CHARLIZE THERON ATOMIC ACTRESS

• Birth: Charlize saw the first light of day on a small farm in Benoni near Johannesburg South Africa on August 7, 1975
• Training: Attended schools in SA, then did one year of modelling in Europe, moved to the USA to do ballet and eventually settled for stardom attending some acting classes.
• Personal Life: Charlize has never been married. She is the mother of two adopted children
• Home: Los Angeles USA
• Career: Mostly actress but also producer in 16 projects 
• Political Support: Liberal Democrat

The publication of this articles coincides with the release of Charlize Theron’s latest feature film “Atomic Blond”. The film was highly anticipated and is presently supported with a score of 7.2 on the International Movie Data Base (IMDB). It has already proven its mettle at the box office and there is no doubt that it will be a financial success. The metaphor of an explosive actress with an oversupply of beauty and talent is apt as Charlize continues to deliver stunning performances in a variety of film roles.

Charlize first appeared on the Hollywood scene with the release of her first speaking part in her second movie “2 Days in the Valley”.  Since then she has reached iconic status with a dedicated fanbase and outstanding performances in many movie roles. She received a star on the Hollywood walk of fame in September 2005 at the young age of 30 years. No doubt the best export product from South Africa to the land of the silver screen. With the release of “Atomic Blond” Charlize presently occupies position no 14 on the list of most researched film artists on IMDB.

I just love the 2005 ABC news description of Charlize: “For nearly a decade, Charlize Theron has been one of Hollywood’s certified goddesses, 5 feet 10 inches of traffic stopping, red carpet-strutting, designer-clad glamor”.

 https://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=132413&page=1

Birth

The story of the birth and childhood of Charlize is one of the best-known tales in Tinsel town, with many repeats in the important magazines and websites about Hollywood stars.  Charlize was born on a small holding in Benoni, a fairly large city, some 25 miles from Johannesburg, South Africa. She was the only child of Gerda and Charles Theron.  I could not find any references to the occupations of either of her parents.

Both parents became aware of the artistic streak in Charlize’s personality and it was therefore decided that after the completion of her primary school years she would transfer to the National School of Arts in Johannesburg.  One of her principal interests were ballet as she planned a career in this field.  Charlize’s father suffered from alcoholism, which she defined correctly as an illness. Combined with an explosive personality, Charlize and her mother suffered considerable abuse at the hands of the often, inebriated Charles Theron.  Although the mother was physically abused Charlize only suffered verbal abuse, bad enough for a teenage girl living an unsure and unsettled life.  She often witnessed the abuse of her mother and one can only imagine the trauma of those formative years. 

On a visit home, when Charlize was 15 years old her mother received telephonic warning that Charles and his brother were on their way to the house, totally bombed and aggressive. Charlize was locked in her room and so were the outside doors to the house.  Armed with a shotgun the father and his brother broke into the home and was busy attempting to break down the door to Charlize’s bedroom.  At the same time, he threatened that this was the night he was going to kill both mother and daughter. As the drama unfolded Charlize’s mother used her own hand gun to shoot both men, killing the father and wounding his brother. Gerda Theron was never prosecuted as it was held that she had acted in self-defense.  Most remarkable was the attitude of Gerda Theron that she would sort out the mess on her own, encouraging Charlize to carry on to make the best of her life, providing both financial and moral support for this purpose.

At 16 years of age, Charlize moved to Europe after winning a modeling contest where she strutted the modeling walkways for one year.  In view of Charlize’s preference for ballet, she moved to the USA to further her studies in this artful dance form.  A knee injury put paid to this activity and once more Gerda Theron proved to be a pillar of strength encouraging Charlize to try something different. So, Charlize moved to Los Angeles to follow her dream of making something of her life.

Training

Charlize trained with Ivana Chubbuck as an actress with special emphasis on her South African accent. She soon showed a knack for USA English and now speaks exclusively in the American accent. While looking for parts in Hollywood Charlize went into a bank to have a cheque sent to her by her mother.  The teller refused to cash the cheque and Charlize went into an entertaining rage about the bad luck she was experiencing. This was noticed by a Hollywood talent agent and he gave Charlize his card. The relationship with the agent soon ran aground but it also gave Charlize the start that would ensure 14th place in the popularity stakes 22 years later for her latest movie role.

