I don’t have any bitterness or anger.</p> <p><strong>Were you a serious student? Were you interested in school?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: School was the place that I would go where — the kids whose parents didn’t want them to play with me — it was just an extension of that. Unfortunately, it was a place where I didn’t necessarily feel like I belonged. I had a couple of wonderful teachers. My fifth grade teacher was also a big influence in my career because he had us write a skit in front of the class and perform it in front of the class, and in that moment, now I realize, I found what we call our calling. At the time, I had no idea, but I knew that something came alive inside of me and that I was doing something that I loved tremendously.</p> <p><strong>Do you remember what the skit was?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: No. I don’t even have it. I don’t know where it is. It probably got thrown away, or lost in a move or something. I just remember writing it and enjoying that process and then getting up and feeling like I came alive when I was doing that. He was so kind. He wrote to my mom and said, “She really has a talent for this. She really enjoyed it. I think you should really support this,” and I have gone back to visit him and speak to his classes. I’m really thankful for his support. I think he was a teacher that saw what was going on and really, really cared. It’s amazing when there are teachers like that who really reach out and try and understand the kids in their class. It certainly made me feel like I belonged.</p> <p><strong>Was he an English teacher or a drama teacher?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: It was fifth grade, so he was everything.</p> <p><strong>What was his name?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: Mr. Sellereit.</p> <p><strong>How wonderful for him to have you come back to the class.</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: Yeah. He said, “This is great to have you come back. Thank you very much.” It’s people like that in my life that I’m really grateful for. We all have that handful of people that believed in us, and I feel like I wouldn’t be where I am today without those people. So I’m really grateful, and I like to let them know it.</p> <p><strong>Your performance in <em>The Jungle Book</em> was around that time, wasn’t it? Your first appearance on the stage?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: Yes. That was actually the same year. He said, “I think you should try out for the school play,” and it happened to be <em>The Jungle Book</em>. I went in and auditioned for Bagheera. I wanted to play Bagheera, and I was asked to play Mowgli. I thought, “A boy? I’m going to have to go think about that,” and I came back. I said, “Yes, I’ll do it. I’ll do it.” So that was my first play. I don’t know if it was a peek into the future of what my first big role would be, but I didn’t cut off my hair for the role.</p> <p><strong>What was the reaction? Did you feel that sense of coming alive in doing that?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: Absolutely. That’s on videotape. It ‘s very funny to watch. I remember it gave me focus. It gave me something to just really put everything into.</p> <p>I remember learning the lines. I remember thinking, “Am I going to remember all of these lines?” I remember rehearsing. I remember the joy of losing myself in the rehearsal process at that age of nine years old. I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember the collaboration and how fun it is to figure out what you’re doing together.</p> <p><strong>After that you became more active with the Bellingham Theater Guild. Was that outside school?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: That was outside school. I told my mom at that young age, “I want to be an actor,” and at that point, she was like, “Oh, that’s great,” but at the time, I was also a swimmer. I started swimming at a very young age. I was a gymnast. I loved sports. I had played basketball, depending on what season it was, but I always swam. I ended up going to the Junior Olympics. So I had a lot going on in my life, and my mom said, “Well, if you want to start doing plays, that’s great. We’ll go audition,” and she was very supportive of that. She wanted to make sure, obviously, that it was something I really wanted to do before we made any big steps, and so, yes, I started doing theater in my local repertory theater in Bellingham.</p> <p><strong>So you just continued to feel that vibe of wanting to do more?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: I absolutely loved it. And then there was a time when I was about 14 — my mom started to come to a crossroads in her life where things were changing up. My father and her separated. Then I hit 15, and I was still doing school plays. My mom realized that it was something I wanted to do with my life, and about the middle of my 15th year, she said, “Well, if you really want to do this, we should go down to Hollywood and pursue this in a real way, and I am at a place where I can do that now.” And with $75 and a gas credit card, we got into our car with all of the stuff we could put in there and drove down to Los Angeles.</p> <p><strong>It’s a good thing it wasn’t $3.50 a gallon back then.</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: That’s right. We’d still be paying it off.</p> <p><strong>That’s almost a legendary story about you, but it’s so moving to think about your mother’s guts to do something like that.</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: My mom will say to this day, “How did you get the way you are? How did you not worry? Your work ethic, your optimism,” and I tell her, “Mom, you took it all on. You worried.” She hid it well. She never showed me how worried she was. When we first got down to Los Angeles, we were living out of our car — which is in the press and something I talk about a lot — just until we could find a place or my mom could get a job, and to her, that was obviously something that she worried about, but for me, it was a great adventure. I didn’t look at it as something that was a negative. Again, it was like the trailer. I was a kid. It was all an adventure to me. It was life. It was not something that I thought as a negative in any way, shape, or form. I was in Hollywood, about to pursue my dream. I was going down there to try and live what I love. So it was a wonderful, wonderful adventure.</p> <p>My mom found a friend who was selling her home, so their house was empty during the day, and we spent a little bit of our rations and bought some air mattresses, and we blew them up and would sleep on them at night in this house, and then fold them up and leave during the day, so they could try and sell their house. That’s where we lived for a little while.</p> <p><strong>That sense of drive must be very powerful in you as well. “I am here, I am going to do this.”</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: I would say I’m a very driven person, but I think more than drive, I would say I’m a very passionate person, because I think drive can only get you so far. Without passion behind it, and a sense of destination, you’re just kind of wandering around aimlessly. You can have drive and push yourself, but if you don’t really know what you’re pushing yourself towards and have a real sense of what it is you want to do, it can be frustrating.</p> <p><strong>How long were you living out of your car and staying in vacant houses?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: I would say maybe eight weeks altogether. I remember watching my mom. She had a roll of quarters, and she would just call agents, “My daughter is really great. She’s really talented. You should meet her.” They’d say, “Great. Well, send a résumé in and a picture.” I, of course, didn’t have either of those, and finally, my mom found somebody who said, “Okay. Well, yeah. We actually are meeting people, you know, Wednesday. Come in at 2:00.” And I went in, and they had me read a McDonald’s commercial, and I didn’t know what was expected of me when I went in, but I remember reading it. I remember it like it was yesterday, and the woman’s name was Bonnie Liedtke, and she said, “Great. That was great. I would love to be your agent,” and I remember going out. My mom was sitting in the waiting room, nervous, and I said, “Mom, I have an agent,” and Bonnie was my agent up until I became an adult. She worked with children. So, she was my agent for, I guess, five years.</p> <p><strong>It’s certainly an illustration that it may not be easy, but you can do it without all the head shots and résumés and seven years of acting classes.