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Charlize Theron — who can currently be seen kicking butt and taking names in Netflix’s The Old Guard — is one of Hollywood’s most prized possessions. A talent whose knack for transformation is incomparable, Theron has gone on to receive many award nominations in her career. The Snow White and the Huntsman star is a three-time Oscar-nominated actor and one-time winner. 

Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron | Phillip Faraone / Stringer

Charlize Theron’s first nomination and win came in 2004 for ‘Monsterl 

Charlize’s performance in Monster was acclaimed by critics and audiences alike. She was hailed for her physical embodiment — every gesture, every movement, every mannerism — of the real-life prostitute turned serial killer, Aileen Wuornos. 

Portraying what can happen to a damaged soul pushed to the edge, Theron’s ability to convey humanity, and capture Wuornos without glamorizing the portrayal led to the actor’s first Oscar nomination and win. Theron also won the Golden Globe for her performance in Monster the same year. Following Monster, Theron’s household name status skyrocketed, and the roles kept pouring in. Two Oscar nominations eventually followed suit — one in 2006 and one more recently in 2020. 

Charlize Theron received her second Oscar nomination for ‘North Country’

In North Country, Theron portrayed Josey Aimes in a fictionalized rendition of one of the first successful sexual harassment cases in United States history. The story followed a woman who endured a range of abuse while working as a miner. She filed a lawsuit and went on to win the 1984 case against all odds — against those with much more money and much more power. 

Though Theron did not win the Oscar, she was also nominated for the Golden Globe. The 2006 Oscar went to Reese Witherspoon that year for Walk the Line, yet Theron’s performance in this film remains one of her most memorable to date. The film boasts a 69% critics consensus and a 76% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Though some complained that the film was melodramatic, Theron’s performance was sincere and heartwrenching. 

Charlize Theron was nominated in 2020 for ‘Bombshell’

Theron’s most recent Oscar nomination was for Bombshell. She, once again, underwent a complete physical transformation — prosthetics and all — to embody American journalist and former Fox news anchor Megyn Kelly in a shocking (and very recent) true story.

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Bombshell follows a group of women who decide to take on the Fox News Head, Roger Ailes, as he continues to preside over and promote a toxic network environment. Theron stars alongside Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie and all three women give noteworthy performances. Theron lost the Oscar in 2020 to Renée Zellweger for her portrayal of Judy Garland in Judy.