About:
Charlize Theron ( born August 7, 1975) is a South African and American actress and producer. She is one of the highest-paid actresses in the world, having received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. In 2016, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Theron gained international fame in the 1990s with leading roles in films such as The Devil’s Advocate (1997), Mighty Joe Young (1998), and The Cider House Rules (1999). Her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster (2003) earned her critical acclaim and several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actress, making her the first South African to win an acting Oscar. She received another Oscar nomination for her role in North Country (2005).
Theron has starred in successful action films like The Italian Job (2003), Hancock (2008), Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), and The Fate of the Furious (2017). She also earned praise for her performances in Young Adult (2011), Tully (2018), and as Megyn Kelly in Bombshell (2019), the latter earning her a third Academy Award nomination.
Since the early 2000s, Theron has also ventured into film production with her company Denver and Delilah Productions, producing films such as The Burning Plain (2008), Dark Places (2015), and Long Shot (2019). She became an American citizen in 2007 while retaining her South African citizenship and has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Early Life
Charlize Theron was born in Benoni, South Africa, on August 7, 1975. She is the only child of Gerda and Charles Theron, road constructionists. Theron grew up on her parents’ farm and faced a troubled family life, including the traumatic experience of her mother shooting her father in self-defense during a domestic incident in 1991.
She attended Putfontein Primary School and later the National School of the Arts in Johannesburg. Despite health issues in childhood, including jaundice, Theron pursued her passion for dance, winning a modeling contract at age 16 and moving to Italy. After a knee injury ended her ballet career, she moved to Los Angeles in 1994 to pursue acting.
Career
Early Work (1991–1996)
Theron’s early career included modeling in Europe and training at the Joffrey Ballet in New York until a knee injury shifted her focus to acting. Moving to Los Angeles in 1994, she lived on a tight budget until being discovered by talent agent John Crosby while arguing with a bank teller. Her first speaking role came in 2 Days in the Valley (1996).
Breakthrough (1997–2002)
Theron’s breakthrough role was in The Devil’s Advocate (1997). She then starred in Mighty Joe Young (1998) and The Cider House Rules (1999), solidifying her reputation in Hollywood despite mixed box office success.
Worldwide Recognition and Critical Success (2003–2008)
Theron gained significant acclaim for her role in Monster (2003), winning the Academy Award for Best Actress. She continued to deliver strong performances in films like North Country (2005), earning another Oscar nomination, and starred in The Italian Job (2003) and Æon Flux (2005).
Career Hiatus and Fluctuations (2009–2016)
After a brief hiatus, Theron returned with notable roles in Young Adult (2011), Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), and Prometheus (2012). She achieved commercial success with Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) and the less successful The Huntsman: Winter’s War (2016).
Resurgence (2017–Present)
In recent years, Theron has starred in high-grossing films such as The Fate of the Furious (2017), Atomic Blonde (2017), and Bombshell (2019). She also produced and starred in The Old Guard (2020) and reprised her role as Cipher in F9 (2021) and Fast X (2023). Theron joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Clea in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) and starred in Netflix’s The School for Good and Evil (2022).
Theron continues to be a prominent figure in Hollywood, balancing her roles as an actress and producer.