Charlize Theron is an Academy Award winning actress best known for her roles in, Monster, The Italian Job, and Hancock. The model turned actress was discovered at the age of 16. The star who grew up on a farm outside Benoni, South Africa, is an only child. She was educated as a ballet dancer but when she decided there wasn't much for a young actress or dancer to do in South Africa, she soon traveled to Europe and continued her career in America.
ABCreported that at fifteen tragedy stuck her life when her mother shot and killed her father in self-defense. On the night of June 21, 1991, Theron's father and her brother were returning home after a night of drinking. When he reached home, her father began shooting at her and her mother. He was banging in anger on the door of Charlize's bedroom, saying: "Tonight I'm going to kill you both with the shotgun."
Charlize recalling the incident, shared: "The terrible thing is that everybody in South Africa has a gun … You know, but that's just the lifestyle there. And those things are handy; terrible things happen. You shouldn't have those things around because when people get irrational and emotional and drunk, terrible things can happen."Her mother grabbed her own handgun and shot the two men, killing her husband and wounding his brother.
Moving on from her tragedy, she studied at the Joffrey Ballet School until she suffered a knee injury. At the tender age of 18, her mother made her go to Los Angeles to try her hand at acting. After eight months in Los Angeles she got her first part. Soon after she landed an agent, learned the English language, and her career took off. Her first role was as a young mother in a park in a B-film in 1995, she then starred in 2 Days in the Valley. She was won her first Academy Award for her performance in Monster in 2003.
Charlize was named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 2000 and the ‘Sexiest Women Alive’ by Esquire magazine in 2011. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005 and the same year was voted #15 on Maxim’s Hot 100 list and #11 in 2008.
According to People magazine, Charlize got to celebrate her birthday early in Rome, Italy. She had a dinner Sunday night at the restaurant, Antica Pesa, and had fun with friends, including the restaurant's owner, Francesco Panella. He opened the celebrity hotspot, which is usually closed on Sunday for the birthday girl.
Before arriving in Rome, Charlize who is a United Nations Messenger of Peace, went back to her roots and visited South Africa, to meet with the president and discuss AIDS education.
We wish the humble actress a Happy 38th Birthday and hope she has an amazing year!