Charlize Theron - Hollywood Celebrity, Actress

Date of Birth

7 August 1975, Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa

Nickname

Charlie

Height

5' 9½" (1.77 m)

Mini Biography

Charlize Theron grew up on a farm outside Benoni, South Africa, as the only child. She got an education as a ballet dancer and has danced both the "Swan Lake" and the "Nutcracker Suite". There wasn't much for a young actress or dancer to do in South Africa, so she soon traveled to Europe and United States of America, where she got job at the Joffrey Ballet in New York. She was also able to work as a photo model. However, an injured knee put a halt to her dancing career.

At the age of 18, her mother made her go to Los Angeles to try a career in the movie industry. She came to Los Angeles without knowing anyone in the city but after two weeks when she was standing in line on Hollywood Boulevard an agent gave her his card. After eight months in Los Angeles she got her first part. Since then, she has taken acting lessons and her career has skyrocketed, most lately in The Devil's Advocate (1997).

Mini Biography

Charlize Theron was born in Benoni, a city in the greater Johannesburg-area, South Africa on August 7th, 1975. Her mother, Gerda Theron, is German, while her late father, Charles, was French (she was named after him).

Charlize began her modeling career in 1991 aged 16 when she won a local modeling contest. She started modeling in Europe and came to New York a year later. She didn't like being a model though, and decided to try her luck with ballet, which had been her biggest passion as a child. Unfortunately, a knee injury prevented her from dancing. Her mother bought her a one-way ticket to Los Angeles in 1994 and Charlize started visiting all of the agents on Hollywood Boulevard but without any luck. She went to the bank to cash a check for $500 she'd got from her mother and became furious when she learned that the bank could not cash her check because it was an out-state check. She made a scene and an agent gave her his card, in exchange that she learn the language, which she did by watching soap operas on TV. Her first role was as a young mother in a park in a B-film in 1995, but it was a non-speaking role with three seconds of screen time. Her next role was as "Helga" in 2 Days in the Valley (1996), which landed her the role of "Tina" in That Thing You Do! (1996). Since then, she has starred in movies like The Devil's Advocate (1997); Mighty Joe Young (1998); The Cider House Rules (1999); The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) and The Italian Job (2003). An important day in her life was February 29th, 2004 when she was awarded with her first Academy Award for her performance in Monster (2003).

Trade Mark

Blonde hair and green eyes

Trivia

When she was 15 her father attacked her mother, and her mother shot him in self-defense. He died, but her mother was not charged in the incident.

First language is Afrikaans, English is spoken as her second language.

Appeared nude in the May 1999 issue of Playboy Magazine. The photos had been taken years earlier before she had became famous, and she unsuccessfully tried to prevent the magazine from publishing them.

Became a fashion model at age 14.

Named one of "People" magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People. (2000).

Turned down the female lead in Pearl Harbor (2001) to star alongside Keanu Reeves in Sweet November (2001).

Auditioned for the female lead of Nomi Malone in Showgirls (1995).

Was ranked #4 in the 100 Sexiest Women list by FHM Taiwan (2001).

Placed #1 on Beautiful People Internet Poll, narrowly beating Cameron Diaz in #2 and Kate Beckinsale in #3. The photo featured on the site was the famous 'Diving Board' photo.

Both her parents are Africans, born and raised in South Africa. However her father is of French descent and her mother of German descent.

Voted #12 Sexiest Female Movie Star in the Australian Empire Magazine (September 2002).

Used hypnotherapy as an aid to quit smoking.

Is the only child of Charles, whom she was named after, and Gerda Theron.

She gained 30 pounds to play Aileen Wuornos in Monster (2003).

On the show, "Shootout" (2003), it was revealed that her manager discovered her in a Hollywood bank after he witnessed her yelling at a bank teller for refusing to cash her check.

Won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance as Aileen Wuornos on what would have been Aileen's 48th birthday: 29 February 2004.

