Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron is a South African and American actress and film producer who rose to international prominence in the late 1990s. Recognized as one of the highest-paid actresses globally, her accolades include an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and nominations for three BAFTA Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2016, she was named one of the world's 100 most influential people by Time magazine.

Born on August 7, 1975, in Benoni, South Africa, Theron grew up on a farm near Johannesburg as the only child of road builders Charles and Gerda Theron. Her first language is Afrikaans. At age 13, she began attending the National School of the Arts in Johannesburg. When she was 15 years old, her mother shot and killed her alcoholic father in self-defense after he violently attacked them with a firearm.

At age 16, Theron began a modeling career in Europe after winning a competition in Italy, later moving to the United States. In New York City, she trained at the Joffrey Ballet School until a knee injury halted her dance career. She subsequently relocated to Los Angeles in 1994 to enter the film industry. After being discovered by talent agent John Crosby at a bank, she secured her first non-speaking film role in 1995, followed by her first speaking role in 2 Days in the Valley in 1996.

Theron achieved widespread recognition with her performances in The Devil's Advocate (1997), Mighty Joe Young (1998), and The Cider House Rules (1999). In 2003, she starred as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster, winning the Academy Award for Best Actress and becoming the first South African to win an acting Oscar. She earned two additional Academy Award nominations for her roles in the dramas North Country (2005) and Bombshell (2019), and earned critical acclaim for the comedy-dramas Young Adult (2011) and Tully (2018).

Theron has also starred in high-profile action features, including The Italian Job (2003), Hancock (2008), Prometheus (2012), Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), Atomic Blonde (2017), and The Old Guard (2020), along with multiple installments of the Fast & Furious franchise. Her television work includes an Emmy-nominated role in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004) and a recurring appearance in Arrested Development. Through her company, Denver and Delilah Productions, she has produced films such as The Burning Plain (2008), Dark Places (2015), and Long Shot (2019).

Theron became a naturalized United States citizen in 2007 while retaining her South African citizenship. Her career honors include a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, awarded in 2005, and an appointment as a United Nations Messenger of Peace in 2008.