Charlize Theron

 Here’s a detailed biography of **Charlize Theron** — her early life, career, achievements, personal life, and activism:

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## Basic Details

* **Full name**: Charlize Theron ([Wikipedia][1])

* **Date of birth**: August 7, 1975 ([Wikipedia][1])

* **Place of birth**: Benoni, Transvaal Province, South Africa ([Encyclopedia Britannica][2])

* **Citizenship**: South African and U.S. (she became a U.S. citizen in 2007 while retaining her South African citizenship) ([Wikipedia][1])

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## Early Life & Background

* She grew up on a farm near Benoni, South Africa. Her parents are Charles Theron and Gerda (née Maritz) Theron. ([Biography][3])

* From an early age she studied ballet; she had dancing training and wanted to pursue arts. ([Biography][3])

* A traumatic event: when she was about 15, her mother shot and killed her father in self-defence after he, while drunk, allegedly attacked the family. Her mother was not prosecuted. ([Encyclopedia Britannica][2])

* As a teenager she moved to Milan to work as a model. Later on, she moved to New York, initially modelling and then transitioning toward acting. ([Encyclopedia Britannica][2])

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## Career

### Early Career

* Her film debut came in **Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest** (1995) in a small/uncredited role. ([Biography][3])

* She had supporting and more visible roles soon after, such as in *2 Days in the Valley* (1996), *That Thing You Do!* (1996) and *The Devil’s Advocate* (1997). ([Biography][3])

### Breakthrough & Major Roles

* In 2003, she gave a critically acclaimed performance as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in *Monster*, which won her the **Academy Award for Best Actress** and a Golden Globe. ([Encyclopedia Britannica][2])

* Other notable performances and nominations include *North Country* (2005) where she played a miner fighting sexual harassment. ([Encyclopedia Britannica][2])

### Action & Blockbusters

* She has starred in a number of commercially successful action / sci-fi / fantasy films:

  * *The Italian Job* (2003) ([Wikipedia][1])

  * *Hancock* (2008) ([Encyclopedia Britannica][2])

  * *Prometheus* (2012) ([Wikipedia][1])

  * *Mad Max: Fury Road* (2015) — particularly praised for her role as Imperator Furiosa. ([Biography][3])

  * *Atomic Blonde* (2017) ([Wikipedia][1])

  * *The Old Guard* (2020) ([Wikipedia][1]), etc. ([Biography][3])

* She also does dramatic / character roles: *Young Adult* (2011), *Bombshell* (2019) where she portrayed Megyn Kelly, among others. ([Biography][3])

### Production

* Charlize Theron also co-founded / runs a production company (Denver and Delilah Productions) through which she has produced several films, some of which she also stars in. ([Wikipedia][1])

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## Awards & Recognition

* She has won **one Academy Award** (for *Monster*) ([Wikipedia][1])

* She’s also won a **Golden Globe** and various other major awards. ([Wikipedia][1])

* Nominated multiple times for Oscars, BAFTAs, etc. ([Wikipedia][1])

* In 2016, she was named by *Time* magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. ([Wikipedia][1])

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## Personal Life

* She has two adopted children: a son, Jackson (adopted in 2012), and a daughter, August (adopted in 2015). ([Biography][3])

* Relationships: She was in a long-term relationship with actor Stuart Townsend (2001-2009). ([Wikipedia][1])

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## Activism & Humanitarian Work

* In 2007, she founded **Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP)**, which works primarily in Africa supporting young people in the fight against HIV/AIDS. ([Wikipedia][1])

* She has been involved with the United Nations; she was named a UN Messenger of Peace. ([Biography][3])

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If you like, I can also send you a complete filmography, or highlight her *top 5 performances*, or talk about recent/upcoming projects. Would you prefer that?

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlize_Theron?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Charlize Theron"

[2]: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charlize-Theron?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Charlize Theron | Biography, Movies, Monster, & Facts | Britannica"

[3]: https://w

ww.biography.com/actors/charlize-theron?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Charlize Theron"