As a young girl, she experienced a heartbreaking and transformative event — her mother shot her abusive father in self-defense, resulting in his death.
Despite this traumatic history, she overcame challenges and eventually made her way to Hollywood, where she not only established a thriving career but also received the highest accolade — an Academy Award.
An unimaginable tragedy
Hollywood is filled with stars who have risen from humble beginnings — defying expectations and proving skeptics wrong. Many top celebrities didn’t have the advantage of privilege or connections, but through determination, they forged their path among the elite.
Actress Charlize Theron was never destined to be just another attractive face. Hollywood had a stereotype for women like her — eye candy, quiet, and easily replaceable. However, she chose not to conform to that narrative. She had already endured more than most could fathom.
Charlize Theron is a South African-American actress and producer, recognized as one of the highest-paid stars in Hollywood. With an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a place on Time‘s list of the 100 most influential people in the world, she has created a career that few can rival.
Yet, prior to the fame and wealth, her life was overshadowed by an unimaginable tragedy.
Charlize Theron was born on August 7, 1975, in Benoni, South Africa, into a notable Afrikaner family. Her heritage includes Dutch, French, and German settlers, with her French ancestors being some of the early Huguenots in South Africa.
Her father, Charles Theron, and mother, Gerda Maritz, were involved in road construction, but her family history extends much further — she is even connected to Danie Theron, a famous military figure from the Second Boer War.
Although Theron is fluent in English now, her first language is Afrikaans. Despite her future success in Hollywood, her early years in South Africa were marked by both privilege and significant challenges.
Why she faced bullying in school
As a child, Charlize Theron often felt out of place, particularly around boys.
“I wore really nerdy glasses because I was blind as could be and the boys didn’t like [me],” she shared in a recent interview with PEOPLE in New York. “I didn’t have any boyfriends, but lots of crushes.”
She was overlooked by a boy she fancied, and although she wished to be part of the popular group, she resorted to some “crazy things” to try to fit in.
“I wasn’t in the popular crowd. There was a really popular girl at school and I was obsessed with her. I mean, you would go to jail for that stuff today,” Theron laughs. “I was in tears one day because I couldn’t sit next to her.”
Her peers didn’t make things easier, teasing her for her glasses, messy hair, and clothing.
“I actually got a lot of the mean girl stuff from the ages of 7 to 12. I was pretty much a mess in primary school,” she confesses. “But I got that out of my system by the time I got to high school and was more immune to all of that stuff.
Her dad struggled with alcoholism and had a violent temper.
Charlize Theron spent her childhood on her family’s farm in Benoni, located just outside Johannesburg — a place that should have been serene but instead became the backdrop for a night that would alter her life forever.
On June 21, 1991, her father, who was a violent alcoholic, returned home in a furious state. This time, it was more intense than ever. Sensing impending danger, an aunt reached out to alert the family that Charles was upset.
At 15 years old, Theron remembered the unsettling sense of fear that enveloped her.
“Nature provides you with instinct. I sensed that something terrible was about to occur,” she recounted.
When her father returned home, he was uncontrollable, unleashing threats towards Charlize and her mother, his rage escalating into violence. Then, he seized a gun.
“My mom and I were in my room, pressing against the door because he was attempting to force his way in,” Charlize shared with NPR, continuing:
“So we were both pushing against the door from the inside, trying to prevent him from entering. He stepped back and fired through the door three times.”
“None of the bullets struck us, which is truly a miracle,” Charlize remarked.
As he shot at them, Charlize’s mother, Gerda, had no other option. She grabbed her own handgun, pulled the trigger, and shot her husband. It was a matter of survival.
The courts deemed it self-defense — Gerda faced no legal repercussions — but the trauma from that night would haunt Charlize for the rest of her life.
“Thin legs, large stomach”
Charlize once characterized her father as a tall figure with “thin legs and a large stomach,” a man who could be serious yet had a profound appreciation for laughter and life.
Nonetheless, she recognized his battle with alcoholism.
“My dad was a big guy, tall, thin legs, large stomach,” Theron shared. “[He] could be quite serious but also loved to laugh and enjoy life. He also had a disease. He was an alcoholic.”
While she made it clear that he never physically harmed her, she confessed, “he was a verbal abuser.”
The event in 1991, of course, deeply affected her. The experience left a significant mark on the Oscar-winner, who contemplated,
“This family violence, this type of violence that occurs within families, is something I share with many others.”
“I’m not embarrassed to discuss it, because I believe that the more we address these issues, the more we understand we are not alone in any of it,” she added. “For me, this story has always been about growing up with addicts and the impact it has on a person.”
Rather than breaking her, the trauma ignited the passion that propelled her remarkable ascent.
“I overcame that, and I take pride in it. I’ve put in a lot of effort for that, too,” Theron expressed to The New York Times. “And I am not afraid of it. I do not fear the darkness. If anything, I find it fascinating, because I believe it sheds light on human nature and people more clearly.”
How Hollywood found her
According to Theron, the real challenge began after filming. “That was my whole childhood. My trauma stemmed from all of that,” she confessed, indicating that the aftermath was even more disturbing than the event itself.
At 19, Charlize Theron made her way to Los Angeles with just a suitcase and an unwavering ambition. She had no connections, no backing — only raw talent and a fierce resolve to make it. One day, during a dispute with a bank teller over a bounced check, a talent agent happened to overhear her. That serendipitous moment opened the gates to Hollywood, but Charlize understood she had to battle for every chance.
Her major breakthrough arrived with The Devil’s Advocate (1997), where she held her own alongside Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves. Hollywood began to take notice. However, it wasn’t until 2003 that she truly astonished everyone. For Monster, she radically altered her appearance, gaining weight and discarding her glamorous persona to portray serial killer Aileen Wuornos. This raw performance earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress.
Charlize had demonstrated her capabilities, but she wasn’t keen on playing it safe.
She has played various killers
Continuing to break barriers, she embraced roles in action, drama, and comedy films. She emerged as one of Hollywood’s most powerful women, influencing both on-screen and off-screen, by producing films and championing better roles for women.
In 2015, at the age of 40 — a time when Hollywood often sidelines actresses — Charlize reinvented herself yet again. Portraying Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road, she captivated audiences, solidifying her legacy not only as an actress but as a genuine warrior in the industry.
Throughout her career, Theron has taken on the roles of several killers, which may come as a surprise considering her background, especially when she decided to portray the serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster.
Aileen was a former sex worker who was executed in Florida in 2002 for the murders of six men (she was never charged for a seventh murder). In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Aileen Wuornos became the focus of Monster.
Film critic Roger Ebert praised Charlize Theron’s performance as “one of the greatest in cinematic history.”
“Individuals like Aileen Wuornos are frequently just categorized and overlooked, with no one genuinely seeking to comprehend their stories,” Theron expressed in an interview with The New York Times. “People don’t inquire, ‘What led to this?’ I find the ‘why’ fascinating. In many respects, I’m here today because of that very inquiry.”
