Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron’s mother, Gerda, shot and killed her father, Charles, in 1991. Gerda claimed self-defense, as Charles had allegedly threatened both her and Charlize. Gerda was not prosecuted based on the attorney general’s decision.

Full Name: Charlize Theron

Date of Birth: August 7, 1975

Birthplace: Benoni, South Africa

Occupation: Actress, Producer

Early Life:

Charlize Theron was born in Benoni, South Africa. Her childhood was marked by challenges, including witnessing her mother, Gerda, fatally shoot her father, Charles, in an act of self-defense. Theron moved to the United States to pursue a career in dance and modeling.

Acting Career:

Breakthrough: Theron’s breakthrough in acting came with her role in “The Devil’s Advocate” (1997), but it was her transformative performance in “Monster” (2003) as serial killer Aileen Wuornos that earned her critical acclaim. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal.
Diverse Roles: Theron has portrayed diverse characters in films such as “North Country” (2005), “Young Adult” (2011), and “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015), showcasing her versatility as an actress.
Producer: In addition to acting, Theron is a producer. She co-produced and starred in “Monster” and has been involved in other productions through her production company, Denver and Delilah Productions.

Activism:

Humanitarian Work: Theron is an advocate for various humanitarian causes. She is involved in efforts to combat HIV/AIDS in Africa and has been a United Nations Messenger of Peace since 2008.

Personal Life:

Adoption: Theron is a single mother who has adopted two children, a son named Jackson and a daughter named August.

Awards and Recognition:

Awards: Theron has received numerous awards for her work, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA.
Honors: In 2019, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Trivia

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.
On the show Shootout (2003) it was revealed that her manager discovered her in a Hollywood bank after he witnessed her shouting at a bank teller for refusing to cash her check.
Her first language is Afrikaans (South African Dutch). She speaks fluent English as her second language. As a teenager in her native South Africa, she learned English by watching American television.
She always speaks Afrikaans with her mother, who lives two minutes from her in Los Angeles. They have matching fish tattoos. She does not have a middle name. Her mother, however, has 13.
Parents worked in road construction.
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 11, 2004).
She suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) to the extent that, if renting a house/hotel room during a movie shoot, cannot relax until she has explored every closet, locker and drawer in the premises.
At 16 she won a modeling competition to go to Milan, Italy, and work on the catwalks and, at 18, won a scholarship to study ballet at the Joffrey School in New York. She turned to acting only because she injured both knees, dashing any hopes of a ballet career.
(May 3, 2019) Revealed that she landed in the hospital for five days after watching Borat (2006). She went to go see the film while she had a pre-existing injury in her neck – a herniated disk in her neck. She laughed so hard that her neck locked up. An ambulance had to take her to the hospital. Though the movie came out nearly 15 years ago, Theron said she’s never had a chance to pick up where she left off.
Used hypnotherapy as an aid to quit smoking.
Has two adopted children: a son Jackson Theron (b. November 2011, adopted March 2012) and a daughter August Theron (adopted July 2015).
Both of her parents were born and raised in South Africa. Her ancestry is Afrikaner: largely Dutch, as well as French Huguenot (the origin of her surname) and German.
Has her own charity called the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, which is committed to reducing the prevalence of HIV/AIDS and sexual violence among African youth.
Has said her favorite actor is Tom Hanks.
She gained 30 pounds to play Aileen Wuornos in Monster (2003).
The correct pronunciation of her name: Sharleese Ti-ron. The “Ti” pronounced as in till.
Trained as a ballet dancer at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City, and performed in both “Swan Lake” and “The Nutcracker”. Her dancing career ended after a knee injury.
Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on September 29, 2005.
In 2004 she injured her neck while filming Æon Flux (2005). Fortunately the injury was not serious enough to put her in the hospital, but it did postpone production for several weeks.
Sued photographer Guido Argentini, charging breach of contract and invasion of privacy for allegedly selling intimate photos he took of her in 1994 to Playboy. She won the case. (December 9, 1998)
Nude pictures of her taken in 1994 appeared in the May 1999 issue of Playboy Magazine.
Was introduced to the UFC by a friend and became obsessed with it.
In April 2019, Theron revealed that her son Jackson, identifies as a girl. She stated, “I am raising two beautiful proud Black African girls and I want them to find themselves and not necessarily push my ancestry on them.”