All Top Hollywood Celebrities

Charlize Theron Born on August 7, 1975, in rural Benoni, South Africa, to co-owners of a road construction company, Charles and Gerda. The Afrikaans-speaking family lived on a working farm outside of Johannesburg, and although Theron's childhood chores included tending livestock, her passion for dance became evident early on. To foster her artistic leanings, Theron began ballet lessons at age six. Her parents encouraged her burgeoning talent, and by age 12, she was sent to a Johannesburg boarding school to study dance.
Hollywood Success:
As Theron became more of a Hollywood presence, she was cast alongside Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves in The Devil's Advocate (1997). Her turn as Reeves' suicidal wife earned her another brief but memorable part in Woody Allen's Celebrity (1998), and a starring role in Disney's remake of Mighty Joe Young (1998).
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.
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.
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.