Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron refused to take the easy path to Hollywood success and in the process crafted one of the most successful careers in film history. Born in South Africa, she originally moved with her mother to Milan, Italy to accept a modeling contract when she was 16. She relocated again to the United States to study dance. After an injury derailed her dancing career, she moved again to Los Angeles, and began an acting career. A small role as a lingerie-clad assassin in "2 Days in the Valley" (1996) brought her immediate notice. She was cast by Tom Hanks in "That Thing You Do!" (1997) and in the comedy "Trial and Error" (1997), before progressing quickly into high profile starring roles. Playing opposite Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino, she gained notice in Taylor Hackford's "The Devil's Advocate" (1997), as the possessed wife of Reeves' lawyer. She soon headlined her own film when she was cast as the lead in Disney's remake of "Mighty Joe Young" (1998). She continued working steadily, starring opposite Tobey Maguire in "The Cider House Rules" (1999) and Ben Affleck in the action film "Reindeer Games" (2000), but she began slotting into roles that played upon her fresh-faced beauty. After a role in the well-received action yarn "The Italian Job" (2003), she took a role that completely changed perceptions of her. As serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Patty Jenkins' "Monster" (2003), the actress undertook a transformation that left her almost unrecognizable. She earned critical praise for the role, and took home both an Oscar and a Golden Globe. She followed up with dramatic roles in "Head in the Cloud" (2004) and "North Country" (2005), picking up a second Academy Award nomination for the latter. Despite good reviews the films didn't make quite the same impression as "Monster." Similarly, her work in the effects heavy films "Aeon Flux" (2005) and "Hancock" (2008), with Will Smith, also fell short of expectations. The actress fared better with a brief foray into television with a memorable guest arc on the hit comedy "Arrested Development" (Fox, 2003-06) and appearing as actress Britt Ekland opposite Geoffrey Rush in "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers" (HBO, 2004).. She began another upward ascent with a role opposite Viggo Mortensen in the adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic drama "The Road" (2009). A fruitful partnership with screenwriter Diablo Cody and director Jason Reitman emerged soon after, resulting in the well-received "Young Adult" (2011). The trio would later reform for "Tully" (2018). She also joined Chris Hemsworth for the fantasy adventures "Snow White and the Huntsman" (2012) and "The Huntsman: Winter's War" (2016), playing sinister fairy tale villain Queen Ravenna. Her action bona fides were proven conclusively when she starred in George Miller's "Mad Max: Fury Road" (2015), where she played the road warrior Imperator Furiosa. She followed that with a showy role as special agent Lorraine Broughton in "Atomic Blonde" (2017). The actress also joined one of history's most successful film franchises, playing the villainous Cipher in "The Fate of the Furious" (2017) and "Fast & Furious 9" (2020). Never one to be pigeonholed, she continued working in comedy as well, starring with Seth MacFarlane in "A Million Ways to Die in the West" (2014) and Seth Rogen in the romantic comedy "Longshot" (2019), the latter of which was under the banner of her own production company.
Photos
Charlize Theron
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
87% |
|
High & Low - John Galliano | Self | $66.5K | 2023 |
56% |
|
Fast X | Cipher (Character) | $573.9M | 2023 |
No Score Yet |
|
Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love | Self | - | 2023 |
38% |
|
The School for Good and Evil | Lady Lesso (Character) | - | 2022 |
28% |
|
The Addams Family 2 | Morticia Addams (Voice) | $56.5M | 2021 |
59% |
|
F9 The Fast Saga | Cipher (Character) | $173.0M | 2021 |
80% |
|
The Old Guard |
Andy (Character), Producer |
- | 2020 |
68% |
|
Bombshell |
Megyn Kelly (Character), Producer |
$31.7M | 2019 |
46% |
|
The Addams Family | Morticia Addams (Voice) | $673.0K | 2019 |
82% |
|
Long Shot |
Charlotte Field (Character), Producer |
$30.3M | 2019 |
87% |
|
A Private War | Producer | $1.6M | 2018 |
87% |
|
Tully |
Marlo (Character), Producer |
$9.2M | 2018 |
40% |
|
Gringo |
Elaine Markinson (Character), Producer |
$4.9M | 2018 |
79% |
|
Atomic Blonde |
Lorraine Broughton (Character), Producer |
$51.5M | 2017 |
67% |
|
The Fate of the Furious | Cipher (Character) | $225.7M | 2017 |
13% |
|
Brain on Fire | Producer | - | 2016 |
8% |
|
The Last Face | Wren (Character) | - | 2016 |
97% |
|
Kubo and the Two Strings | Monkey (Voice) | $48.0M | 2016 |
20% |
|
The Huntsman: Winter's War | Ravenna (Character) | $48.0M | 2016 |
23% |
|
Dark Places | Libby Day (Character) | $195.5K | 2015 |
97% |
|
Mad Max: Fury Road | Imperator Furiosa (Character) | $153.6M | 2015 |
33% |
|
A Million Ways to Die in the West | Anna (Character) | $42.6M | 2014 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Angels in Exile | Narrator | - | 2013 |
