Charlize Theron (born August 7, 1975)
is an Academy Award-winning Afrikaner actress who
was born in South Africa.
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. "Theron" is a
French surname pronounced in Afrikaans as "Tronn,"
although she has said that she prefers the pronunciation
"Thrown".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;
he was an abusive alcoholic, and 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" 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 [3] and was
given positive reviews, as well as a Best Actress
Golden 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 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 she will not marry him 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.
Theron is also involved in women's
rights organizations
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.
Selected filmography
2005 Æon Flux Æon Flux
2005 North Country Josey Aimes
2004 Head in the Clouds Gilda Bessé limited
release
2003 Monster Aileen Wuornos Academy Award for Best
Actress
2003 The Italian Job Stella Bridger
2002 Waking Up in Reno Candy Kirkendall
2002 Trapped Karen Jennings
2001 Sweet November Sara Deever
2000 The Legend of Bagger Vance Adele Invergordon
2000 The Yards Erica Stoltz
2000 Reindeer Games Ashley Mercer
1999 The Cider House Rules Candy Kendall
1999 The Astronaut's Wife Jillian Armacost
1998 Mighty Joe Young Jill Young
1998 Celebrity Supermodel
1997 The Devil's Advocate Mary Ann Lomax
1997 Trial and Error Billie Tyler
1996 2 Days in the Valley Helga Svelgen
source from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
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