10 Most Surprising Underdog Oscar Victories

Before winning her first Oscar in 2000, Hilary Swank had only a handful of big screen appearances under her belt, the most noteworthy of which were a bit part in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and a lead role in franchise closer The Next Karate Kid.

A stint on Beverly Hills 90210 followed but thankfully she was fired from the show which left her free to audition for her brilliant breakout role as murdered trans man Brandon Teena in director Kimberly Pierce’s critically acclaimed feature debut Boys Don’t Cry.

Despite being up against other talented and arguably more established actresses including Annette Bening and Julianne Moore – not to mention Meryl Streep who is basically never not nominated for an Oscar – Swank managed to walk away with the little gold statuette for Best Actress.

Just five years later Swank proved her merit as an Oscar-worthy talent once again when she scooped Best Actress a second time for her performance in Million Dollar Baby.