After turning down Pearl Harbor to do the awful Sweet November, and a memorable cameo in Woody Allen's Confessions Of The Jade Scorpion, where she looked ravishing, Theron hit peak with 2003's Monster.
Based on the life of Aileen Wuornos, a Daytona Beach prostitute who later became a serial killer, Monster stripped off the glamour and forced Charlize under the skin of the disturbing character.
Theron is a changed woman in the film, her act convincing and complete -- just like her make-up. She won the Oscar -- the first victory for an African, and the second (after Kim Basinger) for an actress appearing nude in Playboy.
She followed this up with an interesting performance as Britt Ekland in the critically praised The Life & Times Of Peter Sellers in 2004.