Charlize Theron facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charlize Theron
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Theron in 2018
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| Born | 7 August 1975 Benoni, Transvaal, South Africa
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| Years active | 1995–present |
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Works
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Full list |
| Partner(s) | Stuart Townsend (2001–2009) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Full list |
Charlize Theron (born 7 August 1975) is a famous actress and producer from South Africa and America. She is one of the highest-paid actresses in the world. Charlize has won many awards, including an Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) and a Golden Globe Award. In 2016, Time magazine said she was one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Charlize Theron became well-known in the 1990s. She starred in popular Hollywood movies like The Devil's Advocate (1997), Mighty Joe Young (1998), and The Cider House Rules (1999).
She has also been in many successful action films. These include The Italian Job (2003), Hancock (2008), Prometheus (2012), Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), Atomic Blonde (2017), and The Old Guard (2020). She also appeared in several Fast & Furious movies. These were The Fate of the Furious (2017), F9 (2021), and Fast X (2023).
Since the early 2000s, Charlize has also produced films with her company, Denver and Delilah Productions. She has produced many movies, often starring in them herself. Some of these films are The Burning Plain (2008), Dark Places (2015), and Long Shot (2019). In 2007, Charlize became an American citizen, but she also kept her South African citizenship.
Contents
Early Life
Charlize Theron was born in Benoni, South Africa, on 7 August 1975. This area was then called Transvaal Province. It is now part of Gauteng Province. She is the only child of Gerda and Charles Theron. Her parents worked in road construction. A famous military leader from the Second Boer War, Danie Theron, was her great-granduncle. Her family is Afrikaner, with roots from Dutch, French, and German people. Her French ancestors were early Huguenots in South Africa.
Charlize went to Putfontein Primary School. She has said she did not "fit in" well during that time. When she was 13, Charlize went to boarding school. She studied at the National School of the Arts in Johannesburg. Charlize has spoken about her childhood in South Africa. She said, "I grew up as an only child in South Africa. There was turmoil in my family, but the surroundings were so great." She added that she was often barefoot and played outside. There were no video games or computers, and no concerts because of sanctions. This meant she had to find ways to entertain herself.
Even though Charlize Theron speaks English very well, her first language is Afrikaans.
Career Journey
Starting Out (1991–1996)
Charlize Theron always wanted to be a dancer. But at age 16, she won a one-year modeling contract. This happened at a local competition in Salerno, Italy. She then moved to Milan, Italy, with her mother. After modeling in Europe for a year, she and her mother moved to the United States. They lived in New York City and Miami. In New York, she studied ballet at the Joffrey Ballet School. However, a knee injury stopped her from continuing her dancing career.
In 1994, Charlize moved to Los Angeles. She wanted to work in the film industry. Her mother bought her a one-way ticket. She lived in a motel with very little money at first. One day, she went to a bank to cash a check. The bank teller refused it because it was from out-of-state. Charlize argued with the teller. A talent agent named John Crosby was behind her in line. He helped her cash the check and gave her his business card.
Crosby helped Charlize get into an acting school. In 1995, she had her first small role in the horror film Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest. Her first role with speaking lines was as Helga Svelgen in 2 Days in the Valley (1996). The film got mixed reviews. But Charlize got attention for her looks and a fight scene. She worried about always playing similar characters. She wanted to try different kinds of roles.
Charlize met talent agent J. J. Harris while auditioning for a film. Harris believed in Charlize's acting potential. Charlize has called Harris her mentor. Harris helped her find many different types of roles. She also encouraged Charlize to become a producer. Harris was Charlize's agent for more than 15 years.
Becoming Famous (1997–2002)
Charlize Theron's career grew quickly in the late 1990s. Her big break came with the horror drama The Devil's Advocate (1997). In this movie, she starred with Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino. She played the troubled wife of a very successful lawyer. After that, she starred in the adventure film Mighty Joe Young (1998). She also appeared in the drama The Cider House Rules (1999). The Devil's Advocate and The Cider House Rules were successful at the box office.
In the early 2000s, Charlize continued to take on many film roles. These included Reindeer Games (2000), The Yards (2000), The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000), and Men of Honor (2000). She also appeared in Sweet November (2001), The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001), and Trapped (2002). These films helped her become a recognized actress. Charlize said that during this time, she often worked with directors she admired. Even if the movies were not always big hits, she learned a lot.
