Charlize Theron's Life in Photos

Theron poses beside a tractor at her family’s farm in Benoni, South Africa. The actress would move to America just a couple of short years later after spending a year modeling in Milan.

With plans to become a professional dancer, Theron moved to New York City and joined the Joffrey Ballet School. However, a knee injury quickly shattered this dream. Because of this, Theron decided to relocate to Los Angeles to give acting a try. She left New York City with a one-way ticket and just $400 in her pocket.

For the first few months in Hollywood, Theron lived in motels and barely got by. Talent agent John Crosby eventually discovered her at a Hollywood Boulevard bank. He introduced her to an acting school, and Theron soon got her first speaking role as a hitwoman named Helga Svelgen in Two Days in the Valley. Here, she walks the red carpet for the film.

A fan of fashion, Theron is photographed leaving the Versace runway show held at New York City’s Bryant Park in 1996.

Theron, who grew up as an only child, is pictured here with her mother, Gerda, in their hometown. Theron’s father was killed by her mother in self-defense in 1991. “My father was so drunk that he shouldn't have been able to walk when he came into the house with a gun,” Theron said in 2019 of what happened, via People. “My mom and I were in my bedroom leaning against the door because he was trying to push through the door.”

“So both of us were leaning against the door from the inside to have him not be able to push through,” she said. “He took a step back and just shot through the door three times. None of the bullets ever hit us, which is just a miracle. But in self-defense, she ended the threat [to save us].” Theron added this was why no charges were brought against her mother.

In 1997, the rising star appeared on Jay Leno alongside stand-up comedian Nick Di Paolo and musical guest Ice-T. This was Theron’s second appearance on the show.

Theron poses on the set of the 1997 hit film The Devil’s Advocate, directed by Taylor Hackford. Many consider this to be her breakout role.

Soon after, she starred in Mighty Joe Young, a film about an orphaned gorilla named Joe.

In 1998, Theron started a relationship with Stephan Jenkins, the lead singer of Third Eye Blind. Here, they are seen holding hands at the Mighty Joe Young premiere in Los Angeles. The two would date until 2001.

After her back-to-back roles in The Devil’s Advocate and Mighty Joe Young, Theron would star in The Cider House Rules, which was a commercial success.

Shortly after, Theron appeared opposite Matt Damon and Will Smith in Robert Redford’s The Legend of Bagger Vance. The movie was shot primarily in South Carolina and Georgia.

It was also in 2000 that Theron acted in Men of Honor, a film based on the true story of Master Chief Petty Officer Carl Brashear. Brashear was the U.S. Navy’s first African American master diver. Here, she mingles at the New York City premiere with co-stars Robert DeNiro and Cuba Gooding Jr.

Theron reunited with Keanu Reeves in 2000 to film Sweet November, a story about an unexpected relationship born from a chance encounter at a DMV.

In 2001, Theron started a new romance with Irish actor Stuart Townsend. The two would date for nearly a decade.

A known animal advocate, Theron is pictured posing at the Best Friends Pet Adoption Festival in Burbank, California.

In 2003, Theron played a vault technician named Stella in the popular heist movie, The Italian Job. Other big names, including Mark Wahlberg, Edward Norton, and Jason Statham, also appeared in the film. Here, she is pictured walking the red carpet in a beaded Douglas Hannant dress.

Theron received critical acclaim for her role in Monster. Here, she signs autographs for excited fans waiting for her outside the film’s premiere.

Theron received an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Monster. During her speech, she thanked her co-star Christina Ricci, calling the fellow actress the “unsung hero of this film.”

Theron poses backstage with Bowie, Naomi Watts, and Heath Ledger during Bowie’s “A Reality Tour.” It was his first concert in Los Angeles in seven years.

Theron walks the North Country red carpet with Stuart Townsend. The film centers around Theron’s character, a single mother subjected to sexual harassment while working at a local iron mine.