4. Hilary Swank Maggie Fitzgerald in Million Dollar Baby
I dont believe any other actress could have brought the same dedication and emotional impact to this role like Hilary Swank did. She put on 20 pounds of muscle with a gruelling training schedule before giving a mesmerizing performance of the waitress/aspiring boxer. It was so mesmerizing, in fact, that it earned her a second Academy Award for Best Leading Actress, and also made her the youngest actress to win the award twice. I havent personally been overly impressed with any of Hilary Swanks performances in recent years. We know the talent is there, so lets hope she makes more classics in years to come.