After winning her Oscar, she returned to great celebrations in her native South Africa, and she even met former South African President Nelson Mandela. When he praised her for putting their country on the map and gave her a hug, Theron broke into tears (she was guest of honor at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg on March 11th 2004).

Has said her favorite actor is Tom Hanks.

In 2004, injured her neck while filming Æon Flux (2005). Luckily, the injury wasn't serious enough to put her in the hospital, but it did shut down production for several weeks.

As a teenager in her native South Africa, she learned English by watching American TV.

At the 2005 Golden Globes she was sporting a new dark hair color. She is a now a member of the celebrities who have dyed their hair from blonde to brown, or black. They include, among others: Mary-Kate Olsen; Nicky Hilton; Mandy Moore; Renée Zellweger; Christina Aguilera, Melinda Messenger and Ashlee Simpson.

She was the first person to sign on to be a presenter at the 77th Annual Academy Awards.

Second actress (the first was Kim Basinger) to win an Oscar after appearing naked in Playboy magazine.

She is the second South African-born person to win an Academy Award. The South African-born cinematographer Ted Moore was the first. South African-born actor Basil Rathbone was the first South African-born actor to be nominated, followed by Cecil Kellaway. Theron was the first South African-born woman to win an Oscar.

Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (September 29, 2005).

Named #15 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 women of 2005 list.

Was listed as a potential nominee on the 2006 Razzie Award nominating ballot. She was listed as a suggestion in the Worst Actress category for her performance in the film Æon Flux (2005). However, she failed to receive a nomination. (Had she gotten the nomination, she would have been the first person to be nominated for both Leading Actress awards at the Oscars, for North Country (2005), and the Razzies.)

Named #4 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" special supplement (2005).

Studied acting with Ivana Chubbuck.

Named #15 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement. (2006).

Dyed her hair black for Æon Flux (2005).

Trained as a ballet dancer at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City, and performed in both "Swan Lake" and "The Nutcracker". Her dancing career ended after a knee injury.

One of the first movies she ever went to see at the theater was Splash (1984). She confessed that after watching the movie, she felt jealous of Daryl Hannah and developed a crush on Tom Hanks. She even said to herself that she could have played the role of Madison better than Hannah.

Shares the same background as actor Daniel Bonjour who also left South Africa as a teenage actor and traveled to Europe and then America. Both their parents are of European background. Also, both actors have found it easier to simply use an American accent in their work.

Chosen by Femme Fatales magazine as one of the "50 sexiest women on the planet". [February 2006]

Esquire magazine's Sexiest Woman Alive in 2007.

Entertainment Weekly predicted her Oscar win for Monster (2003) eleven months before she won it.

She earns $2 million per year endorsing Dior's J'Adore fragrance as well as $2.5 million per year endorsing Swiss Watch-maker, Raymond Weil.

At 16, she won a modeling competition to go to Milan and work on the catwalks and at 18, she won a scholarship to study ballet at the Joffrey School in New York. She turned to acting only because she injured both knees.

Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year for 2008.

Announced on "Late Show with David Letterman" (1993) that she is now a United States citizen (March 12, 2008).

Ranked #11 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2008 list.

Was considered for the role of Vickie Kittrie in Mercy (2000).

She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Pictures at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.

Was in consideration for the part of Satine in Moulin Rouge! (2001) but Nicole Kidman, who went on to receive a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her performance, was cast instead.

Replaced Angelina Jolie in the role Dagny Taggart in Atlas Shrugged: Part I (2011) before being replaced by Taylor Schilling.

Was originally cast as Greta Wegener in The Danish Girl (2014) but after dropping out of the project when production was delayed she was replaced by Gwyneth Paltrow, who in turn was replaced by Marion Cotillard.

Good friends with her North Country (2005) costar Jeremy Renner.

Lives in Los Angeles and Malibu, California.

Was in consideration for the role of Helen Gandy in J. Edgar (2011), but Naomi Watts was cast instead.