</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: That’s right. I didn’t have an Ivy League education. I didn’t have a head shot. I didn’t have training, formal acting training. I just had my mom who believed in me and who instilled a wonderful work ethic and belief. So I’m really grateful for that. In the years between now and then, I have recognized the importance of learning my craft and wanting to go deeper and never wanting to rest on my laurels and what I’ve achieved, and I believe that learning is one of the most important things in life. I take classes when I can, not only in acting, but any other thing that I can. I’m learning Italian. I read. Anything that has to do with life is only going to help me as an actor. So, any way that I can travel and learn more, I take that when I can.</p> <p><strong>What was the first break after you got to L.A.? Aside from finding an agent, what was your first break?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: I got a couple of lines on a sitcom, <em>Growing Pains</em>. I think the first time I was on <em>Growing Pains</em>, I pulled a bunny out of a hat and said, “Ta-dah,” and that got me my SAG card. Then I was on <em>Evening Shade</em>, and they just kept bringing me back. I had recurring characters on sitcoms.</p> <p><strong>By then, you and your mom were living in your own place, I hope.</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: My mother got a job, and we rented a room from a single mother, and we lived with her for I think a year, maybe a little more than a year, until I started working too, and my mom and I rented a house together.</p> <p><strong>Was your dad out of the picture at this point?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: Yes. My parents were separated at that point, and my father was still in Washington State.</p> <p><strong>Were you visiting him on any regular basis?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: No, I was not. I didn’t see him during that time.</p> <p><strong>Did you have a brother?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: Yes. My brother is eight years older than me. So at the point when my mom and I moved to Los Angeles, he had already been out of the house and was starting his family. My brother and I have never been really close, mostly because when I was younger, he was away at military academy. He was going to school and wasn’t really living with us. By the time I was eight, he had already moved out. So it was not like we had a really close sibling relationship as it is, but I have a lot of respect for my brother, as I know he does for me.</p> <p><strong>Could you tell us about being cast in <em>Beverly Hills, 90210</em>?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: I was cast on <em>Beverly Hills, 90210</em> when it was in its eighth season and no one watched it anymore. Yet, I was still very grateful for the job. I never, ever knocked an opportunity to learn my craft. I did a handful — every single year — I’d do a pilot. You know, a pilot is something that you get that they make, and they only pick up maybe four of them. They probably <em>make</em> 50 of them. So every year, I was thankful enough to get a pilot. Not all of them obviously got picked up, but then I got on <em>90210</em>, and I was very grateful for the opportunity to continue to learn, even though it was something that was kind of old news. I signed a two-year contract, which is a very big deal. As a working actor, you have that security. I would say security is not the number one thing that most actors have, ’cause you never know what’s going to happen tomorrow. So having a two-year contract was actually wonderful. It gave me the opportunity, like I said, to continue to grown and learn. And about maybe 14 episodes into the first year, I was fired. I remember going in and them saying, “This isn’t really working. It’s not working.” I was devastated. I went home, and I thought, “I’m not good enough for <em>90210</em> in the eighth season! What does that say about me?” It’s actually one of those great lessons in trusting fate, because about maybe four months later, I got <em>Boys Don’t Cry</em>, and I wouldn’t have been able to do that, had I not been fired.</p> <p><strong>That’s a good lesson to learn. But that wasn’t your first lead in a feature. Could you tell us a little bit about <em>The Next Karate Kid</em>?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: I was 18 years old when I was cast. It wasn’t my first movie. My first movie was <em>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</em>. In fact, I started my career in comedy. I was always auditioning for dramatic roles as well, but I was constantly told that I was too funny, I was too “half-hour,” I wasn’t dramatic enough, which I think is really interesting. <em>The Next Karate Kid</em> was obviously a very big break for me and a wonderful opportunity. I was a huge fan of <em>The Karate Kid</em>, the first one. I was a kid when I saw that and thought, “How wonderful to be a part of this!” Not really much else to say about it, other than I was really happy.</p> <p><strong>Your athleticism must have come in handy for that role.</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: It certainly did. Some jobs that I’ve had, I’ve been thankful for my background in sports.</p> <p><strong>Did you believe them when they told you, you were too “half-hour”?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: That’s a great question. There’s criticism everywhere, and not all of it’s constructive. So you walk a fine line of trying to figure out what is healthy and what’s not. If someone says, “Your lips are too big,” which I’ve heard, was that constructive? Is there anything I can do about that? No. If someone says, “We feel you’re too half-hour,” that’s great that that’s their opinion and that’s why I didn’t get that job, but I’m not going to take that upon myself and say, “Okay. Well, then I’m just going to do comedy, and I’m only going to go in for comedy.” So it’s a fine line of figuring out what do you take in and have to help you grow. It’s a business, too. You can’t close off and become bitter at things that people say, even though you might not always want to hear it. So I would take some of the things in, and incorporate that into my craft, or to my auditioning, or to whatever it may be. And then other things, I’d have to really say, “Oh, that really stings. That’s a real bummer to hear that,” but not allow it to close me up, to continue to stay open, and say, “But that’s their opinion.”</p> <p><strong>That’s an interesting decision, how seriously to take somebody’s criticism. That must be very difficult.</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: It’s very challenging, yes. I’ve had people in my life say, “When are you going to give up your hobby and get a real job?” There are many, many people who have their own ideas about how life should be and aren’t proponents for people following a dream that seems difficult to achieve. “What’s the point? An actor? You’re not a brain surgeon, you know. It doesn’t seem like an important job,” or whatever it may be. Learning what to take in and what not to take in, at the same time not becoming bitter or angry or hardened, is very difficult, and it’s something that still is a challenge for me. I’ve had wonderful success in my life, and when I’m invited to do things like this, it’s a reminder that I’m living my dream, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t come with a lot of challenges still.</p> <p>After I won my first Academy Award, I thought, “Wow, everything’s going to change. I’m going to get so many offers, I’m not even going to have time to read everything, and I’m going to get all of these opportunities to work with people who inspire me and finally get real quality material.” Yes, that was partly the case, but what I realized was my first role was a role where people saw me as looking like a boy. So that was their first impression of me. Well, of course, that’s not who I am. I had long hair, and I’m a girl before I got the role, but I realized that that role, being everyone’s first impression, that I had a lot to prove. I still had a lot to prove. They didn’t see me as the girl next door or the funny girl or the pretty girl, and that I understand. And I didn’t become angry about it. I said, “Wow, well now my job is to continue to go in, to meet people, to read things, to fight for things, to prove that I’m not just that, that I can be so much more.” It’s a constant, constant job. It’s not easy for me. You know, even after <em>Million Dollar Baby</em>, there are still people who say, “Well, I don’t really see her in this role,” and I have to go in, and I have to persuade them and talk to them and tell them why I am.</p> <p>That’s not all of the time, of course. I get wonderful opportunities, but I think when people look at successful people, they think we have everything. But it’s really important, and I wish it was something that I was really told when I was younger, that it’s always a work in progress, and that you have a choice every day in how you want to live your life. I can wake up and rest on my laurels and say, “Oh, I have achievement, and now I’m just going to travel the world or whatever.” That’s a choice, but my choice is to continue to do what I love. I love what I do, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to do it. So I wake up in the morning, and I say, “What can I do today to continue to live my dream?” Is it taking a class? Is it traveling? Is it taking a break, so that I don’t burn out? Is it going in and fighting for the script that I believe in that they don’t see me as? Is it learning more about the business side of it, so that I understand why they make the choices that they do? There’s always something to learn, every single day.