Charlize Theron Trivia | 50 facts about the actress

Charlize Theron is a South African and American actress and producer. She’s one of the world’s highest-paid actresses, and the recipient of many accolades.

Let’s find out more about the actress!

1. When she was 15, her father attacked her mother, and her mother shot him in self-defense. He died, but her mother was not charged in the incident.
2. After winning her Oscar, she returned to great celebrations in her native South Africa, and she even met former South African President Nelson Mandela.
3. When he praised her for putting their country on the map and gave her a hug, Theron broke into tears (she was guest of honor at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg on March 11, 2004).
4. Always speaks Afrikaans with her mother, who lives two minutes from her in Los Angeles.
5. She and her mum have matching fish tattoos.
6. Suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) to the extent that, if renting a house/hotel room during a movie shoot, cannot relax until she has explored every closet, locker and drawer in the premises.
7. At 16 she won a modeling competition to go to Milan, Italy, and work on the catwalks and, at 18, won a scholarship to study ballet at the Joffrey School in New York. She turned to acting only because she injured both knees, dashing any hopes of a ballet career.
8. One of the first movies she ever went to see at the theater was Splash (1984). She confessed that after watching the movie, she felt jealous of Daryl Hannah and developed a crush on Tom Hanks. She even said to herself that she could have played the role of Madison better than Hannah.
9. On the show Sunday Morning Shootout (2003) it was revealed that her manager discovered her in a Hollywood bank after he witnessed her shouting at a bank teller for refusing to cash her check.
10. As a teenager in her native South Africa, she learned English by watching American television.
11. Revealed that she landed in the hospital for five days after watching Borat (2006). She went to go see the film while she had a pre-existing injury in her neck – a herniated disk in her neck. She laughed so hard that her neck locked up. An ambulance had to take her to the hospital. Though the movie came out nearly 15 years ago, Theron said she’s never had a chance to pick up where she left off.
12. Used hypnotherapy as an aid to quit smoking.
13. Her first language is Afrikaans (South African Dutch). She speaks fluent English as her second language.
14. Has two adopted children: a son Jackson Theron (b. November 2011, adopted March 2012) and a daughter August Theron (adopted July 2015).
15. Has her own charity called the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, which is committed to reducing the prevalence of HIV/AIDS and sexual violence among African youth.
16. Both of her parents were born and raised in South Africa. Her ancestry is Afrikaner: largely Dutch, as well as French Huguenot (the origin of her surname) and German.
17. Has said her favorite actor is Tom Hanks.
18. She earns $2 million per year endorsing Dior’s “J’Adore” fragrance, as well as $2.5 million per year endorsing Swiss watchmaker Raymond Weil.
19. She is the second South African-born person to win an Academy Award–Ted Moore was the first. Basil Rathbone was the first South African-born actor to be nominated, followed by Cecil Kellaway.
20. Charlize Theron was the first South African-born woman to win an Oscar.
21. Turned down the female lead in Pearl Harbor (2001) to star alongside Keanu Reeves in Sweet November (2001).
22. She gained 30 pounds to play Aileen Wuornos in Monster (2003). She was awarded with the Best Actress Oscar for her performance of the role on what would have been Aileen’s 48th birthday: February 29, 2004.
23. Her first language is Afrikaans and she did not become fluent in English until she came to the USA as a teenager. Consequently, American is her natural accent when she speaks English.
24. The correct pronunciation of her name: Sharleese Ti-ron. The “Ti” pronounced as in till. The surname is a well-known Afrikaans surname which originated from France, coming to South Africa by way of the immigration of the French Huguenots.
25. On March 12, 2008, she announced on the Late Show with David Letterman (1993) that she is now a U.S. citizen.
26. United Nations Messenger of Peace.
27. Trained as a ballet dancer at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City, and performed in both “Swan Lake” and “The Nutcracker”. Her dancing career ended after a knee injury.
28. Does not have a middle name. Her mother, however, has 13.
29. Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on September 29, 2005.
30. Became a fashion model at age 14.
31. Shaved her head for the role of Imperator Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road (2015).
32. Seventh highest paid actress of 2017 with $14 million.
33. Is the only child of Charles, whom she was named after, and Gerda Theron.
34. She is good friends with her North Country (2005) co-star, Jeremy Renner.
35. “Entertainment Weekly” predicted her Oscar win for Monster (2003) 11 months before she won it.
36. In 2004 she injured her neck while filming Æon Flux (2005). Fortunately the injury was not serious enough to put her in the hospital, but it did postpone production for several weeks.
37. Sued photographer Guido Argentini, charging breach of contract and invasion of privacy for allegedly selling intimate photos he took of her in 1994 to Playboy. She won the case. (December 9, 1998)
38. Founded film company “Denver and Delilah Productions” in early 2000s.
39. Nude pictures of her taken in 1994 appeared in the May 1999 issue of Playboy Magazine.
40. Is a supporter of animal rights and appeared in a PETA ad for its anti-fur campaign.
41. She was considered for the role of Hela in Thor: Ragnarok (2017) before her rival, Cate Blanchett was cast.
42. Her first modeling assignment was for the Afrikaans-language monthly women’s magazine “Rooi Rose” (Red Rose) when she was the “New Model Today” winner in 1991.
43. Wanted to play Roxie Hart in Chicago (2002) as she was a dancer for most of her life but was kicked off by director Rob Marshall. The role eventually went to Renée Zellweger who was nominated for an Oscar for her performance.
44. Was considered for the role of Satine in Moulin Rouge (2001) but Nicole Kidman, who went on to receive a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her performance, was cast instead.
45. Is involved in women’s rights organizations, and has marched in pro-choice rallies.
46. Ranked #5 on the list of “Hollywood’s Top-Earning Actresses in 2012” by Forbes magazine. Her income between May 2011 and May 2012 was estimated to be $18 million.
47. Named “Sexiest Actress” by Victoria’s Secret What Is Sexy list. (2012)
48. She was offered the role of Jean Grey in X-Men (2000).
49. Returned to work four months after adopting her son Jackson in order to begin filming Mad Max: Fury Road (2015).
50. Replaced Angelina Jolie in the role of Dagny Taggart in Atlas Shrugged: Part I (2011) before being replaced by Taylor Schilling.