Charlize
Theron (born August 7,
1975) is an Academy
Award-winning Afrikaner actress and former fashion model,
who was born in South
Africa.
Charlize
Theron
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, and her second is English.
(In the United
States, both in her films and while being interviewed, etc.,
Theron speaks with a totally unaccented American style of
speech, leading most Americans 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."[1]
The pronunciation commonly used in the United States is as
spelled: THER-on.
Theron
grew up as the only child on her parents' farm near Johannesburg
(Benoni) and was sent to a boarding school at the age of
thirteen. 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 ended this career path at the age of 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" [2]),
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.
Theron
sensual in evening dress
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 ActressGolden
Globe nomination, for her lead performance in the drama North
Country. 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.
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.[4]
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 cervical 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 [5].
She has tried to apply for a German
passport because of her mother's German ancestry, but was turned
down because she did not have any family members currently
residing there.[6]
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 [7]
The
62nd Annual Golden Globe Awards (2005) (TV) .... Herself
- Presenter: Best Actor in a Motion Picture [Drama]/Nominee:
Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series, Mini-Series
or Made for TV Movie
"The
Daily Show"
... aka The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (USA: new title)
... aka The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Global Edition
(International: English title: cut version)
- Episode
dated 8 January 2004 (2004) TV Episode .... Herself
