 Swank made her film debut with a minor role in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1992), before receiving her breakthrough role in the fourth installment of "The Karate Kid" franchise, "The Next Karate Kid" (1994).On television, she starred as Carly Reynolds on the eighth season of the Fox teen drama "Beverly Hills, 90210" (1997–1998).Swank received widespread critical acclaim for her performance as Brandon Teena, a trans man in the biographical drama film "Boys Don't Cry" (1999), for which she received her first Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.