Charlize Theron was born in Benoni, a little farming community outside Johannesburg, South Africa on August 7th, 1975. Her mother, Gerda, 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, which landed her the role of Tina in That Thing You Do!. Since then, she has starred in movies like The Devil's Advocate; Mighty Joe Young; The Cider House Rules; The Legend of Bagger Vance and The Italian Job. An important day in her life was February 29th, 2004 when she was awarded with her first Academy Award for her performance in Monster.



Æon Flux (2005): $10,000,000

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. Appeared in the May 1999 issue of Playboy Magazine. Named one of "People" magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People. (2000). Auditioned for the female lead of Nomi Malone in Showgirls (1995). Was ranked 4th of the 100 Sexiest Women by FHM Taiwan (2001). Both her parents are Africans, born and raised in South Africa. However her father is of French descent and her mother of German descent. Measurements: 36B-24-36 (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine). Was named after her father, whose name was Charles. On the show, "Sunday Morning 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. 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. As a teenager in her native South Africa, she learned English by watching American TV. She was the first person to sign on to be a presenter at the 77th Annual Academy Awards. Met fiancé Stuart Townsend on the set of Trapped (2002). Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (September 29, 2005). 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.) Studied acting with Ivana Chubbuck. Dyed her hair black for Æon Flux (2005). 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. Chosen by Femme Fatales magazine as one of the "50 sexiest women on the planet". [February 2006] Entertainment Weekly predicted her Oscar win for Monster (2003) eleven months before she won it. 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. Ranked #11 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2008 list. She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Pictures at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California. Replaced Angelina Jolie in the role of Dagny Taggart for Atlas Shrugged (2011). Made jalapeño cornbread with two turkeys for Thankgiving [November, 2009]. Split with Stuart Townsend after a 9-year relationship. [January 2010] Lives in Los Angeles and Malibu, California.