Hilary Swank is a woman.
Hilary Swank . Swank made her film debut in a minor role for Buffy the Vampire Slayer , before she made her breakout lead role in the fourth installment of the The Karate Kid franchise , The Next Karate Kid in 1994 . On television , she was cast as part of the main cast in the eighth season of the drama series Beverly Hills 90210 as single mother Carly Reynolds from 1997 to 1998 . Swank garnered critical acclaim for her portrayal of Brandon Teena in the 1999 biographical independent film Boys Do n't Cry , which earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture -- Drama . She starred in Clint Eastwood 's 2004 sports drama film Million Dollar Baby as struggling-waitress-turned-boxer Maggie Fitzgerald , which won her a second Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Actress . She starred in other films , such as The Gift ( 2000 ) , Insomnia ( 2002 ) , Iron Jawed Angels ( 2004 ) , Red Dust ( 2004 ) The Reaping ( 2007 ) , P.S. I Love You ( 2007 ) , Freedom Writers ( 2007 ) and The Homesman ( 2014 ) .