Charlize Theron born 7 August 1975 is a South African-American actress. She rose to fame in the late 1990s following roles in the films The Devils Advocate (1997), Mighty JoeYoung (1998), and The Cider HouseRules (1999). Theron received critical acclaim for her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster (2003), for which she wonthe Silver Bear, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Academy Award for Best Actress among several other accolades, becoming the first South African to win an Academy Award in a major acting category.