Charlize Theron:
From South Africa to Hollywood.
By Darren Williams
Charlize Theron is a South African Beauty who has invaded Hollywood with her extreme good looks and out of this world talent. At the age of 39, this lovely actress has garnished the right to be on the A-List of celebrities with supreme versatility and skill. A hard working actress that persevered through family hardship, she is credited with starring in over 40 films and TV Shows while maintaining her personal life and being a humanitarian.
Charlize Theron was born in Benoni of Johannesburg, South Africa from parents of French and German Descent and lived on a farm tending to livestock. Growing up in a violent household at the age of 12, she was sent to a boarding school in Johannesburg after showing an interest in ballet. When she was visiting one year, her alcoholic father was abusing her mother and she witnessed her mother shoot and kill her father. She was only 15 years old. Charlize’s mother was cleared since it was in self-defense but the incident did leave a mark on her and to clear her mind she began modeling. After a successful career in modeling and still attending ballet classes, she blew her knee out which crushed her dreams of dancing. Charlize did not let that stop her and decided to take on acting. While at a bank that was denying to cash her check she flipped out on the teller which caught the eye of a talent manager who took her on immediately. From that moment, Charlize Theron has skyrocketed into the film industry as a Hollywood leading lady. She started with small roles that led to her catching the eye of Tom Hanks who put her in his feature film “That Thing You Do!” Afterward she became a well-known actress starring in films along side stars such as Keanu Reeves in “Sweet November”, Johnny Depp in “The Astronauts Wife”, and Woody Allen’s “Curse of the Jade Scorpion”. Charlize’s most notable role that earned her the title of being South Africa’s first winner of the Academy Award for Best Leading Actress is 2003’s, “Monster”. Charlize’s drastic transformation stunned audiences and Hollywood’s toughest critics which instantly made her a A-lister to watch out for.
We should also keep a close eye on the philanthropy and humanitarian works Charlize has accomplished in the past few years and what she has planned for in the future. Charlize is not only known as one of Hollywood great actresses of our time, but she is also recognized as being the one of the most charitable celebs as well. In 2007, she created the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, which helps to protect African youths safe from HIV/AIDS. The focus of the charity is to provide grants to local organizations that support the fight and to highlight the work that is being done. The effort is focused on sub-saharan Africa but primarily towards Charlize’s home of South Africa. It has helped over 200,000 youths and continues to fight to help more young Africans. She works heavily with providing support to South Africa in many different ways. She has worked with the Rape Crisis Center in Cape Town to vocalize the number of rape cases. Also, Project Angelfood has helped to feed those affected by HIV and AIDS. She is well involved with over 2 dozen other charities such as PETA, Red Cross, and Global Green to name a few. Her efforts are definitely noticed and she has been honored for them as well. In 2013, she received the World Economic Forum’s Crystal Award for her outstanding work through her foundations work with HIV/AIDS and is also the United Nations Messenger of Peace for the same reasons. Charlize Theron is a fiery South African actress that is talented beyond expectations and has a heart of gold.
