CHARLIZE THERON Date of Birth: August 7, 1975
An only child of Afrikaaner parents, Theron was born and raised in Benoni, South Africa where she grew up on a farm. The youngster devoted her free time to studying ballet and American movies: A particular favorite being the Tom Hanks-Daryl Hannah mermaid romance Splash, which caused the wide-eyed Theron to develop a huge crush on Hanks.
Her study of ballet landed her at a performing arts school in Johannesburg. After winning a modeling contest at 16, an Italian fashion scout informed her there was a modeling contract awaiting her in Milan. She went. Unable to land any major modeling contracts or cover shots, the newness of her latest endeavor wore thin. When an American magazine flew her to New York for a photo shoot, she decided to stick around and make a new life for herself in the States.
Arriving in the Big Apple at 18, Theron worked modeling jobs whenever she could get them and kept up with ballet. But when a career-ending knee injury forced her to give up dance, she was troubled. At her mother's suggestion, she went to Southern California in pursuit of becoming an actor.
Newly arrived, she threw an impressive tantrum when a bank teller refused to cash an out-of-state check. Hollywood talent manager John Crosby was behind her in line, and after helpfully explaining that she could cash her check at any post office, asked if she was an actress. Theron replied that she wasn't, but that she fully intended to become one. Crosby offered his card. Theron got in touch with him, and he agreed to take her on as a client.
After countless unsuccessul auditions, she finally landed a role in 2 Days in the Valley (1996) which was immediately followed by a chance to work with childhood crush Hanks on his directorial debut, 1996's That Thing You Do! (1996) He cast her in a small role as an all-American everygirl who finds love with the dentist of her dreams after her drummer boyfriend starts spending too much time with his bandmates.
The following year, Theron logged prominent roles in decidedly different lawyer flicks, the Michael Richards farce Trial and Error (1997) and the Keanu Reeves-Al Pacino thriller The Devil's Advocate (1997). Though absent from theaters during most of 1998, she turned heads with her bang-on portrayal of a shallow supermodel in Woody Allen's Celebrity (1998) that fall, and made her debut in a starring role opposite Bill Paxton in Disney's remake of mighty joe young (1998).
Her star has continued to rise since then, in the romantic comedy Sweet November (2001) again starring with Reeves, then as a mother whose child is kidnapped in Trapped (2002) and as a serial killer/prostitute in Monster (2004), based on a true life story. For the latter, she gained 30 pounds and underwent a laborious daily makeup routine to play executed murderer Aileen Wuornos, and for her effort, Charlize received not only a Golden Globe award, but an Oscar in the Best Actress category at the 2004 Academy Awards. She again received Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations just two years later for her work in North Country (2005).
Theron has been engaged to actor Stuart Townsend since September 2002. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on September 29, 2005.
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron
J'adore Dior - Charlize Theron
