Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American film actress. She performs 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 films directed by Quentin Tarantino. Her most popular films include Dangerous Liaisons (1988), Pulp Fiction (1994), Gattaca (1997) and the two Kill Bill movies (2003–04).She is currently the "face" of Virgin Media in the United Kingdom and along with Scarlett Johansson, models handbags and other fashion items for clothes designer Louis Vuitton.
2003–present
Thurman (right) and Vivica A. Fox in 2003’s Kill Bill Vol. 1.
After a five-year hiatus from any major film roles, Thurman returned in 2003 in John Woo’s film Paycheck, followed by her next collaboration with Quentin Tarantino, Kill Bill. Paycheck was only moderately successful with critics and at the box office, but Kill Bill relaunched her career.In Kill Bill she played one of the world’s top assassins, out on a revenge quest against her former lover. She was offered the role on her 30th birthday from Tarantino, who wrote the part specifically for her. He also cited Thurman as his muse while writing the film, and also gave her a formal joint credit for the character of Beatrix Kiddo, whom the two conceived on the set of Pulp Fiction from the sole image of a bride covered in blood. Production was delayed for several months after Thurman became pregnant as Tarantino refused to recast the part.The film reportedly took nine months to shoot, and was filmed on in five different countries. The role was also her most demanding to date, and she spent three months training in martial arts, swordsmanship, and Japanese.The two-part action epic became an instant cult classic and scored highly with critics. The film series earned Thurman Golden Globe nominations for both entries, and three MTV Movie Awards for Best Female Performance and twice for Best Fight. Rolling Stone likened Thurman to “an avenging angel out of a 1940s Hollywood melodrama”. In the same article, she was quoted as saying the training was so difficult, and the harm done to her character before she recovers and sets out on her vengeance quest was so vicious, "It should have been called Kill Uma!"The main inspirations for “The Bride” were several B-movie action heroines. Thurman’s main inspiration for the role was the title character of Coffy (played by Pam Grier) and the character of Gloria Swenson from Gloria (played by Gena Rowlands). She said that the two characters are “two of the only women I’ve ever seen be truly women [while] holding a weapon”.Coffy was screened for Thurman by Tarantino prior to beginning production on the film, to help her model the character.By 2005, Thurman had become one of Hollywood’s highest paid actresses, commanding a salary of $12.5 million USD per film.Her first film of the year was Be Cool, the sequel to 1995’s Get Shorty, which reunited her with her Pulp Fiction castmate John Travolta. In the film she played the widow of a deceased music business executive. Later in 2005 she starred in the film Prime with Meryl Streep, playing a woman in her late thirties romancing a man in his early twenties. Thurman’s last film of the year was a remake of The Producers in which she played Ulla, a Swedish stage actress hoping to win a part in a new Broadway musical. Originally, the producers of the film planned to have another singer dub in Thurman’s musical numbers, but she was eager to do her own vocals,however it has not been confirmed if she performs all of the vocals in the film. She is credited for her songs in the credits.
With a successful film career, Thurman once again became a desired model. Cosmetics company Lancôme selected her as their spokeswoman, and named several shades of lipstick after her (these were only sold in Asia). In 2005, she became a spokeswoman for the French fashion house Louis Vuitton.
On February 7, 2006, Thurman was named a knight of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France for outstanding achievement in the field of art and literature.
In May 2006 Thurman bought the film rights to the Frank Schätzing novel "The Swarm", which is now in development and due for release in 2008. Her most recent movie, co-starring Luke Wilson, is My Super Ex-Girlfriend which was released on July 20, 2006 in Australia, and on July 21 in the United States. Thurman stars as a super-heroine named "G-Girl" who is dumped by her boyfriend and then takes her revenge upon him.