Global Recognition (2003–2008)
In 2003, Charlize Theron starred in the heist film The Italian Job. She played a skilled safe expert. The movie was a big success, earning US$176 million around the world.
Charlize won the Academy Award for Best Actress in February 2004. She also won the Screen Actors Guild Award and the Golden Globe Award. These awards were for her amazing performance in the movie Monster (2003). She was the first South African to win an Oscar for Best Actress. This Oscar win made her one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood.
In 2004, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her role in the HBO film The Life and Death of Peter Sellers. In 2005, she appeared in the TV series Arrested Development. She also starred in the science fiction thriller Æon Flux. For her voice work in the Aeon Flux video game, she won an award.
In the drama North Country (2005), Charlize played a single mother who worked in an iron mine. She received more Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for this role. On 30 September 2005, Charlize Theron received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 2007, Charlize played a police detective in the crime film In the Valley of Elah. She also produced and starred in the drama film Sleepwalking. In 2008, Charlize starred in the drama The Burning Plain. She also played the ex-wife of a superhero in the film Hancock, alongside Will Smith. Hancock earned US$624.3 million worldwide. Also in 2008, Charlize was named the Hasty Pudding Theatricals Woman of the Year. She was also asked to be a UN Messenger of Peace by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
New Challenges (2009–2016)
In 2009, Charlize appeared briefly in the post-apocalyptic drama The Road. She also lent her voice to a character in the animated film Astro Boy. On 4 December 2009, Charlize helped with the draw for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa.
After taking a two-year break from films, Charlize returned in 2011. She starred in the black comedy Young Adult. She played a writer who was going through a tough time. Critics praised her performance. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. One film critic, Roger Ebert, called her one of the best actors working today.
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In 2012, Charlize played a villain in two big movies. She was the Evil Queen Ravenna in Snow White and the Huntsman. She also played a crew member with a secret plan in Ridley Scott's Prometheus. Both films were very popular, earning around US$400 million each around the world. In 2014, Charlize hosted Saturday Night Live on NBC. She also played the wife of an outlaw in the comedy film A Million Ways to Die in the West.
In 2015, Charlize played the only survivor of a family tragedy in Dark Places. She also helped produce this film. She then starred as Imperator Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road (2015). This movie received great reviews, and Charlize was praised for her strong character. The film earned US$378.4 million worldwide. In 2016, she played Queen Ravenna again in The Huntsman: Winter's War. This was a sequel to Snow White and the Huntsman. That same year, Time magazine included her in their Time 100 list of the most influential people.
Recent Success (Since 2017)
In 2017, Charlize Theron starred as Cipher, a cyberterrorist, in The Fate of the Furious. She also played a spy in Atomic Blonde, set in 1989. The Fate of The Furious earned US$1.2 billion worldwide. In the black comedy Tully (2018), Charlize played a busy mother of three. Critics loved the film and her performance. She also played a pharmaceutical company president in Gringo. She produced the war drama film A Private War in 2018.
In 2019, Charlize produced and starred in the romantic comedy Long Shot. She played a U.S. Secretary of State who meets a journalist she used to babysit. The film received positive reviews. For her role in another film, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. In 2020, she produced and starred in the superhero film The Old Guard. The next year, she was Cipher again in F9.
In 2022, Charlize appeared in several projects. She played Clea in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Her first appearance was in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. She also played Lady Lesso in the Netflix film The School for Good and Evil. She also had a small role in the TV series The Boys. In 2024, she was cast in Christopher Nolan's upcoming film The Odyssey (2026).
Other Work
Activism
Charlize Theron started the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP) in 2007. This project helps young people in Africa in the fight against HIV/AIDS. By 2017, CTAOP had raised over $6.3 million. This money supported African groups working on the ground.
In 2008, Charlize was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace. Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General, praised her. He said she has always worked to make life better for women and children in South Africa. She also works to prevent violence against women and girls.