</p> <p><strong>We’ve read that you like to ride the subway to watch real people being themselves, catching them off guard and learning about their mannerisms.</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: One of the things that I always remember my mother saying is, “Hilary, stop staring.” I remember at a really young age, around six, watching people, to the extent of how they pick up their hamburger and how many times they chew. Little quirks, like in their head, or how they would communicate with the person they are with or not communicate, how they touch their child on the head. Just taking everything in. It was just something that was very interesting to me. Human behavior is very interesting to me.</p> <p>To this day, I continue to observe, and…</p> <p>I think that what can happen when people become famous is they really lose touch with people, because you become very insular, and there are reasons for that. There are reasons why you need security at times, and all of that is valid, but it also keeps you from being in touch with what you’re trying to do with your craft. I find that sometimes you can watch movies, and you actually see a celebrity instead of an actor, and I just didn’t want that to happen. I really didn’t want to lose touch with my life as well. I didn’t become an actor to become a celebrity. I became an actor, like I told you, to continue to learn about the human experience and about myself, and so I wasn’t about to lose touch with that.</p> <p>I moved to New York after the success of <em>Boys Don’t Cry</em> because I felt it was a cultural blender. That’s how I describe it. You’re in it together, and riding the subway was my choice of transportation.</p> <p><strong>Tell us about your role in <em>Freedom Writers</em>. That’s one that also garnered a great deal of acclaim.</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: <em>Freedom Writers</em> was one of those movies that you read, and I didn’t know that this was a true story. I’d never read about it. I didn’t know anything about it. It was a reminder that the power of someone who can believe in you, the one person, all you need is one person who can believe in you and how that can change your life, how I had that one person and how grateful I am for that one person, and how important it is to have that person, and if you don’t have it, to be your own advocate and to believe in yourself. I know that’s hard, and to dig that up somewhere when you’ve had people your whole life say, “You can’t. You’re not worth it. You? You’re never going to amount to anything,” which is what these kids had experienced. They had been literally thrown into the trash and told they can’t learn, they’re never going to amount to anything.</p> <p>These are people living in the world today. They’re told that, because of the color of their skin, because of the amount of money their parents had in their bank account, because they didn’t have parents and they were getting into a lot of trouble. It’s just a reminder not to judge a book by its cover, not to judge a person by the way they look, how they dress, how they may talk, that they may be trouble-makers, but that they’re people with dreams, who deserve just as much as the next person.</p> <p>Every single one of these kids who had been given up on completely, who had turned, of course, to the gang life — why wouldn’t you if you’d been treated that way? They found a place where they belonged. Of course, they’re going to go there. To see every single one of them graduate from high school, when they were the first, many of them, the first in their family to have graduated, they’re heroes in my mind. And that they’re going out in the world today and talking about their experience and inspiring other kids who are in their same shoes to look within and to fight for themselves and to not become bitter about it, don’t become angry about it, just have compassion for the people who look down upon you, because they don’t know any better, another moving opportunity for me to learn more about life and to feel connected.</p> <p><strong>What’s next? What would you like to do that you haven’t done?</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: Well, I wanted to get back into comedy, and believe it or not, I was told, “But you’re a dramatic actress.”</p> <p><strong>You’re not a “half-hour” person anymore!</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: Right. So, to bring it full circle, I wanted to start doing comedy again. Richard La Gravenese, who wrote and directed <em>Freedom Writers</em>, wrote and directed a movie called <em>P.S., I Love You</em>, based on the book, and there are a lot of funny, funny moments in that movie. I got an opportunity to do a little bit of both in that movie, and that’s coming out this December. It’s a Christmas movie, and it’s a wonderful love story. It’s a great reminder of not taking the people you love for granted, to let them know every day that you love them, that life is short and we only have one life, and to live it to its fullest. It’s one of those stories that makes you laugh through your tears.</p> <p><strong>How do you go about balancing personal life and celebrity and relationship and career? There are similar challenges for all working women, but being in the spotlight must make it even more challenging.</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: I don’t know if it’s more challenging being in the spotlight. I think it’s just a difficult thing in itself, balancing your career and your life and a family. It’s a challenge, and I think it’s a challenge even more now, because more women are pursuing their dreams and wanting to see their careers realized and putting family on hold for a little while. A lot of people haven’t done that before us. So we’re kind of leading the way. We have to look to each other and be a support for each other as we find our way to find that balance. It is a balance. It’s difficult.</p> <p>It’s difficult to be given an opportunity when you’ve said, “I’m going to take this time off and devote it to seeing my mom again, and my grandfather in Iowa who’s been such a believer in me, whose health is failing.” And to say, “Do I take this movie? Or do I go and be with my grandfather? Do I take this time?” because it’s not just the time of filming the movie. It’s the preparation, and then it’s the travel afterwards of the press that takes three months of your life, and it’s grueling. You travel the world. It’s wonderful, but it’s also grueling. Finding that balance is a daily — again — a <em>daily</em> job of saying, “Today, do I wake up and make the choice to do this movie, knowing what that involves?” Or do I choose to take this time with my family and my friends? Because that’s just as an important part of my life as my career.</p> <p>You have to ask yourself what’s right for you, what’s important to you. Make that list of priorities, and make sure you stick to them. There are things that I’ll be asked to do, and I’ll say, “Okay. If I choose to do that, it is going to take me away from my top four priorities. Is this worth it?” I have to evaluate it like that, with every choice that I get. It’s a give-and-take. If I want to take away from my top four priorities, I have to see where I can balance that. It’s very easy to get a phone call saying you’ve been asked to do this, that, or the other, and at that point to say yes, and afterwards say, “Oh, that’s going to affect all of these other things. I can do that here, but then I can’t do this other thing.”</p> <p><strong>You seem like a very kind person, and I imagine your instinct is to say yes, perhaps more than you should.</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: I think so. I feel like I’ve been blessed, and I don’t ever want to take it for granted. If I can say something that affects one person, I want to do that.</p> <p><strong>Well, that’s a great place to end. Thank you for a beautiful interview.</strong></p> <p>Hilary Swank: Thank you for the wonderful questions. It’s great to sit down and talk like this.</p> <p><strong>The pleasure was ours.