73% |
|
Prometheus | Meredith Vickers (Character) | $126.5M | 2012 |
48% |
|
Snow White and the Huntsman | Ravenna (Character) | $155.1M | 2012 |
80% |
|
Young Adult | Mavis Gary (Character) | $16.3M | 2011 |
74% |
|
The Road | Wife (Character) | $8.1M | 2009 |
51% |
|
Astro Boy | "Our Friends" Narrator (Voice) | $19.5M | 2009 |
38% |
|
The Burning Plain |
Sylvia (Character), Executive Producer |
$200.4K | 2008 |
42% |
|
Hancock | Mary Embrey (Character) | $227.9M | 2008 |
17% |
|
Sleepwalking |
Joleen (Character), Producer |
$169.0K | 2008 |
73% |
|
In the Valley of Elah | Det. Emily Sanders (Character) | $6.8M | 2007 |
57% |
|
Battle in Seattle | Ella (Character) | $223.5K | 2007 |
75% |
|
East of Havana | Producer | - | 2006 |
10% |
|
Aeon Flux | Aeon Flux (Character) | $25.9M | 2005 |
70% |
|
North Country | Josey Aimes (Character) | $18.3M | 2005 |
69% |
|
The Life and Death of Peter Sellers | Britt Ekland (Character) | - | 2004 |
17% |
|
Head in the Clouds | Gilda Bessé (Character) | $398.2K | 2004 |
81% |
|
Monster |
Aileen Wuornos (Character), Producer |
$34.5M | 2003 |
73% |
|
The Italian Job | Stella Bridger (Character) | $106.1M | 2003 |
11% |
|
Waking Up in Reno | Candy (Character) | $261.6K | 2002 |
17% |
|
Trapped | Karen Jennings (Character) | $6.9M | 2002 |
45% |
|
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion | Laura Kensington (Character) | $7.5M | 2001 |
32% |
|
15 Minutes | Rose Hearn (Character) | $24.4M | 2001 |
15% |
|
Sweet November | Sara Deever (Character) | $25.2M | 2001 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Captured on Film: The True Story of Marion Davies | Unknown (Character) | - | 2001 |
64% |
|
The Yards | Erica Stoltz (Character) | $882.7K | 2000 |
42% |
|
Men of Honor | Gwen (Character) | $48.8M | 2000 |
43% |
|
The Legend of Bagger Vance | Adele Invergordon (Character) | $30.7M | 2000 |
25% |
|
Reindeer Games | Ashley (Character) | $23.4M | 2000 |
15% |
|
The Astronaut's Wife | Jillian Armacost (Character) | $10.7M | 1999 |
71% |
|
The Cider House Rules | Candy Kendall (Character) | $57.5M | 1999 |
54% |
|
Mighty Joe Young | Jill Young (Character) | $50.6M | 1998 |
42% |
|
Celebrity | Supermodel (Character) | $5.0M | 1998 |
No Score Yet |
|
Hollywood Confidential | Sally (Character) | - | 1997 |
51% |
|
Trial and Error | Billy Tyler (Character) | $13.6M | 1997 |
63% |
|
The Devil's Advocate | Mary Ann Lomax (Character) | $61.0M | 1997 |
60% |
|
2 Days in the Valley | Helga Svelgen (Character) | $11.1M | 1996 |
93% |
|
That Thing You Do! | Tina (Character) | $25.9M | 1996 |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
84% | 74% | RuPaul's Drag Race | Guest | 2024 |
100% | 86% | Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York | Executive Producer | 2023 |
No Score Yet | 42% | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Guest | 2008-2009 2012 2015 2017-2022 |
No Score Yet | 54% | The Kelly Clarkson Show | Guest | 2022 |
No Score Yet | 44% | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon | Guest | 2014-2015 2017 2019-2021 |
No Score Yet | 28% | The Drew Barrymore Show | Guest | 2020-2021 |
No Score Yet | 55% | Late Night With Seth Meyers | Guest | 2017 2019-2020 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Close Up With The Hollywood Reporter | Guest | 2020 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Ellen DeGeneres Show | Guest | 2011-2012 2014 2017-2020 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Variety Studio: Actors on Actors | Guest | 2019-2020 |
82% | 16% | A Little Late With Lilly Singh | Guest | 2019 |
No Score Yet | 48% | The Late Show With Stephen Colbert | Guest | 2018-2019 |
No Score Yet | 11% | The View | Guest | 2018-2019 |
100% | 89% | Hyperdrive | Executive Producer | 2019 |
97% | 95% | Mindhunter | Executive Producer | 2017 2019 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Graham Norton Show | Guest | 2012 2014 2019 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Desus & Mero | Guest | 2019 |
No Score Yet | 18% | The Late Late Show With James Corden | Guest | 2016 2018-2019 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Daily Show | Guest | 2004 2008 2019 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen | Guest | 2017-2019 |
No Score Yet | 29% | Unapologetic With Aisha Tyler | Guest | 2018 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Hot Ones | Guest | 2018 |
75% | 89% | The Orville | Pria Lavesque (Guest Star) | 2017 |
35% | 74% | Girlboss | Executive Producer | 2017 |
41% | 61% | Chelsea | Guest | 2016-2017 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Celebrated | Self | 2015 |
No Score Yet | 57% | Saturday Night Live | Host | 2000 2014 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Conan | Guest | 2012 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Colbert Report | Guest | 2012 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Late Night With Jimmy Fallon | Guest | 2009 2011 |
No Score Yet | 84% | Robot Chicken | Unknown (Guest Voice) | 2006 |
75% | 85% | Arrested Development | Rita (Guest Star) | 2005 |