Born on July 30, 1974, in Lincoln, Nebraska (some sources say Bellingham, Washington). Swank had a difficult childhood. Her parents had a strained relationship, and her father left the family when she was 6 years old. As a young girl, Swank spent her formative years living in a trailer park in Bellingham, Washington. She would often spend time at nearby Lake Samish.
More successfully, Swank also began a two-picture collaboration with director Richard LaGravenese (Living_Out_Loud, A Decade Under the Influence). The first, Freedom_Writers, was adapted from Erin Gruwell's memoir. Essentially a reworking of Stand and Deliver and Dangerous_Minds, the picture dramatized Gruwell's (Swank) successful attempts to turn "at risk" children around in the classroom. Swank's second LaGravenese effort, P.S., I Love You, was an adaptation of Cecelia_Ahern's novel about a widow who is launched on a series of jaw-dropping adventures by some letters bequeathed to her by her dead husband.
Following another season on primetime as a regular on the short-lived "Camp Wilder" (ABC, 1992-93), Swank landed her first major break when she beat out thousands of actresses for the coveted lead role in "The Next Karate Kid" (1994), the final installment of the martial arts film series and the first to star a female as Kesuke Miyagi's (Pat Morita) young protégé. Swank's athletic background made for a good fit, but even her prowess and likable earnestness could not save the film in an era before female action heroes like Jennifer Garner and Lucy Liu resonated with viewers.
