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Dominique Swain Biography:
Born in her father's Datsun on the Santa Monica freeway, Dominique Adrian
Swain was born on August 12, 1980. She grew up in Malibu with her parents
and four siblings, living a modest lifestyle and enduring the usual teenage
humiliations of crooked teeth and catty classmates at Malibu High School.
Swain excelled at learning, earning straight A's and becoming Valedictorian.
Then, in her sophomore year, Swain's life took a famous turn.
Dominique Swain had already officially launched her Hollywood career as
a stunt double; she appeared under the ice as Macaulay Culkin's younger
sister in Joseph Ruben's The Good Son (1993), then almost nabbed the role
of "Claudia" in Interview with the Vampire (1994). But it was
in 1997, when Swain was just fourteen, that she was chosen out of 2,500
girls to play the title role in Adrian Lyne's controversial remake of
Lolita (the film couldn't pin down an American distributor and was only
released in Europe). Snapping her gum and flouncing around Jeremy Irons'
besotted Humbert Humbert, Swain was critically praised for adding a contemporary
feel to the sensual, bratty Dolores "Lolita" Haze, and for delivering
a remarkable performance opposite seasoned actors Jeremy Irons and Melanie
Griffith.
Following Lolita, Swain played John Travolta's rebellious daughter in
Face/Off (1997), then appeared with long blonde hair and a lost look in
Shawn Mullins' "Lullaby" video (1998). Dominique's role in Lolita
brought her significant notoriety, which she cemented by plunging into
a party lifestyle that verged on excessive. It was Swain herself who eventually
put a stop to her inner wild child -- she's given up drinking altogether.
Since Face/Off, most of Swain's projects have been more critically than
commercially acclaimed; from the soul-searching, unlikely groupie Andrea
Marr in Girl (1999) to the vengeful Jefferson Roth in The Smokers (2000),
Dominique has played a wide variety of characters in often lesser-known
films.
Taking on several projects in the same year, Dominique's growing list
of film credits include Intern (2000), Tart (2001), Happy Campers (2001),
Pumpkin (2002), New Best Friend (2002), Dead in the Water (2002), and
Briar Patch (2002). Adding another music video to her resume, Swain also
recently appeared in the celeb-saturated video for Moby's "We Are
All Made of Stars" (2002).
As she explained in an interview with UniverCity.com, Swain is eager to
take on parts that let her "experience a lot of different walks of
life." Although many of her roles have involved sex, the rising star
is also open to playing tamer characters, believing that "the more
you can relate to people's problems… the more it allows you to experience
yourself. Wholesome girls have problems too."
With her acting skills already widely critically acclaimed and her penchant
for choosing savory, albeit non-blockbuster roles, it's clear that Dominique
Swain has nothing but success and a career of interesting films ahead
of her. She has outrun Lolita's shadow, ditched her wild rep and continues
to consistently prove her diverse talents as an actress.
Swain is currently enrolled in university and living in Santa Monica,
California. And while we've come across brief, vague mentions of a boyfriend,
it's not clear whether Swain's got a steady boy toy… there's hope
for you yet! |
