Anne Sward Hansen earned a drama degree at Emerson College in Massachusetts, where she won the Irene Ryan award for acting. In addition to her role as Lyla Peretti on "As the World Turns," Hansen has acted in numerous stage productions and starred in "A Loss of Innocence" in 1996 and "Not in This Town" in 1997. She was also in the PBS documentaries "Trail of Hope: The Story of the Mormon Trail" in 1997 and "American Prophet: The Joseph Smith Story" in 1999.
Her resume also includes the feature and TV movies "Brigham City," "Johnny Tsunami," "Perfect Murder, Perfect Town," and she has made guest appearances on the TV shows "Promised Land" and "Paris." She teaches private acting classes in her home and has been an adjunct drama professor at Brigham Young University.