Charlize Theron Guest Stars in Five Episodes of Arrested Development  8/30/05

FOX’S “ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT” CAPTURES OSCAR-WINNING ACTRESS CHARLIZE THERON FOR MULTI-EPISODE ARC

Academy Award-winning actress Charlize Theron will guest-star in five upcoming episodes of the Emmy Award-winning comedy series ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT. Theron begins shooting this week and her first episode is scheduled to air on Monday, Sept. 26 (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT) on FOX. She will portray Rita, a gorgeous British woman whom Michael (Jason Bateman) dates. ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, which is nominated for 11 Emmy Awards, premieres Monday, Sept. 19 (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT), on FOX.

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT is the critically acclaimed series that revolves around Michael Bluth (Bateman), who is doing his best to pick up the pieces and keep his offbeat family from falling apart after his father, George Bluth (Jeffrey Tambor), is sent to prison for fraud. The show has featured guest appearances by numerous stars, including Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Liza Minnelli, Zack Braff, Heather Graham and Ben Stiller. The series recently received 11 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Jason Bateman, Outstanding Supporting Actor for Jeffrey Tambor and Outstanding Supporting Actress for Jessica Walter. In 2004, the show received five Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series, Writing, Directing, Casting and Editing. Earlier this year, Jason Bateman won a Golden Globe for Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role – Musical or Comedy, and the show was nominated for Outstanding Musical or Comedy Series two years in a row. Last season, the cast was also nominated for a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. The show also took home the TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy two years in a row, was named an AFI Program of the Year and received the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Comedy, among other accolades.

Theron is known for her powerful performances. She began her career as a model in her native South Africa before coming to the U.S. as a ballerina with the Joffrey Ballet, long before she began her journey into the world of film.

Moviegoers were first introduced to Theron’s seductive charm in her feature film debut, “Days in the Valley.” She went on to star in the films “Trial and Error,” “The Devil’s Advocate” opposite Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves, Tom Hanks’ “That Thing You Do!”, Woody Allen’s “Celebrity,” “Mighty Joe Young” and “The Astronaut’s Wife” opposite Johnny Depp. Theron also starred in the Oscar-nominated “The Cider House Rules,” for which the stellar cast was honored by the Screen Actors Guild Awards with a nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Theatrical Motion Picture.

In 2000, the much in-demand Theron tackled back-to-back roles in the following movies: Robert Redford’s “The Legend of Bagger Vance” with Will Smith and Matt Damon; “Men of Honor” with Robert De Niro and Cuba Gooding Jr.; “Reindeer Games” with Ben Affleck; and “The Yards” co-starring Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix, James Caan and Faye Dunaway. In 2001, Theron illuminated the screen in “Sweet November” alongside Keanu Reeves, as well as in Woody Allen’s “The Curse of the Jade Scorpion.” In 2002, she starred in “Waking Up in Reno” and “Trapped.” In 2003, she starred in the exciting caper movie “The Italian Job” with Mark Wahlberg and Edward Norton.

In her next movie, “Monster,” co-starring Christina Ricci and directed by Patty Jenkins, Theron captivated audiences as female serial killer Eileen Warnos. She has since won the Independent Spirit Award & the National Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, as well as awards from the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild, San Francisco Film Critics Circle, New York Film Critics Online and Southeastern Film Critics, in addition to the Breakthrough Performance Award from the Nation Board of Review and the Academy Award, all for her emotionally devastating performance. Following “Monster,” she starred in the film “Head in the Clouds” opposite Penélope Cruz and Stuart Townsend. Theron next starred in the cable telefilm “The Life and Death of Peter Sellers” opposite Geoffrey Rush, for which she received a Best Supporting Actress nomination from the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Emmys.

Theron recently finished filming the action/adventure “Aeon Flux” for director Karyn Kusama, based on the MTV animated series. This fall, she will next be seen in the drama “North Country” opposite Frances McDormand and Sissy Spacek for director Niki Caro.

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT comes from Imagine Television and 20th Century Fox Television. Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, David Nevins and Mitchell Hurwitz are executive producers.

-FOX-