She rose to fame in the late 1990s following her roles in 2 Days in the Valley, Mighty Joe Young, The Devil's Advocate, and The Cider House Rules. She received critical acclaim and an Academy Award for her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in the film Monster, for which she became the first African to win an Academy Award in a major acting category. She received another Academy Award nomination for her performance in
At the age of 16, Theron traveled to
Unable to dance, Theron flew to
After appearing in a few notable films, Theron starred as the serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster (2003). Film critic Roger Ebert called it "one of the greatest performances in the history of the cinema". For this role, Theron won the Academy Award for Best Actress at the 76th Academy Awards in February 2004,as well as the SAG Award and the Golden Globe Award.She is the first African to win an Oscar for Best Actress.The Oscar win pushed her to The Hollywood Reporter's 2006 list of highest-paid actresses in Hollywood; earning $10,000,000 for both her subsequent films, North Country and Æon Flux, she ranked seventh, behind Halle Berry, Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Renée Zellweger, Reese Witherspoon, and Nicole Kidman.
On September 30, 2005, Theron received her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In the same year, she starred in the financially unsuccessful science fiction thriller Æon Flux.Additionally, Theron received Best Actress Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for her lead performance in the drama
In 2005, Theron portrayed Rita, Michael Bluth's (Jason Bateman) love interest, on the third season of Fox's critically-acclaimed television series Arrested Development.She also received Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for her role of Britt Ekland in the 2004 HBO movie The Life and Death of Peter Sellers.
In 2007, Esquire named her the Sexiest Woman Alive.
In 2008, Theron was named the Hasty Pudding Theatricals Woman of the Year. That year she also starred with Will Smith in Hancock, a movie that grossed $227.9M in the
On November 10, 2008, TV Guide reported that Theron will star in the film adaptation of The Danish Girl alongside Nicole Kidman. Theron will play Gerda Wegener, wife of Einar Wegener/Lili Elbe (Kidman), the world's first known person to undergo sex reassignment surgery.In October 2009, Theron was cast to star in a sequel to the Mad Max films, titled Mad Max: Road Fury, which will start filming in Aust 2010.
Filmography
Year Film Role Notes
1995 Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest Young Woman Uncredited
1996 2 Days in the Valley Helga Svelgen
That Thing You Do! Tina Powers
1997
Trial and Error Billie Tyler
The Devil's Advocate Mary Ann Lomax
1998 Celebrity Supermodel
Mighty Joe Young Jill Young Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
1999 The Astronaut's Wife Jillian Armacost
The Cider House Rules Candy Kendall Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Movie
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2000 Reindeer Games Ashley Mercer
The Yards Erica Stoltz
The Legend of Bagger Vance Adele Invergordon
Men of Honor Gwen Sunday
2001 Sweet November Sara Deever
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion Laura Kensington
15 Minutes Rose Heam
2002 Trapped Karen Jennings
Waking Up in
2003 The Italian Job Stella Bridger
Monster Aileen Wuornos Academy Award for Best Actress
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama
Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature
Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Female
National Board of Review Award for Best Breakthrough Performance by an Actress
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress
San Francisco Film
Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role - Motion Picture
Silver Bear for Best Actress (tied with Catalina Sandino Moreno for Maria full of Grace)
Nominated — BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
Nominated —
Nominated — Irish Film & Television Award for Best International Actress
2004 The Life and Death of Peter Sellers Britt Ekland Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress In A Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Nominated — Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress - Miniseries or a Movie
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie
Head in the Clouds Gilda Bessé
2005
Nominated — Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
Nominated — Academy Award for Best Actress
Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama
Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role - Motion Picture
Nominated —
Æon Flux Æon Flux
2007 In the
2008 Sleepwalking Joleen Also producer
Hancock Mary
2009 The Burning Plain Sylvia Also producer
The Road Wife Post-production
Astro Boy Narrator 'Our Friends'