In December 2009, CTAOP worked with Toms Shoes. They created a special shoe. The shoe was made from vegan materials. It was inspired by the African baobab tree. Ten thousand pairs of these shoes were given to children in need. Part of the money from sales also went to CTAOP.
In 2020, CTAOP partnered with Parfums Christian Dior. They created "Dior Stands With Women." This project encourages women to be strong and share their stories.
Charlize supports same-sex marriage and equal rights for everyone. She has spoken publicly about her belief that all people should have the same rights. She believes that marriage should be a right for everyone, no matter who they love.
In March 2014, CTAOP was one of the charities that received money from the "Fame and Philanthropy" event. This event happened on the night of the 86th Academy Awards.
In 2015, Charlize signed an open letter. This letter asked leaders to focus on women's issues. In August 2017, she visited South Africa with Trevor Noah. She made a donation to a South African charity called Life Choices. In 2018, she gave a speech about AIDS prevention. This was at the 22nd International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam.
In June 2022, it was announced that Charlize Theron would receive an award. This award was for her work in raising awareness about HIV.
Endorsements
Charlize Theron has worked with famous brands. In 2004, she became the face of J'Adore perfume by Christian Dior. She appeared in their advertisements. In 2018, she was in a new ad for Dior J'adore. From 2005 to 2006, Charlize earned money for using her image in ads for Raymond Weil watches. In 2018, Charlize joined Brad Pitt and others as brand ambassadors for Breitling watches. They were called the Breitling Cinema Squad.
Personal Life
In 2007, Charlize became a citizen of the United States. She also kept her South African citizenship.
Charlize Theron has adopted two children. She adopted a daughter in March 2012 and another daughter in July 2015. She has been interested in adoption since she was a child. In April 2019, Charlize shared that her older daughter, Jackson, is a transgender girl. Charlize said about her daughters, "They were born who they are. It's not for me to decide who they want to be as they grow up."
She looks up to actresses Susan Sarandon and Sigourney Weaver. She has also admired Tom Hanks since she was young. She watched many of his movies. When she met him, she got his autograph. Later, she presented him with an award in 2020.
In 2018, Charlize said she went to therapy. She learned that her anger came from growing up during South Africa's apartheid. Apartheid was a system of racial segregation. It ended when she was 15.
Charlize has spoken about how she prepares for roles. She likes to create both the physical and emotional parts of a character. She said it's a powerful way to act. She treats preparing for a role like studying.
Charlize is a big fan of the English band Depeche Mode. She presented their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.
Relationships
Charlize Theron's first public relationship was with actor Craig Bierko. They dated from 1995 to 1997.
She was in a three-year relationship with singer Stephan Jenkins. They broke up in October 2001.
Charlize started dating Irish actor Stuart Townsend in 2001. They met while filming Trapped. They lived together in Los Angeles and Ireland. The couple broke up in late 2009.
In December 2013, Charlize began dating American actor Sean Penn. Their relationship ended in June 2015. Charlize starred in Sean Penn's film The Last Face (2016). They filmed it while they were still together.
Health Concerns
Charlize Theron often jokes that she gets more injuries on non-action films. However, while filming Æon Flux in Berlin, she hurt her neck. This happened from a fall during some back handsprings. She had to wear a neck brace for a month. While filming The Old Guard, she tore a thumb ligament. This needed three operations and six months in a thumb brace. During Atomic Blonde, she broke teeth from clenching her jaw. She needed dental surgery to fix them.
Outside of action films, she had a back injury while filming Tully. She also felt a bit depressed. She thought this was from the processed food she ate for her character's body. In July 2009, she had a serious stomach virus. While filming The Road, Charlize injured her vocal cords from screaming. When promoting Long Shot, she said she laughed so hard at the movie Borat that her neck locked for five days. She also said she ended up in the ER on the set of Long Shot. This happened when she hit her head on a bench.
Filmography and Awards
Charlize Theron has appeared in over 50 films. She has won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She has also been nominated for three British Academy Film Awards and an Emmy Award.
Images for kids
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Theron in 2018
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Theron on the cover of Ms. magazine in 2005
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Theron attending the premiere of North Country at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival
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Theron promoting Prometheus at the 2012 WonderCon
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Theron at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con
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Theron speaking at a meeting of the World Economic Forum in 2013
