Uma Thurman is an American actress born in 1970. The film that brought Thurman worldwide recognition was Pulp Fiction (1994), directed by Quentin Tarantino. She has starred in a wide range of genres from romantic comedy to action and has received one Academy Award nomination.

Uma Karuna Thurman was born on April 29, 1970, in Boston, United States. Her mother, Nena von Schlebrügge, was a Swedish model, and her father, Robert Thurman, was an academic specializing in Buddhism. The couple married in 1967, and Robert Thurman raised his children according to Buddhist traditions. Uma Thurman has three brothers named Ganden, Dechen, and Mipam, as well as a half-sister named Taya from her father’s previous marriage. Thurman and her siblings spent part of their childhood in India.

Due to her father’s profession, the family relocated frequently, and Thurman grew up in Massachusetts and New York. During her childhood, she was often mocked by peers for her unusual name, facial features, and large feet. At the age of ten, her mother suggested she undergo a nose job, an experience that deeply affected Thurman and caused long-lasting self-esteem issues.

Thurman had her first acting experience at Northfield Mount Hermon School. Although she was neither academically outstanding nor athletic, she excelled on stage. Her performance in the play The Crucible attracted talent scouts, leading her to decide on a professional acting career. At the age of 15, she left boarding school and moved to New York, working as a dishwasher to support herself.

At 16, Thurman began modeling, signing a contract with Elite Model Management. She quickly gained attention and appeared on the covers of major magazines such as Glamour, Vogue, and Rolling Stone.

Her film debut came in 1988, when she appeared in four films: Johnny Be Good, Kiss Daddy Goodnight, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, and Dangerous Liaisons. While the first three films were not commercially successful, Dangerous Liaisons, starring Glenn Close and Michelle Pfeiffer, brought Thurman to the attention of major producers. After the film’s release, she became a media sensation, and co-star John Malkovich publicly praised her intelligence and talent.

In 1990, at the age of 19, Thurman starred alongside Fred Ward in Henry & June. Although the film’s explicit sexual content limited its audience, it further increased media interest in her.

Her first leading role came in 1993 with Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, directed by Gus Van Sant. The film was a financial failure and drew negative reviews of her performance. The same period saw her appear opposite Robert De Niro in Mad Dog and Glory, which also underperformed.

Following these setbacks, Thurman auditioned for Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. Initially unimpressed by her previous work, Tarantino changed his mind after auditions and a dinner conversation, realizing no one else could portray Mia Wallace. The film became one of the most influential movies in cinema history and achieved cult status. Thurman earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress and became Tarantino’s favorite actress.

After Pulp Fiction, she appeared in The Truth About Cats and Dogs (1996), Batman & Robin (1997), Gattaca (1997), The Avengers (1998), and Les Misérables (1998). Despite her rising fame, 1997 and 1998 marked a difficult period, as these films failed commercially and critically, earning her several “Worst Actress” awards.

Following this downturn and her pregnancy in 1998, Thurman took a break from major productions. She returned in lower-budget films and television projects such as Sweet and Lowdown, Tape, Vatel, and Hysterical Blindness. She also served as producer on Hysterical Blindness, winning a Golden Globe Award for her performance.

After a five-year hiatus from major roles, Thurman returned in Paycheck (2003), followed by her most iconic work in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Kill Bill: Vol. 2. Tarantino stated that he wrote the screenplay inspired by Thurman. Filming was delayed due to her pregnancy, and she trained extensively in martial arts and Japanese. Her role as “The Bride” earned her a Golden Globe nomination and MTV awards for Best Female Performance and Best Fight Scene.

By 2005, Thurman had become one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actresses, earning approximately $12.5 million per film. That year, she appeared in Be Cool, Prime, and The Producers. She also became the face of Lancôme and collaborated with Louis Vuitton. In 2006, her final film of that period, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, was released.

Thurman’s personal life attracted significant attention. She was romantically involved with director Phil Joanou before marrying actor Gary Oldman in 1990; the marriage ended after two years. On May 1, 1998, she married actor Ethan Hawke, whom she met on the set of Gattaca. They had two children, Maya Ray Hawke (born 1998) and Levon Roan Thurman-Hawke (born 2002), and divorced in 2004. Thurman later had a relationship with hotel entrepreneur André Balazs, which ended in 2006.

In 1997, Empire magazine ranked Thurman 99th among “The 100 Greatest Movie Stars of All Time” and 20th on its list of “The Sexiest Stars in Cinema History.” Politically and socially active, Thurman supports disarmament campaigns, abortion rights, and women’s rights. She purchased the screen rights to a novel by Frank Schätzing titled The Swarm. Standing 1.83 meters tall, she resides in Hyde Park, New York. Her name “Uma” means the goddess of light and beauty in Indian mythology.

Awards:
2003 – 60th Golden Globe Awards – Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television (Hysterical Blindness)

Filmography and Television Work:
Screenwriter:
2004 – Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (Feature Film)
2003 – Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (Feature Film)

Actor:
2018 – The War with Grandpa (Sally) (Feature Film)
2018 – The House That Jack Built (Lady 1) (Feature Film)
2018 – The Brits Are Coming (Feature Film)
2018 – Down a Dark Hall (Feature Film)
2015 – Burnt (Simone) (Feature Film)
2015 – The Slap (Anouk) (TV Series)
2014 – Anita (Anita Bryant) (Feature Film)
2013 – Movie 43 (Lois Lane) (Feature Film)
2013 – Nymphomaniac: Volume II (Mrs. H) (Feature Film)
2013 – Nymphomaniac: Volume I (Mrs. H) (Feature Film)
2012 – Smash (Rebecca Duvall) (TV Series)
2012 – Playing for Keeps (Patti) (Feature Film)
2012 – Eloise in Paris (Feature Film)
2011 – Bel Ami (Madeleine Forestier) (Feature Film)
2010 – Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (Medusa) (Feature Film)
2010 – Ceremony (Zoe) (Feature Film)
2009 – Motherhood (Eliza Welsh) (Feature Film)
2008 – The Accidental Husband (Dr. Emma Lloyd) (Feature Film)
2007 – The Life Before Her Eyes (Diana) (Feature Film)
2006 – My Super Ex-Girlfriend (Jenny Johnson) (Feature Film)
2005 – The Producers (Ulla) (Feature Film)
2005 – Be Cool (Edie Athens) (Feature Film)
2005 – Prime (Rafi Gardet) (Feature Film)
2004 – Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (Beatrix Kiddo / The Bride) (Feature Film)
2003 – Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (The Bride) (Feature Film)
2002 – Hysterical Blindness (Debby Miller) (TV Film)
2001 – Tape (Amy Randall) (Feature Film)
2000 – Vatel (Anne de Montausier) (Feature Film)
1998 – The Avengers (Emma Peel) (Feature Film)
1998 – Les Misérables (Fantine) (Feature Film)
1997 – Gattaca (Irene Cassini) (Feature Film)
1997 – Batman & Robin (Poison Ivy) (Feature Film)
1996 – The Truth About Cats & Dogs (Noelle) (Feature Film)
1994 – Pulp Fiction (Mia Wallace) (Feature Film)
1990 – Henry & June (June Miller) (Feature Film)
1988 – Dangerous Liaisons (Cécile de Volanges) (Feature Film)
1988 – Johnny Be Good (Georgia Elkans) (Feature Film)

Source: Biyografiler.com