WATCH: An in-depth look at the highs, lows and incredible career of Charlize Theron

Cape Town - Charlize Theron may be an Academy Award-winning Hollywood star, but it's been a long and perilous journey for the 44-year-old actor.

But she's "not ashamed" to talk about her painful past. The actress recently opened up about the night her mother killed her alcoholic father. "I think our family was an incredibly unhealthy one. And all of it, I think, scarred us in a way. Of course, I wish what happened that night would have never happened," she said.

But from that tragic night to landing her big break with the film, Monster, here, MsMojo looks at the life of Charlize Theron and where the acclaimed actress is now, ahead of the 2020 Oscars where she up for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Bombshell.

Compiled by Bashiera Parker