Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron
Theron in 2018
Born (1975-08-07) 7 August 1975 (age 49)
Benoni, Transvaal, South Africa
Citizenship
  • South Africa
  • United States
Occupations
  • Actress
  • producer
Years active1995–present
WorksFull list
PartnerStuart Townsend (2001–2009)
Children2
AwardsFull list
Websitecharlizeafricaoutreach.org

Charlize Theron (/ʃɑːrˈliːz ˈθɛrən/ shar-LEEZ THERR-ən;[1] Afrikaans: [ʃarˈlis ˈtrɔn];[2] born 7 August 1975) is a South African[3] and American actress and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actresses, she is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.[4] In 2016, Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Theron came to international prominence in the 1990s by playing the leading lady in the Hollywood films The Devil's Advocate (1997), Mighty Joe Young (1998), and The Cider House Rules (1999). She received critical acclaim for her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster (2003), for which she won the Silver Bear and Academy Award for Best Actress, becoming the first South African to win an acting Oscar. She received another Academy Award nomination for playing a sexually abused woman seeking justice in the drama North Country (2005).

Theron has starred in several commercially successful action films, including The Italian Job (2003), Hancock (2008), Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), Prometheus (2012), Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), The Fate of the Furious (2017), Atomic Blonde (2017), The Old Guard (2020), F9 (2021) and Fast X (2023). She received praise for playing troubled women in Jason Reitman's comedy-dramas Young Adult (2011) and Tully (2018), and for portraying Megyn Kelly in the biographical drama Bombshell (2019), for which she received her third Academy Award nomination.

Since the early 2000s, Theron has ventured into film production with her company Denver and Delilah Productions. She has produced numerous films, in many of which she had a starring role, including The Burning Plain (2008), Dark Places (2015), and Long Shot (2019). Theron became an American citizen in 2007, while retaining her South African citizenship. She has been honoured with a motion picture star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

  1. ^ Charlize Theron pronounces her name and surname in English. 7 April 2016. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2017 – via YouTube.
  2. ^ Charlize Theron Speaks Afrikaans. 30 June 2011. Archived from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2017 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ Farber, Tanya. "Charlize defends her 'unique' American accent". IOL News. Archived from the original on 3 April 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2013. I am a South African.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference forbes19 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).