     charlize theron (general american pronunciation: ; afrikaans pronunciation: ; born 7 august 1975) is a south african and american actress, producer and fashion model. she rose to fame in the late 1990s following roles in the films the devil's advocate (1997), mighty joe young (1998), and the cider house rules (1999). theron received critical acclaim for her portrayal of serial killer aileen wuornos in monster (2003), for which she won the academy award, silver bear, golden globe award and screen actors guild award for best actress among several other accolades, becoming the first south african to win an academy award in a major acting category. she received further academy award and golden globe award nominations for her performance in north country in 2005, and a golden globe award nomination for her performance in young adult in 2011. theron became a u.s. citizen in 2007, while retaining her south african citizenship. in recent years, she has moved into the field of producing, both in television and film. in 2012, she appeared in snow white and the huntsman and prometheus, both of which were box office successes. ==early life== theron was born in benoni, in the then-transvaal province of south africa, the only child of gerda (nÃ©e maritz){{cite book|title=charlize: life's one helluva ride|last=karsten|first=chris|publisher=human & rousseau|year=2009
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