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Uma Thurman
Best Known As:
Film Actor
Gist:
Uma Karuna Thurman (; born April 29, 1970), [{{cite web|url= life and career of Uma Thurman|accessdate=2007-12-06|author=Alex Schoumatoff|year=1996|month=January|publisher=Vanity Fair|archiveurl= is an American actress. She has performed predominantly in leading roles in a variety of films, ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action thrillers. She is best known for her work under the direction of Quentin Tarantino. Her most popular films include Dangerous Liaisons (1988), Pulp Fiction (1994), Gattaca (1997) and Kill Bill (2003?04).]
Life Facts:
Thurman's mother, Nena Birgitte Caroline von Schlebrügge, was a fashion model born in Mexico City, Mexico in 1941, to German Friedrich Karl Johannes von Schlebrügge, and Birgit Holmquist, from Trelleborg, Sweden. In 1930, Birgit Holmquist, Thurman's grandmother, modeled for a nude statue that stands overlooking the harbor of Smygehuk. Thurman's father, Robert Alexander Farrar Thurman(3 Aug 1941), was born in New York City to Elizabeth Dean Farrar, a stage actress, and Beverly Reid Thurman, Jr., an Associated Press editor and U.N. translator. Thurman's mother was introduced to LSD guru Timothy Leary by Salvador Dalí; and married Leary in 1964; then wed Thurman's father in 1967.
Thurman's father, Robert, a scholar and professor at Columbia University of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist studies, was the first westerner to be ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist monk. He gave his children a Buddhist upbringing: Uma is named after an Dbuma Chenpo (in Tibetan, the "db" is silent; from Mahamadhyamaka in Sanskrit, meaning "Great Middle Way"). She has three brothers, Ganden (b. 1971), Dechen (b. 1973) and Mipam (b. 1978), and a half-sister named Taya (b. 1960) from her father's previous marriage. She and her siblings spent time in Almora, India, during childhood, and the Dalai Lama sometimes visited their home.
Thurman grew up mostly in Amherst, Massachusetts and Woodstock, New York. She is described as having been an awkward and introverted girl who was teased for her tall frame, angular bone structure, unusual name (sometimes using the name ?Uma Karen? instead of her birth name) and size 11 feet. When she was 10 years old, a friend's mother suggested a nose job.
As a child, she suffered bouts of body dysmorphic disorder, which she discussed in an interview with Talk magazine in 2001.
Thurman attended Northfield Mount Hermon, a college preparatory boarding school in Northfield, Massachusetts, where she earned average grades, but excelled in acting. Talent scouts noticed her performance as Abigail in a production of The Crucible, and offered her the chance to act professionally. Thurman moved to New York City to pursue acting and to attend the Professional Children's School, but she dropped out before graduating.
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After Mad Dog and Glory, Thurman auditioned for Quentin Tarantino?s Pulp Fiction, which grossed over $107 million on a budget of only $8 million USD. The Washington Post wrote that Thurman was ?serenely unrecognizable in a black wig, [and] is marvelous as a zoned-out gangster?s girlfriend?. Thurman was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar the following year. Entertainment Weekly claimed that, ?of the five women nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category this year, only [Thurman] can claim that her performance gave the audience fits?. Thurman also became one of Tarantino?s favorite actresses to cast, stating in a 2003 issue of Time: ?[Thurman]?s up there with Garbo and Dietrich in goddess territory?.
She starred opposite Janeane Garofalo in the moderately successful 1996 romantic comedy The Truth About Cats & Dogs as a ditzy blonde supermodel. In 1998, she starred opposite her future husband Ethan Hawke in the dystopian science fiction film Gattaca. Although Gattaca was not a success at the box office, it drew many positive reviews and became successful on the home video market, some critics were not as impressed with Thurman, such as the Los Angeles Times which stated she was ?as emotionally uninvolved as ever?. Her next role was Poison Ivy in Batman & Robin, the fourth film of the popular franchise. Batman & Robin became one of the largest critical flops in history, though it did garner nearly $100 million over its production budget in box office receipts making it a financial success. Thurman?s performance in the campy film received mixed reviews, and critics compared her with actress Mae West. The New York Times wrote, ?like Mae West, she mixes true femininity with the winking womanliness of a drag queen?. A similar comparison was made by the Houston Chronicle: ?Thurman, to arrive at a ?40s femme fatale, sometimes seems to be doing Mae West by way of Jessica Rabbit?. The next year brought The Avengers, another major financial and critical flop. CNN described Thurman as, ?so distanced you feel like you?re watching her through the wrong end of a telescope?. She received Razzie Award nominations for both films. She closed out 1998 with Les Misérables, a film version of Victor Hugo?s novel of the same name, directed by Bille August, in which she played Fantine.
Thurman supports the United States Democratic Party, and has given money to the campaigns of John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, and Joseph Driscoll. She supports gun control laws, and in 2000, she participated in Marie Claire?s ?End Gun Violence Now? campaign. She also participated in Planned Parenthood?s ?March for Women?s Lives? to support the legality of abortion. Thurman is a member of the board of the New York- and Boston-based organization Room to Grow, a charitable organization providing aid to families and children born into poverty. She serves on the board of the Tibet House.
In 2007, Thurman hosted the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway with actor Kevin Spacey.
Career Facts:
Thurman supports the United States Democratic Party, and has given money to the campaigns of John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, and Joseph Driscoll. She supports gun control laws, and in 2000, she participated in Marie Claire?s ?End Gun Violence Now? campaign. She also participated in Planned Parenthood?s ?March for Women?s Lives? to support the legality of abortion. Thurman is a member of the board of the New York- and Boston-based organization Room to Grow, a charitable organization providing aid to families and children born into poverty. She serves on the board of the Tibet House.
In 2007, Thurman hosted the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway with actor Kevin Spacey.
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