NAME: Dominique Ariane Swain
DATE OF BIRTH: 12 August 1980
LOCATON OF BIRTH: Malibu, California, USA (in her dad's Datsun!)
HEIGHT: 5' 9"
EYE COLOUR: Blue
HOBBIES: Art, sculpture, creative writing
SPORTS: Soccer, track athletics, swimming, softball
MUSIC: Chemical Brothers, The Orb
SIBLINGS: Chelse Swain

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.

Dominique excelled at learning, earning straight A's and becoming Valedictorian like her sister before her. Then, in her sophomore year, Dominique's life took a famous turn when she broke into the Hollywood scene playing a 12-year-old temptress in 1997's Lolita -- and promptly picked up a bad girl rep, complete with drinking and drug problems. Any other teen actress might have sunk into the pit of one-hit blowouts, but Dominique successfully escaped her notoriety and has grown into an often-seen face in smaller, independent films.

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.

Undeniably most famous for her silver screen debut, Swain has starred in several movie projects since the controversial film. First finding work again as the rebellious Jamie Archer in John Woo's Face/Off (1997), she then wandered through the 1998 music video for Shawn Mullins' "Lullaby" before turning to lead roles in Girl (1999), Intern (2000), and The Smokers (2000).
Dominique hasn't slowed down since, although her film roles have been more recognized by critics than anyone else; she snagged roles in Tart (2001), Happy Campers (2001), Pumpkin (2002), New Best Friend (2002), and the teen thriller Dead in the Water (2002). More recently, Dominique starred as Inez, a wife planning a hit on her husband, in Briar Patch (2002). Plunging briefly back into the music scene, Swain also made an appearance in Moby's 2002 music video for "We Are All Made of Stars."

Although she has yet to reach the A-list, Dominique is well on her way to household-name fame. Consistently steering away from big-name blockbusters might not be the speediest route to a high profile career, but Dom, unlike many fame-hungry young actresses, is building her career her way -- which so far means lots of wickedly raunchy roles!

Far from a Hollywood diva, Dominique has been described as a "very pretty and lively in person" and even "unbelievable- working with her is great." She's also a softy; last year, Swain posed for PETA's "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign. The actress is featured posing nude at a blackboard, writing out the campaign's title-message. That's right, she's completely naked -- and proud of it. "If all I have to do is stand in front of a blackboard naked to make people think about the cruelty that animals go through to make a fur coat," Swain said, "I'm perfectly willing."

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!