Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron (born August 7, 1975) is a South African-born American actress and former fashion model. She is best-known for her portrayal of the serial killer Aileen Wuornos in the film Monster which won her a number of awards including an Academy Award.

Theron was born in Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa. Her father, Charles Theron, was a construction company owner of French Huguenot^{[citation needed]} descent. Her mother, Gerda, is of German descent and took over her husband's business after his death. Theron's first language is Afrikaans. She is also fluent in English and speaks some Xhosa. "Theron" is a French surname (originally spelt Théron) pronounced in Afrikaans as "Tronn", although she has said that she prefers the pronunciation "Thrown".^[1] The pronunciation commonly used in the United States involves two syllables, with stress on the first.

Theron grew up as the only child on her parents' farm near Johannesburg (Benoni). At the age of thirteen, Theron was sent to boarding school and began her studies at the National School Of The Arts in Johannesburg. At fifteen, Theron witnessed the death of her father, an abusive alcoholic; her mother shot him in self-defense when he attacked her. The police laid no charges against her.^[2]

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.^{[citation needed]}

Having signed a deal with John Galliano in 2004, Theron replaced Estonian model Tiiu Kuik as the spokeswoman in the J'ADORE advertisements by Christian Dior.^[15] From October 2005 to December 2006, Theron endorsed Raymond Weil watches. In February 2006, she was sued by Weil for breach of contract.^[16]

In May 2006, Maxim magazine named Theron #25 in its annual "Hot 100" issue.^[17]

In October 2007, Esquire magazine named Theron The Sexiest Woman Alive in its annual issue.^[18]

Theron dated the lead singer of Third Eye Blind, Stephan Jenkins, from January 1998 to July 2001. They broke up after Jenkins failed to take her requests of marriage seriously.^[19] Theron now resides in Los Angeles in the home of late 1930's actress Helen Twelvetrees, with her long-time boyfriend Stuart Townsend, with whom she starred in the 2004 film Head in the Clouds, as well as in the 2002 film Trapped; she, like Sarah Silverman, has said that they will not marry until same-sex couples are able to have their marriages recognized.^[20] Townsend recently stated he considers himself and Theron to be husband and wife. "We didn't have a ceremony," he said. "I don't need a certificate or the state or the church to say otherwise. So no there's no big official story on a wedding, but we are married. ... I consider her my wife and she considers me her husband".^[21]

While filming Æon Flux in Berlin, Germany, Theron had suffered a herniated disc in her neck, specifically the disc between the third and fourth vertebrae, which occurred as a result of her suffering a fall while filming a series of back handsprings.^[22]

Theron is also involved in women's rights organizations.^[23] In 2006, Theron won GLAAD's Vanguard Award at the GLAAD Media Awards for increasing "visibility and understanding".^[20] Theron is a supporter of animal rights and active member of PETA. She recently appeared in a PETA ad for their anti-fur campaign.^[24]

In a 2008 interview, she continuously mixed up two European cities, Budapest and Istanbul.^[25] The deputy mayor of Budapest responded by inviting her to spend a luxurious weekend in the Hungarian capital in order to get to know the city.^[26]

Theron became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 2007.^[27]