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Celeb Spill Daily

Charlize Theron's Changing Looks

Author

Sebastian Wright

Published Mar 31, 2026

See how Charlize Theron has changed over the years.

1993

Camera Press/Retna

After winning a modeling contest in South Africa ("My mother entered me as kind of a joke"), the strawberry blond beauty moved to L.A.

1996

Jim Smeal/WireImage

Theron went Brigitte Bardot for the premiere of 2 Days in the Valley with a voluminous updo, liquid liner and baby pink lips.

1997

Paul Smith/Retna

For Woody Allen's Celebrity, the actress chopped her hair into a very Mia Farrow platinum pixie.

1999

Evan Agostini/Getty Images

She channeled Old Hollywood for the Cider House Rules premiere with structured waves and pencil-thin brows.

1999

LA Times/Retna

Theron worked a modified Louise Brooks bob for The Yards, drawing emphasis to her eyes with artfully uneven micro-bangs.

2000

David McNew/Getty Images

Marilyn with a twist? For the Academy Awards, Theron paired bombshell curls with tangerine lips.

2003

Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images

"Charlize's eyes change color with shadow," makeup artist Shane Paish said of her rock-and-roll look. "This smoky shadow made them green."

2004

Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

"This is the night she won her Oscar," recalled hairstylist Enzo Angileri. "Super-blond hair to match her silver dress." Neutral makeup and light brows also drew attention to her bronzed glow.

2005

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

"Anyone can look good blond, but dark hair is tricky," Angileri said of the star's asymmetrical Aeon Flux cut. "She can do both."

2005

Chris Polk/FilmMagic

In just over a month, Theron transitioned from the severe ebony locks she wore at the Golden Globes to a warm russet tone for the Academy Awards.

2006

Steve Granitz/WireImage

"We went Italian movie star with her hair," Angileri remembered of her Oscars beehive. "The inspiration was Claudia Cardinale."

2007

Stephen Lovekin/WireImage

Theron complemented her mahogany locks (tinted for her roles in Battle in Seattle and In the Valley of Elah) with well-defined brows and glossy berry lips.

2008

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Theron attended the Sundance Film Festival sporting a sleek bob.

2008

Gregg DeGuire/WireImage

"Her eyes are her most striking feature," Paish has said of the Hancock beauty. The makeup artist lined the star's inner rims in kohl and added soft silver shadow.

2009

Fame Pictures

"Ponytails are our go-to casual hairstyle," Angileri said of the star of The Burning Plain and The Road. "They're easy and perfect for summer."

2010

Jeff Vespa/WireImage

For the Academy Awards, Angileri created a polished bun misted with shine spray for a bit of "fairytale extra sparkle."

2011

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

A wavy strand framed her features at a Dior event.

2011

Gregory Pace / BEImages

For the premiere of Young Adult, makeup artist Shane Paish used Dior products to create what he called, "a vintage French couture look."

2012

Jason Merritt/Getty Images

The diamond headband Best Actress nominee Theron wore to the Golden Globes was vintage Cartier-and lives full-time in a private Cartier museum in Geneva. "Because the jewelry was so special, the hair had to be understated," hairstylist Enzo Angileri told us. Before pinning and twisting the hair into an undone bun, he spritzed on Moroccanoil Frizz Control to tame flyaways and fuzz. "I wanted to choose my own messy pieces," he said.

2012

Jordan Strauss/WireImage

"This is a very simple style that is still event appropriate," Theron's hairstylist Enzo Angileri said of her twisted side ponytail. "I wanted to create a minimalist style that still had glamour."

2014

Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Theron went with a mod, '60s-inspired look for the Oscars. "The focus is on the eye with the exaggerated lashes and liner, so I kept the rest of her face soft and peachy," says makeup artist Pati Dubroff.

2014

Mike Marsland/WireImage

The Oscar winner shines in a bold red lip while she promotes her film, A Million Ways to Die In The West.

2015

Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images

The actress debuts Hollywood's favorite hairstyle--the lob.

2016

Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage

Sultry dark shadows allow Theron's bright eyes to pop. "Her eyes enables for the possibility to go from very natural to super glamorous," says her makeup artist Francesca Tolot. For the Academy Awards in 2016, Tolot dusted a reddish toned eyeshadow "over the crease to compliment the blue of her eyes," she says.

2017

Gabe Ginsberg/WireImage

The actress ditched her honey-blonde locks for a lighter style in 2017, wearing her lob in soft curls for CinemaCon.