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Quick Facts
- NAME: Charlize Theron
- OCCUPATION: Animal Rights Activist, Film Actress, Television Actress
- BIRTH DATE: August 07, 1975 (Age: 37)
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa
- ZODIAC SIGN: Leo
Best Known For
Charlize Theron is a South African-born actress, best known for her roles in such films as North Country and Monster, for which she won an Academy Award.
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Play NowCharlize Theron. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 05:44, Jun 18, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/charlize-theron-9542564.
Charlize Theron. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/charlize-theron-9542564 [Accessed 18 Jun 2013].
"Charlize Theron." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Jun 18 2013, 05:44 http://www.biography.com/people/charlize-theron-9542564.
"Charlize Theron," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/charlize-theron-9542564 [accessed Jun 18, 2013].
"Charlize Theron," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/charlize-theron-9542564 (accessed Jun 18, 2013).
Charlize Theron [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 Jun 18] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/charlize-theron-9542564.
Charlize Theron, http://www.biography.com/people/charlize-theron-9542564 (last visited Jun 18, 2013).
Charlize Theron. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/charlize-theron-9542564. Accessed Jun 18, 2013.
In 1999, Theron landed a string of roles in notable films, including The Astronaut's Wife opposite Johnny Depp, and The Cider House Rules with Tobey Maguire. In 2001, she reteamed with Reeves for the tearjerker Sweet November, and two years later she starred opposite Mark Wahlberg in the heist thriller The Italian Job (2003). However,
her performance in 2003's Monster—a biopic about serial killer Aileen Wuornos—earned her widespread respect. Theron gained close to 40 pounds for the role, and her gritty, gripping performance won her both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.
Continued Success
After her turn as Britt Ekland in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004), Theron took on another strong drama, starring in 2005's North Country with Sissy Spacek and Frances McDormand. Her portrayal of a coal miner fighting sexual harassment in the work place earned her nominations at the Golden Globes and the Oscars. The same year, she starred in the big-screen adaptation of the MTV cult cartoon Aeon Flux, and made multiple guest appearances on the award-winning television comedy, Arrested Development.
With several other films under her belt, Theron returned to the superhero genre in 2008's Hancock with co-star Will Smith. In 2009, she will appear in the film version of Cormac McCarthy's The Road.
In addition to her film roles, Theron is also a philanthropist and social activist. In 2008, she was honored by the United Nations when she became the organization's tenth messenger of peace.
Theron currently resides in Los Angeles with her long-time companion, actor Stuart Townsend. Although the couple recognizes their union as a marriage, Theron and Townsend say they won't marry until same-sex couples are also able to have their relationships legally recognized.
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