Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron (born August 7 1975) is an Academy Award-winning Afrikaner actress who was born in South Africa.
Biography
Early life
Theron was born in Benoni, South Africa. Her father, Charles Theron, was a construction company owner of French Huguenot descent; her mother, Gerda, is of German descent and took over her husband's business after his death. Theron's first language is Afrikaans, and her second is English. "Theron" is a French surname pronounced in Afrikaans as "Tronn," although she has said that she prefers the pronunciation "Thrown" [1].
Theron grew up as the only child on her parents' farm near Johannesburg (Benoni) and was sent to a boarding school at the age of thirteen. At fifteen, Theron witnessed the death of her father; he was an abusive alcoholic, and her mother shot him in self-defense when he attacked her. No charges were pressed.
Career
At the age of sixteen, Theron traveled to Milan, Italy, on a one-year modeling contract, after winning a local competition. Her contract ended while she was in New York City, and she decided to remain there, attending the Joffrey Ballet School, where she trained as a ballet dancer. A knee injury ended this career path at the age of 18.
Unable to dance, she bought a ticket to Los Angeles. After eight months in the city, she was cast in her first film part, a non-speaking role in the direct-to-video film Children of the Corn III. She followed this with larger roles in widely released Hollywood films, and her career skyrocketed in the late 1990s, with box office successes like The Devil's Advocate, The Cider House Rules, and Mighty Joe Young.
The May 1999 issue of Playboy published nude photos of Theron, taken during the early years of her modeling career. Claiming they had been "for private use," Theron ended up suing photographer Guido Argentini.
After appearing in a few notable films, Theron starred as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in the film Monster (2003). Film critic Roger Ebert called it "one of the greatest performances in the history of the cinema" [2]), for which Theron won the Best Actress Oscar at the 76th Academy Awards in February 2004, as well as the SAG Award and the Golden Globe Award. She is the first South African to win an Oscar for Best Actress.
Having signed a deal with John Galliano in 2004, Theron replaced Estonian model Tiiu Kuik in the J'ADORE advertisements by Christian Dior; she is the current spokeswoman for Dior perfume. On September 30, 2005, she received her own bronze star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In the same year, she starred in the financially unsuccessful science fiction thriller Æon Flux [3] and was given positive reviews, as well as a Best Actress Golden Globe nomination, for her lead performance in the drama North Country. She had also been nominated for an Oscar as a lead actress for the role, although she did not win; this was her second nomination.
In 2005, Theron also portrayed Rita, Michael Bluth's (Jason Bateman) love interest on the third season of FOX's critically acclaimed sitcom, Arrested Development.
Personal life
At age 22 Theron gave birth to son Zak. Theron dated the lead singer of Third Eye Blind, Stephan Jenkins, from January 1998 to July 2001. Jenkins broke up with her after failing to take her requests of marriage seriously [4]. Theron now resides in Los Angeles with her long-time boyfriend, Stuart Townsend, with whom she starred in the 2004 film Head in the Clouds, as well as in the 2002 film Trapped; she has said that she will not marry him until same-sex couples are able to have their marriages recognized. In October 2005, her mother, Gerda, was married in California. The media thought that Charlize was the one getting married (to Townsend) and the paparazzi got as close as it could for the photos.
While filming Æon Flux in Berlin, Germany, Theron had surgery on a herniated cervical disc in her neck, the result of an injury incurred on the set during a stunt.
Theron is also involved in women's rights organizations [5]. She has tried to apply for a German passport because of her mother's German ancestry, but was turned down because she did not have any family members currently residing there. [6]
Gay award
Charlize Theron won the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation's Vanguard Award at its 17th annual GLAAD Media Awards for increasing "visibility and understanding in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community."
"This is very surreal for me because two years ago, I stood right here and won my Oscar for Monster," Theron said. Her portrayal of gay serial killer Aileen Wuornos won her the 2003 Academy Award for best actress.
On television's Extra, Theron vowed not to marry her boyfriend, Stuart Townsend, until gay couples can legally marry.
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
| 2005 | Æon Flux | Æon Flux | |
| 2005 | North Country | Josey Aimes | Academy Award Nomination for Best Actress |
| 2004 | Head in the Clouds | Gilda Bessé | limited release |
| 2003 | Monster | Aileen Wuornos | Academy Award for Best Actress |
| 2003 | The Italian Job | Stella Bridger | |
| 2002 | Waking Up in Reno | Candy Kirkendall | |
| 2002 | Trapped | Karen Jennings | |
| 2001 | Sweet November | Sara Deever | |
| 2000 | The Legend of Bagger Vance | Adele Invergordon | |
| 2000 | The Yards | Erica Stoltz | |
| 2000 | Reindeer Games | Ashley Mercer | |
| 1999 | The Cider House Rules | Candy Kendall | |
| 1999 | The Astronaut's Wife | Jillian Armacost | |
| 1998 | Mighty Joe Young | Jill Young | |
| 1998 | Celebrity | Supermodel | |
| 1997 | The Devil's Advocate | Mary Ann Lomax | |
| 1997 | Trial and Error | Billie Tyler | |
| 1996 | 2 Days in the Valley | Helga Svelgen |
External links
Interviews
- MovieHole interview (February 1, 2006)
- Guardian Unlimited interview (April 2, 2004)
- Dark Horizons interview (January 3, 2004)
- Spliced Wire interview (December 22, 2003)
- About.com interview (December 19, 2003)