Charlize has always maintained a very close relationship with her mother Gerda.  She has repeatedly expressed her love and admiration for the woman who would not allow the personal tragedy of her own life to spoil the opportunities for success that waited in the wings for Charlize. This intimate connection continues to be source of inspiration and strength for the actress.

Personal Life

Although Charlize has never been married she is the mother of two adopted children, son Jackson and daughter August. On the issue of marriage Charlize has made it quite clear that she does not place much trust in the institution and indicating that it is highly unlikely that she will ever enter the state of matrimony.  She had a long-time relationship of some 8 years with fellow actor Stuart Townsend.  More recently she was involved in a much publicized, romance with outstanding actor Sean Penn.  Sean also directed Charlize in a picture made in South Africa with the title: “The Last Face”.  The picture proved to be amateurish and suffered both critical and box office failure. This seems to have been the cause for the break-up of the pairing of two of Hollywood’s most famous stars. 

Career

After appearing in her first speaking part in the film “2 Days in the Valley” in 1996 Charlize took Hollywood by storm acting with established stars like Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Keanu Reeves, Johnny Depp, Will Smith, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, and Ben Affleck.  Her appearance with Al and Keanu in “The Devil’s Advocate” brought her straight to the attention of movie fans and they proclaimed their love of the star loudly and clearly. This love affair has continued to the present day with the release of mostly above average movies although there were some flops to contend with in the mixture.

Charlize created her own charity organization to help in the fight against HIV/AIDS. She also acts a United Nations Messenger of Peace and continues to support various causes that she considers important from her personal perspective.  On a visit to South Africa Charlize met with the iconic Nelson Mandela and became emotional when the moment overwhelmed her on meeting the man that led South Africa to freedom. She holds dual citizenship of the USA and South Africa. Charlize has the distinction that she was the first South African to win an Academy Award in a major role as the lead actress. 

As for her acting talent, numerous awards and nominations have cemented Theron’s reputation as a world class actress.  She won the Academy Award for best actress for her role in the movie “Monster” where she underwent a complete transformation coming over as unattractive if not downright ugly.  Another nomination in this category followed for the movie “North Country”. She is known to get under the skin of the roles that she accepts and convinces audiences of her sincerity when playing various characters.  The well know movie critic the late Roger Ebert has the following to say about Charlize’s performance in “Monster”: “I didn't recognize her -- but more to the point, I hardly tried, because the performance is so focused and intense that it becomes a fact of life. Observe the way Theron controls her eyes in the film; there is not a flicker of inattention, as she urgently communicates what she is feeling and thinking. There's the uncanny sensation that Theron has forgotten the camera and the script and is directly channeling her ideas about Aileen Wuornos”

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/monster-2003

Filmography

Tully  - Post production – to be released

Gringo – Completed - to be released

Flarsky – Pre-production

The Fate of the Furious 2017

Atomic Blonde 2017

Kubo and the Two Strings 2017

The Last Face 2016

The Huntsman: Winter's War 2016

Mad Max: Fury Road 2015

Dark Places 2015

A Million Ways to Die in the West 2014

Snow White and the Huntsman 2012

Prometheus 2012

Young Adult 2011

Astro Boy 2009

The Road 2009

The Burning Plain 2009

Hancock 2008

Sleepwalking 2008

Battle in Seattle 2007

In the Valley of Elah 2007

Æon Flux 2005

North Country 2005

Head in the Clouds 2004

The Life and Death of Peter Sellers 2004

Monster 2003

The Italian Job 2003

Waking Up in Reno 2002

Trapped 2002

The Curse of the Jade Scorpion 2001

15 Minutes 2001

Sweet November 2001

The Legend of Bagger Vance 2000

Men of Honor 2000

The Yards 2000

Reindeer Games 2000

The Cider House Rules 1999

The Astronaut's Wife 1999

Mighty Joe Young 1998

Celebrity 1998

The Devil's Advocate 1997

Trial and Error 1997

That Thing You Do! 1996

2 Days in the Valley 1996

Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest 1995