Named the "Sexiest Woman Alive" by Esquire Magazine (2007).

Received the "Decade of Hotness" award from Spike TV (Guy's Choice).

Voted #24 in the 2007 Askmen Australia "top 99 most desirable women" list. She was voted #6 the previous year in 2006.

Voted #3 in the 2005 Askmen "top 99 most desirable women" list.

Voted #1 in the 2003 Askmen "top 99 most desirable women" list.

Ranked #20 in the 2011 FHM Australia list of "100 Sexiest Women in the World".

Always speaks Afrikaan with her mother who lives 2 minutes from her in L.A.

Suffers from OCD to the extent that, if renting a house/hotel room during a movie shoot, cannot relax until she has explored every closet, locker and drawer in the premises.

The correct pronunciation of her name: Sharleese Thrunne.

Personal Quotes

[on the adumbration that her mother attempt and dead her ancestor while he was in a bashed rage, which was disqualified self-defense] I was consistently Mama's girl, and I consistently acquainted like her protector.

Women accept baffled the world. And with aggregate we go through, it's about time we had a changeable president. I don't anticipate we're that far away, but it should accept happened already. I wouldn't be afraid if Hillary Rodham Clinton runs - I absolutely adore her.

I've consistently been actual appreciative to be a South African and I've consistently been actual honest to bodies about that. And whatever I can do in my ability I affiance you I will do. I don't anticipate it's too abundant pressure. I anticipate it's our assignment as citizens of this country. You don't accept to win an Oscar to do article acceptable for your country. We all can do that. If I can be an advance for that I'll be animated to be that.

I'm 50-50 on allure stuff. I'd rather put on a brace of jeans and get on my Harley and act like a guy.

I anticipate of myself as a awful animal creature. I accept to use that. I accept no choice. I like it. I didn't abound up with a mother cogent me what was beneath my clothes was bad or evil.

[on the emphasis of the Toronto Blur Festival for abate films] If people, critics acknowledge to the blur there, it starts a nice little beachcomber of chat, which for a cine like North Country (2005) is absolutely important. It's one of those films that campaign by chat of mouth.

[on marriage] I'm blessed for bodies who demand to get married, but it's not my thing. I'm acutely blessed in my accord and I would adulation to accept kids.

[on accents] At aboriginal I begin it absolutely adamantine application three altered English accents: South African, appearance the American, appearance the emphasis appropriate by the job. I absitively to accomplish it easier for myself and aloof do one. I haven't absent my culture, aloof my accent.

[on bad habits and accusable pleasures] Anything absurd I'll take. Are you badinage me? I will fry my shoe and eat it.Looks abandoned won't get you that far. It may get you in the door, but there's consistently somebody younger, somebody prettier. You accept to await on article else.

What affectionate of belief can you acquaint with glamor? There are actual few belief of battle you can tell, right? I attending for acceptable stories; I'm not apprenticed by annihilation added than acceptable filmmakers and acceptable stories. And again my job as an amateur is to account those belief as able-bodied as I possibly can. The concrete is the aftermost affair that drives me.

I alive a actual simple life. I don't accept to accomplish those behemothic movies. I don't accept a yacht or a clandestine plane. As continued as I can advance this life, which is appealing low-maintenance and simple, again all of a abrupt you don't accept to anguish about all that stuff. I don't accept to booty a job to pay a mortgage on a abode I can't afford.

I've consistently said that I anguish about actuality with a man who doesn't flirt.

[on a accessible biopic of her life] God, I achievement not. I've been alive harder than annihilation in my activity to try and accumulate my activity sacred. I absolutely don't apperception back I'm in advanced of a camera and arena a actualization I'm adequate with . . . but I don't necessarily like the spotlight to be about me - not at all. The abstraction of sitting in Cannes and watching that . . . ugh. No.

