Oscar Nominee: Charlize Theron

Age: 28

Starsign: Leo

Loved-up with: Currently engaged to Irish actor Stuart Townsend

Career high: Now! Charlize has received acres of praise for transforming herself convincingly into serial killer Aileen Wuornos.

Career low: The drippy sludge-fest that was Sweet November (2001).

Nominated for playing? Aileen Wuornos in Monster

Chances of winning? Odds-on favourite. Charlize has already won almost every other award going for this part — including a Golden Globe, SAG award, Berlin Film Festival nod — so she looks almost certain to take home the Oscar. But you never know...

Says: "Women have conquered the world. And with everything we go through, it's about time we had a female president."

Not to be confused with: Belize or Juan Sebastian Veron