Charlize Theron ( American English pronunciation: / ʃ ɑr ˈ l iː s ˈ θ ɛr ə n / ; Afrikaans pronunciation: [ʃɐrˈlis tron] born 7 August 1975) is a South African actress and fashion model. She started her acting career in the United States and rose to fame in the late 1990s following roles in The Devil's Advocate (1997), Mighty Joe Young (1998), and The Cider House Rules (1999). Theron won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster (2003), becoming the first African to win an Academy Award in a major acting category. She received another Academy Award nomination for her performance in North Country (2005). Theron became a US citizen in 2007, while retaining her South African citizenship.
Theron has a son, Jackson, whose adoption was announced in March 2012. She lives in Los Angeles, California. Theron became a naturalised citizen of the United States in May 2007, while retaining her South African citizenship.
In the mid-1990s, Theron had a two-year relationship with actor Craig Bierko . From 1997 to 2001, she dated Third Eye Blind frontman Stephan Jenkins . Theron then began a relationship with Irish actor Stuart Townsend , with whom she starred in Trapped (2002) and Head in the Clouds (2004). Theron and Townsend separated in January 2010 after nearly nine years together.