Charlize Theron Biography

Charlize Theron was born on August 7, 1975 in the small town of Benoni in South Africa. She was the only child of Charles and Gerda Theron, two South African farmers who also ran a road construction business. Growing up on this farm allowed Charlize to learn parts of many languages -- an article in 'Vanity Fair' indicated she knew parts of 28, with Afrikaans being her first. At the age of 6, Charlize took up ballet and quickly proved to be skilled. She would soon be invited to dance professionally in Johannesburg in South Africa.

Charlize was erolled in a Johannesburg boarding school at the age of 13. During a break when she was at home in 1991, Charlize's father was killed, leaving her mother alone to run their two businesses. Near this time, Charlize was offered a modelling contract in Milan, Italy after winning a local contest. She accepted and went on to model across the World, even appearing in some major magazines. After a year, however, Charlize grew bored of being seen as "somebody beautiful who should not say a word." While in Manhattan, New York in 1992, Charlize decided she would not return to the world of modelling and instead move back towards ballet. She began dancing with the Joffrey School in New York, partaking in such classics as 'The Nutcracker Suite' and 'Swan Lake.' Tragically, at a tender 18 years old, she suffered a knee injury that would end her ballet dancing career before it had a chance to truly begin.

Without the ability to dance ballet, and nearly broke, Charlize bought a one way ticket to Hollywood at the urging of her mother, Gerda. She arrived in Fairfax, California where she set up shop in the Farmer's Daughter Motel. It was in 1994 that she was "discovered." When an L.A. bank teller refused to cash her out-of-town cheque because she did not have an account at the bank, she threw "a little tantrum." This tantrum was witnessed by a talent manager named John Crosby, who also represents Rene Russo and John Hurt. He called this screaming, arm-waving tantrum-thrower a "vision" and immediately asked her "I don't know what you do, but if you're interested in acting, here's my card." Initially skeptical of the card, she was informed by a friend that John Crosby was legitimate. Of course, with no money or job, she was definitely interested and set out to shed her South African accent. She began watching hours of television and singing along to American songs on the radio. Soon after, she acquired her first acting job -- 2 Days in the Valley. This was followed by an audition for a new Tom Hanks movie, who raved upon the completion of her audition, "She's got it! That girl is going to be somebody." As her star rose, on December 19th of 1997, Charlize dumped the agent that had brought her there abruptly, something she does not discuss in public.

Charlize was narrowly beat out by Elizabeth Berkley for the lead role in the "movie", Showgirls. She was quoted as saying "it was like I had some guardian angel."
Believed as a child in the Tokoloshe, a creature that would climb into your ear and make you evil. It was believed the only way to avoid him was to sleep in a raised bed so he couldn't reach you.
Charlize is on medication to control ulcers that have plagued her much of her life. Originally she suffered them as a child, and most recently, upon her arrival in Hollywood.
Her best friend is star of the WB Network show, The Army Show, Ivana Milicevic.
Met her boyfriend, Stephen Jenkins, while on holiday with her family in Hawaii over Christmas of 1997. A fan of the band, Third Eye Blind (in which he is the singer), she attended their concert at the Hard Rock Cafe and decided to meet up with the band after the show.

Charlize is presently dating the lead singer of the band Third Eye Blind, Stephan Jenkins. This comes after a long turn at the single life following a breakup with actor Craig Bierko (The Long Kiss Goodnight). She recently found herself in the centre of a highly publicized controversy surrounding an advertisement she did in her native South Africa. The campaign, an anti-rape series done in an attempt to bring notice to the high incidence of rape in South Africa, was met with complaints after it was felt the ad was "anti-men" in general.