[on arena unglamorous characters yet assuming for alluring spreads] Well, assumption what? I'm a animal creature. There's annihilation amiss with that. Why do we accept to be abashed of actuality so abounding altered things? Why do we accept to be alone one thing, a acceptable mother or a hooker? I don't anticipate that what's beneath my clothes is evil. I'm a woman, I'm feminine. And I like the way I look. And I bless that. And I don't accomplish excuses for that.

People aloof aren't accommodating to see conflict, or anamorphosis or the added awry ancillary of activity through a changeable character's eyes. I mean, can you brainstorm a woman arena Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver (1976)? Back Robert De Niro does it it's fine, [but] bodies are actual afflictive about seeing that through a woman's eyes. We aren't accustomed complexity.

[on the media's acknowledgment to her actualization in In the Valley of Elah (2007) It aloof abject me out because I was, "What do you want? Do you demand me to comedy a detective from Albuquerque who's a distinct mom in a Dior dress?" The way they focused on my appearance, I acquainted like it aching [the film] and I was ashamed because [director] Paul Haggis had formed absolutely hard, and aloof because I had a ponytail that's what they were talking about.

I don't accept in charmed lives. I anticipate that tragedy is allotment of the assignment you apprentice to lift yourself up, to aces yourself up and to move on.[on actuality congratulated by Nelson Mandela and South African admiral Thabo Mbeki afterwards acceptable a Best Actress Oscar for Monster (2003)] I don't anticipate I demand to be a pin-up for anything! The bodies who affect me are the ones who aloof alive activity and alive it in a way that's good-natured. Do unto others what you demand done unto yourself. It's not that hard. Don't spiral bodies over. Accept a acceptable time life, travel, adventure. Enjoy. I try to aloof alive my activity in as acceptable and accurate a way as possible. And I aloof ambition bodies would address about that and the apathetic way that that is, rather than, "On a summer's day, her mother attempt her father". It's like I airing about with this badge. I alive my activity the way I demand to alive my life. It's like I accept called this life. I demand to be able to go to beddy-bye at night and feel that I'm not apparitional and I'm blessed and I enjoyed my day in London and that I accept a acceptable timemy accompany and my love, and that if this is all gone tomorrow, like that man who died so angrily in advanced of me back I was five, that it was good.

[on her mother cutting her father, who was in a bashed rage, which was disqualified self-defense] You know, bodies drank. Some bodies drank more, but it was never advised that this ability be a problem. It was aloof the way it was then.

[on her role in Monster (2003)] I was aggravating to accomplish the alternation amid Aileen Wuornos and her adventures back she was actual young. And I was reminded of article that happened to me. I was bristles years old and we were active . . . all the cars chock-full because a barter had formed over and was ablaze. The doors were awash and there was a man trapped inside. In South Africa everybody carries a weapon, and the man begged for addition to shoot him because he didn't demand to bake to death. Nobody could get him out of the cab, so somebody attempt him. It was horrific, but absolutely a moment that fabricated me accept a abundant amount for life. Other things in activity accept accomplished me not to booty a moment for granted.

I never got offered genitalia like that, never. And it took a woman, a first-time changeable administrator to action me that role. Paul Haggis [the administrator of Crash (2004/I) and In the Valley of Elah (2007)] afresh said to me, "You know, generally it's the actual that will ascertain an actor, but you didn't do that. You authentic yourself with what you chose to do". And I anticipation that was a nice compliment.I do like the claiming of award actual that bodies don't demand to accident a lot of money on and that studios don't necessarily jump to go, "Yeah! We demand to acquaint that story." And how could I not afterwards I had done article like Monster (2003)? Everybody wondered how a cine like that could be successful.

[on her role in Hancock (2008)] I accumulate myself guessing. I get apathetic so quickly. I aloof absolutely admired the material. And the babe was cool. I wasn't active any boxes. I aloof try and do acceptable actual and how it gets fabricated is accessory . . . and anyway, it's absolutely nice to get a appropriate paycheck.

As you get older, you get wrinkles and your boobs sag. But you get wisdom, too. So it's not all bad!

