Charlize Theron's Rare Photo Of Her Mom Has Everyone Saying The Same Thing

Charlize Theron shares a uniquely close bond with her mother, Gerda Maritz. The "Mad Max: Fury Road" actor has been open about the traumatic night her mother killed her father in self-defense. It happened when Theron was a teenager and her father — who was an alcoholic — came home drunk brandishing a gun and tried to break into the room where Theron and her mother were. "He took a step back and just shot through the door three times," Theron recalled to NPR in 2019. "But in self-defense, she ended the threat."

Throughout the years, the South African actor has had high praise for her mother's parenting ability. "I am lucky enough that I had a great mom who really kind of made me brave and always told me to be brave. I don't know who I might have been without that," Theron told Extra in 2018. In fact, the "Atomic Blonde" star enlisted her mother to help raise her own two children. "I knew that I would have to have my mom help me if I was going to do this as a single parent," Theron revealed to Elle in 2018 when discussing the choice to adopt her kids.

After being nominated in the Best Actress category at the 2020 Academy Awards, Theron decided to bring her mother as her plus one. "I win the award for best date, for sure," she told E! News on the red carpet, according to HuffPost. Fans have seen Theron's mom before, but they were buzzing after the actor shared rare photos online.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

In celebration of her mother Gerda Maritz's birthday, Charlize Theron uploaded a six-photo set to Instagram. The "Monster" actor heaped praise on her mom's "utterly awesome" personality. "She TRULY is life," Theron wrote, while adding a few insights into Maritz's life. "She's a great tennis player/golfer/hiker AND a gifted s*** talker!" the Hollywood A-lister added. Theron described how her mother prefers to cut through nonsense and "tell you how it is anytime of the day!" The first image was a selfie of the two women smiling while wearing matching dresses. In the second photo, they sported playful Halloween costumes, and the third photo was a throwback of Theron's mother rocking a bikini.

Instagram users, including Chelsea Handler and January Jones, flooded the comments section with both birthday wishes and high praise for Theron's mom. The "Bombshell" actor also uploaded the photos to Twitter where fans commented on the similarities between Theron and her mother. "You are a mirror image of your mom. Two of the most beautiful ladies inside and out," one fan replied. "[Y]ou stole her whole face!" another joked. "Mom and you, Ms Charlize Theron...your mom's beauty did not fall far from the tree Deciduous tree, my how beautiful you both are," a follower wrote.

Theron's post also included two more pics of the mother-daughter duo sharing good times — plus, a touching snap of her mom alongside Theron's two children.