</strong></p> </div>  </aside>  <div class="read-more__toggle collapsed" data-toggle="collapse" data-target="#full-interview"><a href="#" class="sans-4 btn">Read full interview</a></div> </article> </section> </div> <div class="tab-pane fade" id="gallery" role="tabpanel"> <section class="isotope-wrapper">  <header class="toolbar toolbar--gallery bg-white clearfix"> <div class="col-md-6"> <div class="serif-4">Hilary Swank Gallery</div> </div> <div class="col-md-6 text-md-right isotope-toolbar"> <ul class="list-unstyled list-inline m-b-0 text-brand-primary sans-4"> <li class="list-inline-item" data-filter=".photo"><i class="icon-icon_camera"></i>26 photos</li> </ul> </div> </header> <div class="isotope-gallery isotope-box single-achiever__gallery clearfix"> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.74605263157895" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-024-swank-academy_1670.jpg" data-image-caption="Hilary Swank receives the Golden Plate Award from Sam Donaldson at the 2007 Summit." data-image-copyright="swa0-024-swank-academy_1670" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-024-swank-academy_1670-380x284.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-024-swank-academy_1670-760x567.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.6777041942605" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-023-swank-Swank-Hilary-AP-AP070108018220.jpg" data-image-caption="Hilary Swank and her mother, Judy, enjoy the 2007 ceremony honoring her with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame (© AP Images/Nick Ut)" data-image-copyright="Hilary Swank" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-023-swank-Swank-Hilary-AP-AP070108018220-227x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-023-swank-Swank-Hilary-AP-AP070108018220-453x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.5353535353535" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-022-swank-Swank-Hilary-AP-AP050205032738.jpg" data-image-caption="Hilary Swank and her mother, Judy, arrive at the 2005 Screen Actors Guild Awards. Swank credits her mother's faith in her for her success as an actress. (© AP Images/Jennifer Graylock)" data-image-copyright="11th Annual SAG Awards Arrivals" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-022-swank-Swank-Hilary-AP-AP050205032738-248x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-022-swank-Swank-Hilary-AP-AP050205032738-495x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.5353535353535" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-021-swank-Swank-Hilary-AP-AP041207032.jpg" data-image-caption="Hilary Swank, photographed at New York's Sky Studio in 2004, the year of her Oscar-winning performance in <i>Million Dollar Baby</i>. (AP Images/Jim Cooper)" data-image-copyright="HILARY SWANK" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-021-swank-Swank-Hilary-AP-AP041207032-248x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-021-swank-Swank-Hilary-AP-AP041207032-495x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.4448669201521" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-020-swank-Swank-Corbis-UT0023790.jpg" data-image-caption="Hilary Swank displays the Best Actress Oscar she received for her performance in <i>Boys Don't Cry.</i>" data-image-copyright="HILARY SWANK HOLDS OSCAR AFTER WINNING BEST ACTRESS AT ACADEMY AWARDS" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-020-swank-Swank-Corbis-UT0023790-263x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-020-swank-Swank-Corbis-UT0023790-526x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.5966386554622" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-019-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1187307.jpg" data-image-caption="Hilary Swank won her second Oscar for her performance in <i>Million Dollar Baby</i> in 2005. (© Corbis)" data-image-copyright="Oscars 2005 - Press Room" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-019-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1187307-238x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-019-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1187307-476x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.501976284585" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-018-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1123466.jpg" data-image-caption="Hilary Swank in character as boxer Maggie Fitzgerald in <i>Million Dollar Baby</i>." data-image-copyright="Movie Stills "Million Dollar Baby"" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-018-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1123466-253x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-018-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1123466-506x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.66710526315789" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-017-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1123460.jpg" data-image-caption="Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman in <i>Million Dollar Baby</i>. They both won Oscars for their performances in this film, which was also voted the year's Best Motion Picture. (© Merie W. Wallace/Warner Bros/Bureau L.A. Collection/Corbis)" data-image-copyright="Movie Stills "Million Dollar Baby"" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-017-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1123460-380x253.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-017-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1123460-760x507.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.66710526315789" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-016-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1123457.jpg" data-image-caption="Clint Eastwood and Hilary Swank in a tense scene from <i>Million Dollar Baby.</i> (© Merie W. Wallace/Warner Bros/Bureau L.A. Collection/Corbis)" data-image-copyright="Movie Stills "Million Dollar Baby"" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-016-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1123457-380x253.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-016-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1123457-760x507.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.66710526315789" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-015-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1123453.jpg" data-image-caption="Clint Eastwood and Hilary Swank's performances as veteran trainer and young boxer paralleled their relationship as director and actress. Both would receive Oscars for their work on <i>Million Dollar Baby.</i> (© Merie W. Wallace/Warner Bros/Bureau L.A. Collection/Corbis)" data-image-copyright="Movie Stills "Million Dollar Baby"" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-015-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1123453-380x253.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-015-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1123453-760x507.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.4990138067061" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-14-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1123446.jpg" data-image-caption="Hilary Swank trains for her role as boxer Maggie Fitzgerald in <i>Million Dollar Baby.</i> (© Merie W. Wallace/Warner Bros/Bureau L.A. Collection/Corbis)" data-image-copyright="Movie Stills "Million Dollar Baby"" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-14-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1123446-253x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-14-swank-Swank-Corbis-DWF15-1123446-507x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.4728682170543" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-013-swank-Swank-Corbis-0000362221-004.jpg" data-image-caption="Hilary Swank as Brandon Teena in <i>Boys Don't Cry</i>. (© CORBIS SYGMA)" data-image-copyright="FILM 'BOYS DON'T CRY' DIRECTED BY KIMBERLY PEIRCE" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-013-swank-Swank-Corbis-0000362221-004-258x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-013-swank-Swank-Corbis-0000362221-004-516x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.64736842105263" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-012-swank-Swank-Corbis-0000362221-001.jpg" data-image-caption="Hilary Swank as Brandon Teena in <i>Boys Don't Cry</i>. (© CORBIS SYGMA)" data-image-copyright="FILM 'BOYS DON'T CRY' DIRECTED BY KIMBERLY PEIRCE" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-012-swank-Swank-Corbis-0000362221-001-380x246.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-012-swank-Swank-Corbis-0000362221-001-760x492.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.4990138067061" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-011-swank-Swank-Corbis-0000299571-002.jpg" data-image-caption="Hilary Swank kicks it up a notch as <i>The Next Karate Kid</i> (1994). (© Bureau L.A. Collection/CORBIS)" data-image-copyright="FILM 'THE NEXT KARATE KID' BY CHRISTOPHER CAIN" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-011-swank-Swank-Corbis-0000299571-002-253x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-011-swank-Swank-Corbis-0000299571-002-507x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.66710526315789" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-010-swank-academy_1536.jpg" data-image-caption="Hilary Swank meets fellow Academy members Richard Leakey and Peyton Manning at the 2007 International Achievement Summit. (© Academy of Achievement)" data-image-copyright="swa0-010-swank-academy_1536" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-010-swank-academy_1536-380x253.