Charlize Theron (; born August 7, 1975)
is a
South African actress,
film producer, and former
fashion model. She became an American citizen in 2007.
She rose to fame in the late 1990s following her roles in
2 Days in the Valley,
Mighty Joe Young,
The Devil's Advocate, and
The Cider House Rules. She received critical acclaim and an
Academy Award for her portrayal of
serial killer Aileen Wuornos in the film
Monster, for which she became the first African to win an Academy Award in a major acting category. She received another Academy Award nomination for her performance in
North Country.
Early life
Theron was born in
Benoni,
South Africa, the only child of Charles and Gerda Theron,
[Family Tree] and is of
German and
French descent. Theron's first language is
Afrikaans,
she is fluent in
English and speaks some
Zulu. "Theron" is an
Occitan surname (originally spelled Théron) pronounced in Afrikaans as "Tronn", although she has said that she prefers the pronunciation "Thrown".
Theron grew up on her parents' farm near
Johannesburg (Benoni). She attended Putfontein Primary School (Laerskool Putfontein). At the age of 13, Theron was sent to
boarding school and began her studies at the National School Of The Arts in Johannesburg. At 15, Theron witnessed the death of her father, an
abusive alcoholic; her mother shot him in
self-defence when he attacked her. The police pressed no charges against her.
Career
At the age of 16, Theron traveled to
Milan,
Italy, on a one-year
modeling contract, after winning a local competition. She went to
New York with Pauline's Model Management. She decided to remain after her contract ended, attending the
Joffrey Ballet School, where she trained as a
ballet dancer. A knee injury closed this career path when Theron was 19.
Unable to dance, Theron flew to
Los Angeles on a one-way ticket her mother bought her.
[ During her early months there, she went to a bank to cash a check her mother had sent her to help with the rent. When the teller refused to cash it, Theron immediately started a shouting match with her. Afterwards, a talent agent in line behind her handed her his business card and subsequently introduced her to some casting agents and also an acting school.][Philippe J. Salazar An African Athens, p. 112, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2002 ISBN 978-0805833416]
[cropped.jpg|right|thumb|Theron at the premiere of [[North Country (film)|North Country] at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival]]
After appearing in a few notable films, Theron starred as the serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster (2003). Film critic Roger Ebert called it "one of the greatest performances in the history of the cinema".
On September 30, 2005, Theron received her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[IMDB Business Data] Additionally, Theron received Best Actress Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for her lead performance in the drama North Country.
In 2005, Theron portrayed Rita, Michael Bluth's (Jason Bateman) love interest, on the third season of Fox's critically-acclaimed television series Arrested Development.[Charlize Theron - Awards]
In 2007, Esquire named her the Sexiest Woman Alive.[Laura Corn Passport to Pleasure, p. 111, Simon & Schuster, 2008 ISBN 978-1416964049]
In 2008, Theron was named the Hasty Pudding Theatricals Woman of the Year.[Hasty Pudding To Honor Walken, Theron from the Harvard Crimson] That year she also starred with Will Smith in Hancock, a movie that grossed $227.9M in the U.S.A. and $396.4M internationally,
On November 10, 2008, TV Guide reported that Theron will star in the film adaptation of The Danish Girl alongside Nicole Kidman. Theron will play Gerda Wegener, wife of Einar Wegener/Lili Elbe (Kidman), the world's first known person to undergo sex reassignment surgery.[Nicole Kidman to Star as Transsexual, Marrying Charlize Theron in New Film" TV Guide. November 10, 2008. Retrieved on November 12, 2008.] In October 2009, Theron was cast to star in a sequel to the Mad Max films, titled Mad Max: Road Fury, which will start filming in Aust 2010.
Personal life
Theron resides in Los Angeles with her boyfriend Stuart Townsend, with whom she starred in the 2004 film Head in the Clouds, as well as in the 2002 film Trapped and 2005 Æon Flux. She has said that she will not marry until same-sex couples are able to have their marriages recognized.
Theron became a naturalized citizen of the United States in May 2007.
Theron signed with William Morris Endeavour in 2009 and is represented by CEO Ari Emanuel.
Health concerns
While filming Æon Flux in Berlin, Germany, Theron suffered a herniated disc in her neck, which occurred as a result of her suffering a fall while filming a series of back handsprings. This required her to wear a neck collar for a month.
In July 2009, Theron was diagnosed with a serious virus, thought to be contracted while traveling overseas.
Promotional deals
Having signed a deal with John Galliano in 2004, Theron replaced Estonian model Tiiu Kuik as the spokeswoman in the J'ADORE advertisements by Christian Dior.[Sex in Women's Magazine Advertising p. 97] Then, on December 18, 2007, she finally stripped for Dior's J'Adore perfume.
From October 2005 to December 2006, Theron earned $3,000,000 for the use of her image in a worldwide print media advertising campaign for Raymond Weil watches.[Charlize Theron's Screen Gems from The Smoking Gun] In February 2006, she and her loan-out corporation were sued by Weil for breach of contract.["Actress Charlize Theron Sued by Swiss Watchmaker". Associated Press, February 6, 2007.] The lawsuit was settled on November 4, 2008.
Activism
Theron is involved in women's rights organizations, and marched for abortion rights.
Theron is a supporter of animal rights and active member of PETA. She appeared in a PETA ad for their anti-fur campaign.[ Link TV January 22, 09] She is a supporter of same sex marriage and attended the march in Fresno, California on 30 May 2009.
In July 2009, it was announced that Charlize Theron's Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP) would form a coalition with LAFC Soccer Club to give soccer fields to rural areas in South Africa. LAFC Chelsea, one of America's most successful and prominent youth soccer clubs, made a three-year commitment to help build a community-wide soccer program for the schools in the Umkhanyakude District. This help includes uniforms, cleats, balls and equipment, along with professional training for local coaches, referees and administrators. The soccer league training will also include life-saving health education administered through a CTAOP-funded mobile health program.
Don Sheppards, president of LAFC Chelsea said:
Filmography
TV guest appearances
Other lists
In May 2006, Maxim named Theron #25 in its annual "Hot 100" issue.[Maxim Online] In October 2007, Esquire named Theron The Sexiest Woman Alive in its annual issue.[ } Charlize Theron Is the Sexiest Woman Alive 2007 from Esquire magazine]
