Charlize Theron (born August 7, 1975) is a South African American actress and former fashion model. She is well known for her portrayal of Aileen Wuornos in the film Monster, for which she won an Academy Award.
Career
At the age of 16, Theron traveled to Milan, Italy, on a one-year modeling contract, after winning a local competition. Her contract ended while she was in New York City. She decided to remain there, attending the Joffrey Ballet School, where she trained as a ballet dancer. A knee injury closed this career path when Theron was 18.
Unable to dance, Theron bought a ticket to Los Angeles. After eight months in the city, she was cast in her first film part, a non-speaking role in the direct-to-video film, Children of the Corn III. She followed this with larger roles in widely released Hollywood films, and her career skyrocketed in the late 1990s, with box office successes like The Devil's Advocate, The Cider House Rules and Mighty Joe Young.
The May 1999 issue of Playboy published nude photos of Theron, taken during the early years of her modeling career. Claiming they had been "for private use," Theron ended up suing photographer Guido Argentini. After appearing in a few notable films, Theron starred as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in the film, Monster (2003). Film critic Roger Ebert called it "one of the greatest performances in the history of the cinema.", for which Theron won the Best Actress Oscar at the 76th Academy Awards in February 2004, as well as the SAG Award and the Golden Globe Award. She is the first South African to win an Oscar for Best Actress.
Having signed a deal with John Galliano in 2004, Theron replaced Estonian model Tiiu Kuik in the J'ADORE advertisements by Christian Dior, which involved her removing all of her jewelry before taking her dress off and walking away naked; she is the current spokeswoman for Dior perfume. From October 2005 to December 2006, Theron endorsed Raymond Weil watches. In February of 2006, she was sued by Weil for breach of contract.
On September 30, 2005, Theron received her own bronze star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In the same year, she starred in the financially unsuccessful science fiction thriller, Æon Flux, for which she received positive reviews. Additionally, Theron received a Best Actress Golden Globe nomination for her lead performance in the drama North Country. Ms. Magazine also honored her for this performance with a feature article in its Fall 2005 issue. Furthermore, Theron was nominated for an Oscar as a lead actress for the role; however, she did not win.
In 2005, Theron portrayed Rita, Michael Bluth's (Jason Bateman) love interest, on the third season of FOX's critically-acclaimed television series Arrested Development. She also received Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for her role of Britt Ekland in the 2004 HBO movie, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers.
In May 2006, Maxim magazine named Theron #25 in its annual "Hot 100" issue.
In October 2007, Esquire magazine named Theron The Sexiest Woman Alive in its annual issue.
Theron has twice done advertisements for Christian Dior's fragrance J'Adore. The first ad featured her lying down on a gold dress. The second one was a commercial that featured her stripping down to virtually nothing
