Charlize Theron was just 15 years old when her father arrived at the family home, near Johannesburg, completely drunk and armed. He threatened to kill them. It was her mother, Gerda Maritz, who took the gun and fired first.
It was June 1991, and Charles Theron, an alcoholic and violent for years, died that night in Benoni, South Africa. Authorities investigated the case and determined that Gerda acted in self-defense: she was never charged.
For a long time, Charlize preferred to say that her father had died in a car accident. Today, now one of Hollywood’s most recognized actresses, she tells the full story in interviews to raise awareness about the domestic violence that marked her childhood.