Star Fashion Galleries: Charlize Theron

Name:

Birthdate: 7th August 1975

Birthplace: Benoni, South Africa

At the age of 16,

Charlize Theron traveled to Milan, Italy, on a one-year modeling contract, after winning a local competition. Her contract ended while she was in New York City, and she decided to remain there, attending the Joffrey Ballet School, where she trained as a ballet dancer. A knee injury closed this career path when

Charlize Theron was 18.

Unable to dance,

Charlize Theron bought a ticket to Los Angeles. After eight months in the city, she was cast in her first film part, a non-speaking role in the direct-to-video film Children of the Corn III. Sh

Charlize Theron followed this with larger roles in widely released Hollywood films, and her career skyrocketed in the late 1990s, with box office successes like The Devil's Advocate, The Cider House Rules, and Mighty Joe Young.

The May 1999 issue of

Playboy published

nude photos of

Charlize Theron, taken during the early years of her modeling career. Claiming they had been "for private use",

Charlize Theron ended up suing photographer Guido Argentini.

After appearing in a few notable films,

Charlize Theron starred as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in the film Monster (2003). Film critic Roger Ebert called it "one of the greatest performances in the history of the cinema", for which

Charlize Theron won the Best Actress Oscar at the 76th Academy Awards in February 2004, as well as the SAG Award and the Golden Globe Award.

Charlize Theron is the first South African to win an Oscar for Best Actress.

Having signed a deal with

John Galliano in 2004,

Charlize Theron replaced Estonian model

Tiiu Kuik in the J'ADORE advertisements by

Christian Dior;

Charlize Theron is the current spokeswoman for Dior perfume. From October 2005 to December 2006

Charlize Theron endorsed

Raymond Weil watches; in February of 2006 she was sued by them for breach of contract. On September 30, 2005,

Charlize Theron received her own bronze star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In the same year,

Charlize Theron starred in the financially unsuccessful science fiction thriller Æon Flux and was given positive reviews. Additionally,

Charlize Theron received a Best Actress Golden Globe nomination for her lead performance in the drama North Country. Ms. Magazine honored her for this performance as well with a feature article in its Fall 2005 issue.

Charlize Theron had also been nominated for an Oscar as a lead actress for the role, although she did not win; this was her second nomination.

In 2005,

Charlize Theron also portrayed Rita,

Michael Bluth's (

Jason Bateman) love interest on the third season of FOX's critically acclaimed sitcom

Arrested Development.

Charlize Theron also received Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for her role in the HBO movie The Life and Death of Peter Sellers.

After her Oscar win for Monster, she earned $10,000,000 for both North Country and Aeon Flux. According to The Hollywood Reporter's 2006 list of highest-paid actresses in Hollywood, she ranked 7th, behind