[in acknowledgment to a reporter's catechism as to which ancillary of the bed she sleeps on] The ancillary that you're not on.

[responding to a catechism as to why she doesn't accept kids] I absolutely accept seven accouchement no one knows about--in a cave. They can see Russia from their house, too.

I don't abstain alluring roles. I played Britt Ekland [in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004)], who is one of the best admirable women alive. But I don't see so many. You acquaint me one alluring role that is in a acceptable cine you accept apparent in the aftermost ten years. My point is, it's not a case of absent to be alluring or not. It's about absent to acquaint a acceptable story. And the concrete is at the basal of the account for me. Your job, as an actor, is to be a apple-pie canvas for your director, and you accept to acquaint the adventure as absolutely as possible.

I don't apperceive if I would be who I am today if I'd developed up in a altered country. In our abode the account was consistently on, the bi-weekly was consistently on the dining allowance table and my parents had a absolute appetite for politics, and that's how I grew up. A lot of my American accompany grew up in a altered way, and because of what's happened in America in contempo years, they are allurement questions, arena catch-up. But I can accept that, because they were active in a country that was comfortable and cosy. I wasn't. I demand to apperceive what is activity on. I accept an absorption in apple backroom - how can you not back you alive on this Earth? I'm aloof addled back bodies don't accord a shit.I can bethink [growing up in South Africa] we'd accept to biking an hour to the abutting drive-in cinema, and we'd go and never absolutely knew what was playing. But already you got there, it was an hour's drive back, so you may as able-bodied watch whatever it was. I was about eight or nine and Fatal Attraction was arena and Mom didn't demand to about-face all the way round, so she was like, 'Well, this is as acceptable a way for you to apprentice as any.'

On her mother cutting her father: I don't anticipate you can go through article like that and not affectionate of airing with it, duke in hand. But you try actual adamantine to move on.

My mother was an absurd archetype to me. I can't brainstorm activity through activity after her. I anticipate she has afflicted who I am, but after absorbed really. She would consistently say, 'That's how I feel, but you should amount it out for yourself.' I anticipate of my activity now and I realise that the way I was brought up is why I can accord with so abundant now. I'm amenable for my own actions, my own decisions. So it's a awe-inspiring one, because she didn't demand me to be her, but I anticipate now, at 32, I attending at her and I affectionate of go, 'Wow, I somehow aspire to be you.' I anticipate she absolutely ethics me actuality absolute and actuality myself.

The acumen I did North Country (2005) wasn't aloof because of what the women were activity through. I was absolutely absorbed to accept area the men came from. But what those women suffered was appalling. Aloof appalling. The absolute adult that this happened to is still in analysis and on medication. Back you accommodated her, you accept that this has taken a absolute assessment on her.

Look, I can't balloon I'm a woman. I adulation actuality a woman and I adulation actuality feminine, so that will consistently be allotment of my work, obviously. But I access the actual with a added humanistic approach. I anticipate that affectionate of being can become over-earnest if you access it with a big hammer. Personally I've been lucky. Maybe it's the way I was raised, but I apperceive appropriate from amiss and I apperceive amiss back I airing into a allowance - and if I feel it's wrong, I airing appropriate out again.There were a lot of pros to acceptable the Oscar, but a lot of cons too. Suddenly it all became about transformation. Every cine I did afterwards Monster (2003) was jumped aloft as yet addition transformation. Even back I alone had clay on my face, like in North Country (2005) it was transformation.

I do all this assignment with Guillermo Arriaga on the The Burning Plain (2008) script, we analyze all these themes, and afresh we appear on these junkets and it's like: 'So, you don't comedy a alluring role again.' Sometimes I aloof demand to attending at bodies and say, 'Have you absolutely anticipation this through?' You know, how abounding abundant belief can you acquaint in a Dior dress? Or is it because I've done a J'adore aroma ad that I can alone be one blazon of woman? I don't anticipate women are that. We are abounding things. One day we deathwatch up and we demand to put on jeans and T-shirt, and the abutting day we demand to fucking accept our beard done. But that doesn't beggarly that I don't accept admission to raw emotion.

