| Born | August 7, 1975 (age 31) Benoni, South Africa |
| Official site | charlizetheron.com |
| Notable roles | Helga Svelgen in 2 Days in the Valley (1996) Aileen Wuornos in Monster (2003) Britt Ekland in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004) |
| Academy Awards | Academy Award for Best Actress (2003) for Monster |
Charlize Theron (born August 7, 1975) is a South African actress and former fashion model. She has received an Academy Award for her role in Monster (2004).
She was first featured in 2 Days in the Valley (1996), starring alongside such actors and actresses as Danny Aiello and Teri Hatcher.
Biography
Early life
Theron was born in Benoni, South Africa. Her father, Charles Theron, was a construction company owner of French Huguenot descent; her mother, Gerda, is of German descent and took over her husband's business after his death. Theron's first language is Afrikaans. She is also fluent in English and speaks some Xhosa, as well as having varying levels of fluency in around thirty other African languages and dialects, learned from neighbors and employees on her parents' farm. In the United States, both in her films and while being interviewed, etc., Theron speaks with a typical American accent and style of speech, leading most people to assume she is American.
"Theron" is a French surname pronounced in Afrikaans as "Tronn," although she has said that she prefers the pronunciation "Thrown." The pronunciation commonly used in the United States involves two syllables, with stress on the first.
Theron grew up as the only child on her parents' farm near Johannesburg (Benoni). At the age of thirteen, Charlize was sent to boarding school and began her studies at the National School Of The Arts in Johannesburg. At fifteen, Theron witnessed the death of her father, an abusive alcoholic; her mother shot him in self-defense when he attacked her. No charges were pressed.
Career
At the age of sixteen, Theron traveled to Milan, Italy, on a one-year modeling contract, after winning a local competition. Her contract ended while she was in New York City, and she decided to remain there, attending the Joffrey Ballet School, where she trained as a ballet dancer. A knee injury closed this career path when she was 18.
Unable to dance, she bought a ticket to Los Angeles. After eight months in the city, she was cast in her first film part, a non-speaking role in the direct-to-video film Children of the Corn III. She followed this with larger roles in widely released Hollywood films, and her career skyrocketed in the late 1990s, with box office successes like The Devil's Advocate, The Cider House Rules, and Mighty Joe Young.
The May 1999 issue of Playboy published nude photos of Theron, taken during the early years of her modeling career. Claiming they had been "for private use", Theron ended up suing photographer Guido Argentini.
After appearing in a few notable films, Theron starred as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in the film Monster (2003). Film critic Roger Ebert called it "one of the greatest performances in the history of the cinema" , for which Theron won the Best Actress Oscar at the 76th Academy Awards in February 2004, as well as the SAG Award and the Golden Globe Award. She is the first South African to win an Oscar for Best Actress.
Having signed a deal with John Galliano in 2004, Theron replaced Estonian model Tiiu Kuik in the J'ADORE advertisements by Christian Dior; she is the current spokeswoman for Dior perfume. On September 30, 2005, she received her own bronze star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In the same year, she starred in the financially unsuccessful science fiction thriller Æon Flux and was given positive reviews, as well as a Best Actress Golden Globe nomination, for her lead performance in the drama North Country. Ms. honored her for this performance as well with a feature article in its Fall 2005 issue. She had also been nominated for an Oscar as a lead actress for the role, although she did not win; this was her second nomination.
In 2005, Theron also portrayed Rita, Michael Bluth's (Jason Bateman) love interest on the third season of FOX's critically acclaimed sitcom Arrested Development.
She also received Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for her role in the HBO movie (The Life and Death of Peter Sellers).
Salary & status
-After her Oscar win for Monster, she earned $10,000,000 for both North Country and Aeon Flux. According to The Hollywood Reporter's 2006 list of highest-paid actresses in Hollywood, she ranked 7th, behind Halle Berry, Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Renée Zellweger, Reese Witherspoon, and Nicole Kidman.
Personal life
Theron dated the lead singer of Third Eye Blind, Stephan Jenkins, from January 1998 to July 2001. Jenkins broke up with her after failing to take her requests of marriage seriously. Theron now resides in Los Angeles with her long-time boyfriend, Stuart Townsend, with whom she starred in the 2004 film Head in the Clouds, as well as in the 2002 film Trapped; she has said that they will not marry until same-sex couples are able to have their marriages recognized. In October 2005, her mother, Gerda, was married in California. The media thought that Charlize was the one getting married (to Townsend) and the paparazzi got as close as it could for the photos.
While filming Æon Flux in Berlin, Germany, Theron had surgery on a herniated disc in her neck, the result of an injury incurred on the set during a stunt.
In May 2006, Maxim magazine named Theron #25 in its annual Hot 100 issue.
Theron is also involved in women's rights organizations.
In 2006, Theron won GLAAD's Vanguard Award at the GLAAD Media Awards for increasing "visibility and understanding in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community."
Theron is a supporter of animal rights and active member of PETA. She recently appeared in a PETA ad for their anti-fur campaign.
Her best friend is another actress Ivana Miličević.
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 2 Days in the Valley | Helga Svelgen | |
| 1997 | Trial and Error | Billie Tyler | |
| 1997 | The Devil's Advocate | Mary Ann Lomax | |
| 1998 | Celebrity | Supermodel | |
| 1998 | Mighty Joe Young | Jill Young | |
| 1999 | The Astronaut's Wife | Jillian Armacost | |
| 1999 | The Cider House Rules | Candy Kendall | |
| 2000 | Reindeer Games | Ashley Mercer | |
| 2000 | The Yards | Erica Stoltz | |
| 2000 | The Legend of Bagger Vance | Adele Invergordon | |
| 2000 | Men of Honor | Gwen Sunday | |
| 2001 | Sweet November | Sara Deever | Razzie Award Nomination for Worst Actress |
| 2002 | Trapped | Karen Jennings | |
| 2002 | Waking Up in Reno | Candy Kirkendall | |
| 2003 | The Italian Job | Stella Bridger | |
| 2003 | Monster | Aileen Wuornos | Academy Award for Best Actress |
| 2004 | The Life and Death of Peter Sellers | Britt Ekland | |
| 2004 | Head in the Clouds | Gilda Bessé | limited release |
| 2005 | North Country | Josey Aimes | Academy Award Nomination for Best Actress |
| 2005 | Æon Flux | Æon Flux | |
| 2007 | Ice at the Bottom of the World | Pre-production | |
| 2007 | Ferris Wheel (film) | Filming | |
| 2007 | Jinx | In talks | |
| 2008 | The Brazilian Job | Stella Bridger | Pre-production |