Bollywood director Vishal Bharadwaj has announced his interest in Thurman to star in his latest film venture opposite Hrithik Roshan, in a biographical film of the life of actress Nadira. The film is still in its preproduction stages
Personal life
Relationships and family
While living in London to avoid the Dangerous Liaisons hype, she began dating director Phil Joanou, who had just produced U2’s movie Rattle and Hum in 1988. While visiting the set of his latest project, State Of Grace, she met English actor Gary Oldman. The two hit it off immediately — even Joanou later said it was obvious that she and Oldman were meant for each other, so he stepped aside.[citation needed] The two were married in 1990, but the marriage only lasted two years, reportedly caused by the little time they spent together due to their busy acting schedules.On May 1, 1998, she married actor Ethan Hawke, after the two met at the set of Gattaca; he subsequently dedicated his novel ("To Karuna"), to her. Prior to their engagement, Hawke had proposed twice before she accepted. Thurman herself acknowledged that they married early on because she had become pregnant; at the time of their wedding she was seven months along.The couple have two children, daughter Maya Ray (b. July 8, 1998) and son Levon Roan (b. January 15, 2002).In 2003, Thurman and Hawke separated, and in 2004 they filed for divorce. Many news outlets reported that the cause of the divorce was because Hawke had cheated on Thurman with Canadian model Jen Perzow, after he had suspected Thurman of cheating on him with Quentin Tarantino. Hawke denied that the cause of the divorce was infidelity, saying that it was caused by their busy work schedules.[31] In a 2004 Rolling Stone cover story, both Thurman and Tarantino denied ever having a romantic relationship, despite Tarantino once having told a reporter, “I’m not saying that we haven’t, and I’m not saying that we have”.When asked on The Oprah Winfrey Show if there was “betrayal of some kind” during the marriage, Thurman said, “There was some stuff like that at the end. We were having a difficult time, and you know how the axe comes down and how people behave and how people express their unhappiness”.She currently resides in Hyde Park, New York. In 2004, she began dating New York hotelier Andre Balazs. At one point, they lived in a loft apartment in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood, down the street from Balazs’s Mercer Hotel. Thurman also owns a townhouse in the New York neighborhood of Greenwich Village.In March 2006, Thurman’s publicist announced that the couple had split.However, they continued dating on-and-off afterwards and are reunited as of October 2006.
Thurman dedicates herself to a variety of political and social causes and interests. She is a supporter of the United States Democratic Party, and has made donations to the campaigns of John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, and Joseph Driscoll.She is a strong supporter of 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 also a board manager of the New York- and Boston-based organization Room to Grow,a charitable organization providing aid to families and children born into poverty. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Tibet House.
Filmography
- Year Film Role Other notes
- 1988 Johnny Be Good Georgia Elkans
- 1988 Dangerous Liaisons Cécile de Volanges
- 1988 Kiss Daddy Goodnight Laura
- 1988 The Adventures of Baron Munchausen Venus/Rose
- 1990 Henry & June June Miller
- 1990 Where the Heart Is Daphne McBain
- 1991 Robin Hood Maid Marian John Irvin version
- 1992 Final Analysis Diana Baylor
- 1993 Mad Dog and Glory Glory
- 1992 Jennifer 8 Helena Robertson
- 1993 Even Cowgirls Get the Blues Sissy Hankshaw
- 1994 Pulp Fiction Mia Wallace Academy Award Nomination
- 1995 A Month by the Lake Miss Beaumont
- 1996 The Truth About Cats & Dogs Noelle
- 1996 Beautiful Girls Andera
- 1997 Gattaca Irene Cassini
- 1997 Batman & Robin Dr. Pamela Isley/Poison Ivy
- 1998 Les Misérables Fantine
- 1998 The Avengers Emma Peel
- 1999 Sweet and Lowdown Blanche
- 2000 Vatel Anne de Montausier
- 2000 The Golden Bowl Charlotte Stant
- 2001 Tape Amy Randall
- 2002 Hysterical Blindness (TV) Debby Miller Producer, Golden Globe award
- 2003 Paycheck Dr. Rachel Porter
- 2003 Kill Bill Volume 1 The Bride/Black Mamba Golden Globe
- 2004 Kill Bill Volume 2 Beatrix Kiddo/The Bride/Mommy/Black Mamba
- 2005 The Naked Brothers Band Uma Thurman
- 2005 Be Cool Edie Athens
- 2005 Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Kushana (Voice) English re-dub version of the 1984 movie
- 2005 Prime Rafi Gardet
- 2005 The Producers: The Movie Musical Ulla
- 2006 My Super Ex-Girlfriend Jenny Johnson/G-Girl People’s Choice Awards nominee
- 2007 Bee Movie Lucky (Voice) To be released November 2, 2007
- 2008 In Bloom Diana Post-Production
- 2008 The Accidental Husband Emma Lloyd Producer, Filming
- TBA The Swarm ? Filmrights bought by Thurman
- TBA Vishal Bharadwaj’s untitled film Starring opposite Bollywood Actor Hrithik Roshan