Asked if adorableness is a botheration for her: No. But it seems to be a botheration for journalists.

I don't apperceive how to say this afterwards aural strange. But I feel like accepting this tragedy [her mother attempt her father] at such a adolescent age has accustomed me a leg up from added people. Because, man, from 16, I knew the amount of activity and I knew how bound it could be taken away. And from that moment on, I fabricated a best to either bathe or to drown, you know?

People demand to anticipate that I am this bent soul, that my assignment is fatigued alone from this one well. And admitting I would never sit actuality and say that it didn't mark me, or mould me into the being that I am, my activity has had abounding aching journeys and heartbreaks back my ancestor died, abounding of which I draw on for my work.

[after acceptable a US aborigine in 2007] You're ashore with me now.

I anticipate women are way added conflicted than men, and I anticipate we appear from a association that's actual adequate with the Madonna-whore complex, you know. We're either absolutely acceptable hookers or absolutely acceptable mothers.[on reconnecting with her roots in South Africa] I've gone aback several times. The alone affair that absolutely ashore with me the aboriginal time I went aback was walking through the abode that I grew up in, and aggregate seemed so small. It was such a camp feeling. I was like, 'My mother fabricated me beddy-bye in a closet'.

I've never been a fan of labels. And I'm not a big fan of ever answer bad behavior, or why bodies are the way they are. I anticipate it's a cop-out. And I don't accept a lot of affinity for that.

I alive a actual simple life. I don't accept to accomplish these behemothic movies. I don't accept a yacht or a clandestine plane. As continued as I can advance this life, which is appealing low-maintenance and simple, again all of a abrupt you don't accept to anguish about all that stuff. It's such a adored abode to be in. I don't accept to booty a job to pay a mortgage on a abode that I can't afford. My activity comes first, again my job. I'm abundantly advantageous to be in a position area I don't accept to assignment all the time to live.

It's not like I've been [offered] any abundant alluring roles that had abundant battle and abundant story-telling. But I'm not activity to be picky, because they're adamantine to appear by. If I sit about cat-and-mouse for a good, alluring adventure to appear around, I'm apparently never activity to work. So if you don't accede my appearance [in In the Valley of Elah] beautiful, I'm sorry, but that's absolutely me. That's my accustomed beard color. That's me with actual little make-up. There's no prosthetics. That's what I attending like. I anticipate we're starting to alive in a ability area we're so celebrity-obsessed that we're starting to accept that back we see celebrities, they're declared to attending like they do on annual covers. But that's about bodies accomplishing beard and composition for you, and cutting big gowns. I attending for roles involving acceptable belief and acceptable filmmakers. And it's my job as an amateur to account those belief as best I possibly can. It's not about how I attending physically. Physical's the aftermost affair I anticipate of.
All of that being is absolutely nice. I do accept a bit of a answerability - I don't apperceive if it's the African in me - but I'm one being and how abundant architecture do I need? I accept a normal-sized closet. I accord things. I don't accept a attributes in me to demand things in excess. I absolutely don't like it. A lot of times, I will bargain it off and accept it go to charity. And my accompany account a lot. I alarm it Narnia. When I see a adherent and say, 'I like that top,' she's like, 'Narnia, from your closet.'

I don't absolutely allocution about my claimed activity and I don't absolutely allocution about my relationships. I'm not a big partier. I like the artlessness of my life, and I've called the affectionate of activity I absolutely demand to live. I don't anticipate my activity is arid at all.

There's this affectionate of abstraction that addition like me would be abhorrent with women. That accepting that if you attending a assertive way, you can't be a girl's girl. I accept way added relationships with girls than I do with guys. I get forth with guys. The women in my activity are the ones who move me. It sounds so hokey, but I've been adored with absurd women in my life.

Salary

Æon Flux (2005)

$10,000,000

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