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-010-swank-academy_1536-760x507.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.66710526315789" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-009-swank-academy_1275.jpg" data-image-caption="Hilary Swank addresses the Academy of Achievement at the 2007 Summit in Washington, D.C. (© Academy of Achievement)" data-image-copyright="swa0-009-swank-academy_1275" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-009-swank-academy_1275-380x253.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-009-swank-academy_1275-760x507.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.71973684210526" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-008-swank-academy_1271.jpg" data-image-caption="Hilary Swank addresses the Academy of Achievement at the 2007 Summit in Washington, D.C. (© Academy of Achievement)" data-image-copyright="swa0-008-swank-academy_1271" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-008-swank-academy_1271-380x273.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-008-swank-academy_1271-760x547.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.4990138067061" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-007-swank-academy_1268.jpg" data-image-caption="Hilary Swank addresses the Academy of Achievement at the 2007 Summit in Washington, D.C. (© Academy of Achievement)" data-image-copyright="swa0-007-swank-academy_1268" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-007-swank-academy_1268-253x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-007-swank-academy_1268-507x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.68684210526316" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-006-swank-academy_1267.jpg" data-image-caption="Hilary Swank addresses the Academy of Achievement in Washington, D.C. (© Academy of Achievement)" data-image-copyright="Hilary Swank addresses the Academy of Achievement in Washington, D.C." data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-006-swank-academy_1267-380x261.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-006-swank-academy_1267-760x522.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.66710526315789" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-005-swank-academy_1264.jpg" data-image-caption="Hilary Swank addresses the Academy of Achievement in Washington, D.C. (© Academy of Achievement)" data-image-copyright="Hilary Swank addresses the Academy of Achievement in Washington, D.C." data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-005-swank-academy_1264-380x253.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-005-swank-academy_1264-760x507.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.66710526315789" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-004-swank-academy_1277.jpg" data-image-caption="Hilary Swank addresses the student delegates at the 2007 Summit in Washington, D.C. (© Academy of Achievement)" data-image-copyright="swa0-004-swank-academy_1277" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-004-swank-academy_1277-380x253.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-004-swank-academy_1277-760x507.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.78289473684211" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-003-swank-academy_1266.jpg" data-image-caption="Hilary Swank addresses the student delegates at the 2007 Summit in Washington, D.C. (© Academy of Achievement)" data-image-copyright="swa0-003-swank-academy_1266" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-003-swank-academy_1266-380x298.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-003-swank-academy_1266-760x595.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.4035087719298" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-002-swank-Swank-Hilary-42-16499956.jpg" data-image-caption="Hilary Swank arrives at the 2006 Oscar ceremony in Los Angeles. (© Corbis)" data-image-copyright="USA - Oscars® 2006 - Arrivals" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-002-swank-Swank-Hilary-42-16499956-271x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-002-swank-Swank-Hilary-42-16499956.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.5109343936382" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-001-swank-Swank_CAASpeakersPhoto.jpg" data-image-caption="Hilary Swank, recipient of two Oscars for her performances in <i>Boys Don't Cry</i> and <i>Million Dollar Baby</i>. (Courtesy of Hilary Swank)" data-image-copyright="-" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-001-swank-Swank_CAASpeakersPhoto-252x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/06/swa0-001-swank-Swank_CAASpeakersPhoto-503x760.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="0.71315789473684" title="" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - ">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/wordpress_swank_paulson_academy_1810.jpg" data-image-caption="Award-winning actress Hilary Swank and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson enjoy the Banquet of the Golden Plate. (© Academy of Achievement)" data-image-copyright="wordpress_swank_paulson_academy_1810" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/wordpress_swank_paulson_academy_1810-380x271.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/04/wordpress_swank_paulson_academy_1810-760x542.jpg"></div>  </figure> <figure class="isotope-item ratio-container--gallery photo" data-category="photo" data-ratio="1.4503816793893" title="Barry Scheck, actor Sam Rockwell, Betty Anne Waters, and actress Hilary Swank attend a special screening of the film Conviction for the Innocence Project in 2010. In the film, Ms. Swank plays Ms. Waters, a single mother who put herself through law school to secure the release of her brother, imprisoned for 18 years for a murder he did not commit. With the assistance of Barry Scheck and the Innocence Project, Kenneth Waters was freed in 2001. (© Martin Roe/Retna Ltd./CORBIS)" data-gtm-category="photo" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Achiever - Barry Scheck, actor Sam Rockwell, Betty Anne Waters, and actress Hilary Swank attend a special screening of the film Conviction for the Innocence Project in 2010. In the film, Ms. Swank plays Ms. Waters, a single mother who put herself through law school to secure the release of her brother, imprisoned for 18 years for a murder he did not commit. With the assistance of Barry Scheck and the Innocence Project, Kenneth Waters was freed in 2001. (© Martin Roe/Retna Ltd./CORBIS)">   <div class="lazyload ratio-container__image" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#imageModal" data-image-src="/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/sch5-006.jpg" data-image-caption="Barry Scheck, actor Sam Rockwell, Betty Anne Waters, and actress Hilary Swank attend a special screening of the film <i>Conviction</i> for the Innocence Project in 2010. In the film, Hilary Swank portrays Betty Anne Waters, a single mother who put herself through law school to secure the release of her brother, imprisoned for 18 years for a murder he did not commit. With the assistance of Barry Scheck and the Innocence Project, Kenneth Waters was freed in 2001. (© Martin Roe/Retna Ltd./CORBIS)" data-image-copyright=""Conviction" Screening Arrivals" data-sizes="auto" data-bgset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/sch5-006-262x380.jpg [(max-width:576px)] | /wp-content/uploads/2016/03/sch5-006-524x760.jpg"></div>  </figure>    </div> </section> </div> </div> <div class="container"> <footer class="editorial-article__footer col-md-8 col-md-offset-4"> <div class="editorial-article__next-link sans-3"> <a href="#"><strong>What's next:</strong> <span class="editorial-article__next-link-title">profile</span></a> </div> <ul class="social list-unstyled list-inline ssk-group m-b-0"> <li class="list-inline-item"><a href="" class="ssk ssk-facebook" data-gtm-category="social" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Shared Achiever on Facebook"><i class="icon-icon_facebook-circle"></i></a></li> <li class="list-inline-item"><a href="" class="ssk ssk-twitter" data-gtm-category="social" data-gtm-action="click" data-gtm-label="Shared Achiever on Twitter"><i 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achiever-block__text--bottom"> <div class="achiever-block__year sans-4">Inducted in <span class="year-inducted">2008</span></div> </div> </figcaption> </figure> </a> </div> </div> </div> </footer> </div> </div> </article> <div class="modal image-modal fade" id="imageModal" tabindex="-1" role="dialog" aria-labelledby="imageModal" aria-hidden="true"> <div class="close-container"> <div class="close icon-icon_x" data-dismiss="modal" aria-label="Close"></div> </div> <div class="modal-dialog" role="document"> <div class="modal-content"> <div class="modal-body"> <figure class="image-modal__container"> <div class="display--table"> <div class="display--table-cell"> <img class="image-modal__image" src="/web/20181110183622im_/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/hilary-swank" alt=""/>  <figcaption class="p-t-2 container"> <div class="image-modal__caption sans-2 text-white"></div>  </figcaption> </div> </div> </figure> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> </div> </div> <footer class="content-info 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Carter Brown</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/linda-buck/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Linda Buck, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/carol-burnett/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Carol Burnett</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/george-h-w-bush/"><span class="achiever-list-name">George H. W. Bush</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/susan-butcher/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Susan Butcher</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/james-cameron/"><span class="achiever-list-name">James Cameron</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/benjamin-s-carson/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Benjamin S. Carson, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/jimmy-carter/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Jimmy Carter</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/johnny-cash/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Johnny Cash</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/william-j-clinton/"><span class="achiever-list-name">William J. Clinton</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/francis-s-collins/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/denton-a-cooley/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Denton A. Cooley, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/francis-ford-coppola/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Francis Ford Coppola</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/ray-dalio/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ray Dalio</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/olivia-de-havilland/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Dame Olivia de Havilland</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/michael-e-debakey-m-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Michael E. DeBakey, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/michael-dell/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Michael S. Dell</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/ron-dennis/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ron Dennis</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/joan-didion/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Joan Didion</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/david-herbert-donald-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">David Herbert Donald, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/david-doubilet/"><span class="achiever-list-name">David Doubilet</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/rita-dove/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Rita Dove</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/sylvia-earle/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sylvia Earle, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/elbaradei/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Mohamed ElBaradei</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/gertrude-elion/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Gertrude B. Elion, M.Sc.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/larry-j-ellison/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Larry J. Ellison</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/nora-ephron/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Nora Ephron</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/julius-erving/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Julius Erving</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/tony-fadell/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Tony Fadell</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/paul-farmer/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Paul Farmer, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/suzanne-farrell/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Suzanne Farrell</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/sally-field/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sally Field</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/lord-norman-foster/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lord Norman Foster</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/aretha-franklin/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Aretha Franklin</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/milton-friedman-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Milton Friedman, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/carlos-fuentes/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Carlos Fuentes</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/athol-fugard/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Athol Fugard</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/ernest-j-gaines/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ernest J. Gaines</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/william-h-gates-iii/"><span class="achiever-list-name">William H. Gates III</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/leymah-gbowee/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Leymah Gbowee</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/frank-gehry/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Frank O. Gehry</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/murray-gell-mann-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Murray Gell-Mann, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/carlos-ghosn/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Carlos Ghosn</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/vince-gill/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Vince Gill</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/ruth-bader-ginsburg/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ruth Bader Ginsburg</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/louise-gluck/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Louise Glück</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/whoopi-goldberg/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Whoopi Goldberg</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/jane-goodall/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Dame Jane Goodall</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/doris-kearns-goodwin/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Doris Kearns Goodwin, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/mikhail-s-gorbachev/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Mikhail S. Gorbachev</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/nadine-gordimer/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Nadine Gordimer</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/stephen-jay-gould/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Stephen Jay Gould, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/carol-greider-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Carol Greider, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/john-grisham/"><span class="achiever-list-name">John Grisham</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/sir-john-gurdon/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sir John Gurdon</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/dorothy-hamill/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Dorothy Hamill</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/demis-hassabis-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Demis Hassabis, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/lauryn-hill/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lauryn Hill</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/sir-edmund-hillary/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sir Edmund Hillary</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/reid-hoffman/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Reid Hoffman</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/khaled-hosseini/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Khaled Hosseini, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/ron-howard/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ron Howard</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/john-hume/"><span class="achiever-list-name">John Hume</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/louis-ignarro-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Louis Ignarro, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/daniel-inouye/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Daniel K. Inouye</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/jeremy-irons/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Jeremy Irons</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/john-irving/"><span class="achiever-list-name">John Irving</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/kazuo-ishiguro/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Kazuo Ishiguro</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/sir-peter-jackson/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sir Peter Jackson</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/donald-c-johanson/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Donald C. Johanson, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/frank-m-johnson/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Frank M. Johnson, Jr.