<P> Theron came to international prominence in the 1990s by playing the leading lady in the Hollywood films The Devil 's Advocate ( 1997 ) , Mighty Joe Young ( 1998 ) , The Cider House Rules ( 1999 ) . In 2003 , she received critical acclaim for her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster , for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress , becoming the first South African to win an Oscar in a major acting category . She received another Academy Award nomination for playing a sexually abused woman seeking justice in the drama North Country ( 2005 ) . Theron has since starred in several top - grossing action films , including Hancock ( 2008 ) , Snow White and the Huntsman ( 2012 ) , Prometheus ( 2012 ) , Mad Max : Fury Road ( 2015 ) , The Fate of the Furious ( 2017 ) , and Atomic Blonde ( 2017 ) . She also received praise for playing troubled women in Jason Reitman 's comedy - dramas Young Adult ( 2011 ) and Tully ( 2018 ) . </P>
<P> Theron came to international prominence in the 1990s by playing the leading lady in the Hollywood films The Devil 's Advocate ( 1997 ) , Mighty Joe Young ( 1998 ) , The Cider House Rules ( 1999 ) . In 2003 , she received critical acclaim for her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster , for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress , becoming the first South African to win an Oscar in a major acting category . She received another Academy Award nomination for playing a sexually abused woman seeking justice in the drama North Country ( 2005 ) . Theron has since starred in several top - grossing action films , including Hancock ( 2008 ) , Snow White and the Huntsman ( 2012 ) , Prometheus ( 2012 ) , Mad Max : Fury Road ( 2015 ) , The Fate of the Furious ( 2017 ) , and Atomic Blonde ( 2017 ) . She also received praise for playing troubled women in Jason Reitman 's comedy - dramas Young Adult ( 2011 ) and Tully ( 2018 ) . </P>
what film did charlize theron win an oscar for
what film did charlize theron win an oscar for
Monster
Monster