Dominique Swain is an American actress who got her start in acting in 1997 when she won the lead role in the movie adaptation of the novel Lolita. While many consider this to be her most well-known role, Swain has appeared in over two dozen films since, including Face/Off, Happy Campers, and The Job.
Swain was born in Malibu, California, on August 12, 1980. Her mother couldn’t quite make it to the hospital, however, and Swain ended up being born in her father’s car on the Santa Monica Freeway. While she grew up in Malibu, Swain’s family didn’t live in one of the stereotypical million dollar mansions, nor did she go to an expensive private school: Swain graduated from Malibu High School, a public school, with straight A’s. Another of the five Swain children, Chelse Swain, is also an actress.
Swain first entered the movie industry as a stunt double in the movie The Good Son. Two years later in 1995, Swain auditioned for the title role in the controversial remake of Lolita. While competition was fierce, Swain, then a 15-year-old sophomore, beat out over 2,000 other girls for the lead role. She then won the role of John Travolta’s daughter in Face/Off, but since then has done mostly low-budget and independent films.
Despite the lack of huge blockbuster movies in recent years, Swain is still well-known and respected by her fans and the media. In 1999, she received the
Young Artist Award for her work in Lolita, and in 2002, she was named to Stuff magazine’s list of 102 Sexiest Women in the World, coming in at number 79. More recently, she was on the cover of the February 2007 issue of the magazine.
Swain is very involved in campaigning for the ethical treatment of animals and is the spokesperson for PETA. She’s also the youngest model to ever pose nude for the group, getting naked at age 21 to fight for animal rights. One of the biggest objectives she supports is PETA’s anti-fur campaign. Despite her involvement with PETA, Swain has stated that she is not a vegetarian and often eats meat.
Dominique is excited to be taking part in the 2011 Chicago Horror Film Festival. She will be working with producer Scott Markus along side actor Jeff McLane doing interviews with all the great people at this years festival!