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/philip-johnson/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Philip C. Johnson</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/chuck-jones/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Chuck Jones</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/james-earl-jones/"><span class="achiever-list-name">James Earl Jones</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/quincy-jones/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Quincy Jones</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/beverly-joubert/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Beverly Joubert</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/dereck-joubert/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Dereck Joubert</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/paul-kagame/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Paul Kagame</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/thomas-keller-2/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Thomas Keller</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/anthony-m-kennedy/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Anthony M. Kennedy</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/b-b-king/"><span class="achiever-list-name">B.B. King</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/carole-king/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Carole King</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/coretta-scott-king/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Coretta Scott King</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/henry-kissinger-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Henry A. Kissinger, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/willem-j-kolff/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Willem J. Kolff, M.D., Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/wendy-kopp/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Wendy Kopp</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/henry-r-kravis/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Henry R. Kravis</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/nicholas-d-kristof/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Nicholas D. Kristof</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/mike-krzyzewski/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Mike Krzyzewski</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/ray-kurzwell/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ray Kurzweil</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/eric-lander-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Eric S. Lander, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/robert-s-langer-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Robert S. Langer, Sc.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/richard-leakey/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Richard E. Leakey</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/leon-lederman-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Leon Lederman, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/robert-lefkowitz-m-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Robert J. Lefkowitz, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/congressman-john-r-lewis/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Congressman John R. Lewis</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/maya-lin/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Maya Lin</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/george-lucas/"><span class="achiever-list-name">George Lucas</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/norman-mailer/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Norman Mailer</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/peyton-manning/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Peyton Manning</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/wynton-marsalis/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Wynton Marsalis</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/john-c-mather-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">John C. Mather, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/johnny-mathis/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Johnny Mathis</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/ernst-mayr-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ernst Mayr, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/willie-mays/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Willie Mays</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/frank-mccourt/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Frank McCourt</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/david-mccullough/"><span class="achiever-list-name">David McCullough</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/audra-mcdonald/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Audra McDonald</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/admiral-william-h-mcraven/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Admiral William H. McRaven, USN</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/w-s-merwin/"><span class="achiever-list-name">W. S. Merwin</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/james-a-michener/"><span class="achiever-list-name">James A. Michener</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/marvin-minsky-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Marvin Minsky, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/mario-j-molina-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Mario J. Molina, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/n-scott-momaday-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">N. Scott Momaday, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/story-musgrave/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Story Musgrave, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/ralph-nader/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ralph Nader</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/peggy-noonan/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Peggy Noonan</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/jessye-norman/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Jessye Norman</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/tommy-norris/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lt. Thomas R. Norris, USN</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/joyce-carol-oates/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Joyce Carol Oates</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/pierre-omidyar/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Pierre Omidyar</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/jimmy-page/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Jimmy Page</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/larry-page/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Larry Page</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/arnold-palmer/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Arnold Palmer</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/leon-panetta/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Leon Panetta</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/rosa-parks/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Rosa Parks</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/suzan-lori-parks/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Suzan-Lori Parks</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/linus-pauling/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Linus C. Pauling, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/shimon-peres/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Shimon Peres</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/itzhak-perlman/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Itzhak Perlman</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/general-david-petraeus/"><span class="achiever-list-name">General David H. Petraeus, USA</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/sidney-poitier/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sidney Poitier</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/general-colin-l-powell/"><span class="achiever-list-name">General Colin L. Powell, USA</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/harold-prince/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Harold Prince</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/venki-ramakrishnan-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Venki Ramakrishnan, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/lord-martin-rees/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lord Martin Rees</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/lloyd-richards/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lloyd Richards</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/sally-ride-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sally K. Ride, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/sonny-rollins/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sonny Rollins</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/anthony-romero/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Anthony Romero</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/james-rosenquist/"><span class="achiever-list-name">James Rosenquist</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/pete-rozelle/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Pete Rozelle</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/bill-russell/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Bill Russell</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/albie-sachs/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Albie Sachs</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/oliver-sacks-m-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Oliver Sacks, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/jonas-salk-m-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Jonas Salk, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/frederick-sanger-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Frederick Sanger, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/george-b-schaller-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">George B. Schaller, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/barry-scheck/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Barry Scheck</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/richard-evans-schultes-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Richard Evans Schultes, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/general-h-norman-schwarzkopf/"><span class="achiever-list-name">General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, USA</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/stephen-schwarzman/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Stephen A. Schwarzman</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/glenn-t-seaborg-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Glenn T. Seaborg, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/neil-sheehan/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Neil Sheehan</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/admiral-alan-shepard-jr/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Admiral Alan B. Shepard, Jr., USN</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/ellen-johnson-sirleaf/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Ellen Johnson Sirleaf</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/carlos-slim/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Carlos Slim Helú</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/frederick-w-smith/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Frederick W. Smith</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/stephen-sondheim/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Stephen Sondheim</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/sonia-sotomayor/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Sonia Sotomayor</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/wole-soyinka/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Wole Soyinka</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/esperanza-spalding/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Esperanza Spalding</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/martha-stewart/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Martha Stewart</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/admiral-james-b-stockdale/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Admiral James B. Stockdale, USN</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/hilary-swank/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Hilary Swank</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/amy-tan/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Amy Tan</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/dame-kiri-te-kanawa/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Dame Kiri Te Kanawa</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/edward-teller-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Edward Teller, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/twyla-tharp/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Twyla Tharp</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/wayne-thiebaud/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Wayne Thiebaud</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/lt-michael-e-thornton-usn/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lt. Michael E. Thornton, USN</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/charles-h-townes-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Charles H. Townes, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/david-trimble/"><span class="achiever-list-name">David Trimble</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/ted-turner/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Robert Edward (Ted) Turner</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/desmond-tutu/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Archbishop Desmond Tutu</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/john-updike/"><span class="achiever-list-name">John Updike</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/gore-vidal/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Gore Vidal</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/antonio-villaraigosa/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Antonio Villaraigosa</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/lech-walesa/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Lech Walesa</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/herschel-walker/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Herschel Walker</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/james-d-watson/"><span class="achiever-list-name">James D. Watson, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/andrew-weil-m-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Andrew Weil, M.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/leslie-h-wexner/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Leslie H. Wexner</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/elie-wiesel/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Elie Wiesel</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/edward-o-wilson-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Edward O. Wilson, Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/oprah-winfrey/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Oprah Winfrey</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/tom-wolfe/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Tom Wolfe</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/john-wooden/"><span class="achiever-list-name">John Wooden</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/bob-woodward/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Bob Woodward</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/shinya-yamanaka-m-d-ph-d/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Shinya Yamanaka, M.D., Ph.D.</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/general-chuck-yeager/"><span class="achiever-list-name">General Chuck Yeager, USAF</span></a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/achiever/andrew-young/"><span class="achiever-list-name">Andrew J. Young</span></a> </li> </ul> <div class="list__close"></div> </div> <div class="col-sm-6 col-lg-3"> <ul id="menu-footer-menu-col-1" class="menu list-unstyled"><li class="menu-item menu-item-has-children menu-our-history"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/our-history/">Our History</a> <ul class="sub-menu"> <li class="menu-item menu-about-the-academy"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/our-history/">About the Academy</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-academy-patrons"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/our-history/patrons/">Academy Patrons</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-delegate-alumni"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20181110183622/http://www.achievement.org/our-history/alumni/">Delegate Alumni</a></li> <li class="menu-item menu-directors-our-team"><a 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