Uma Thurman

Early Life & Education

Uma Karuna Thurman was born on April 29, 1970 in Boston, Massachusetts.

• Father Robert Thurman is a Buddhist scholar and first Western-born Tibetan-Buddhist monk ordained by the Dalai Lama.
• Mother Nena von Schlebrügge is a Swedish-Mexican former super-model and Studio 54 icon.

Raised mainly in Amherst, Massachusetts, Uma attended Amherst Regional Middle School before enrolling at Northfield Mount Hermon School. At 15 she left boarding school for New York City to pursue modeling and acting, appearing in Glamour and Vogue while studying drama at the Professional Children’s School.

Career Highlights

Breakthrough (1988–1994)

• The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) introduced her ethereal screen presence.
• Dangerous Liaisons (1988) earned rave reviews as naïve Cécile.
• Became an international star as Mia Wallace in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994), securing an Academy Award nomination.

Versatility & Setbacks (1995–2002)

Alternated indie gems (Beautiful Girls, Gattaca) with big-budget misfires (Batman & Robin, The Avengers). Won the Golden Globe for HBO’s Hysterical Blindness (2002).

Kill Bill Era & Pop-Culture Icon (2003–2005)

Reunited with Tarantino as The Bride/Beatrix Kiddo in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 & 2, performing intense sword and martial-arts sequences and becoming a cult icon.

Continued Range (2006–2019)

Starred in romantic comedies (My Super Ex-Girlfriend), voice-acted in animation (The War with Grandpa) and embraced prestige TV as lethal fixer Lenny Cohen in Imposters and media mogul Arianna Huffington in Super Pumped.

Streaming & Franchise Returns (2020–Present)

• Led Apple TV+ thriller Suspicion (2022).
• Portrayed First Lady Ellen Claremont in Amazon hit Red, White & Royal Blue (2023).
• Produced and starred in dark-comedy thriller The Kill Room (2023).
• Shooting The Old Guard 2 (Netflix, 2025) opposite Charlize Theron and Dexter: Resurrection (Showtime, 2025) as series regular Charley.

Selected Filmography

Léon: The Professional | Dangerous Liaisons | Henry & June | Pulp Fiction | Gattaca | Batman & Robin | Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2 | Be Cool | My Super Ex-Girlfriend | Nymphomaniac | The House That Jack Built | Suspicion (TV) | Red, White & Royal Blue | The Kill Room | The Old Guard 2 (2025).

Net Worth & Lifestyle

With an estimated fortune of $45 million, Thurman commands $3–5 million per film and supplements income via producing deals and Lancôme endorsement campaigns. She owns:

• A Manhattan brownstone in Gramercy Park (~$10 million).
• A Woodstock, NY estate used as family retreat.

Awards & Recognition

• 1 BAFTA Award (Best Supporting Actress, Pulp Fiction).
• 1 Golden Globe, 3 nominations.
• 1 Oscar nomination.
• Cannes Film Festival Jury Member (2017).
• Honored with Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year (2014).

Personal Life

Thurman married actor Gary Oldman (1990–1992) and later Ethan Hawke (1998–2005). She co-parents their children Maya now an actress/singer—and Levon. Uma was briefly engaged to financier Arpad Busson (2007–2014) with whom she shares daughter Luna (b. 2012).

Passionate about Buddhism, she meditates daily and supports Tibetan cultural preservation.

Activism & Philanthropy

• Board member, Room to Grow (early-childhood poverty relief).
• Long-time supporter of UNICEF and USA Harvest.
• Advocates for #MeToo safety standards on film sets after speaking out on stunt accountability.

Trivia & Lesser-Known Facts

• Quentin Tarantino calls her his “muse”; the pair conceived Kill Bill on the Pulp Fiction set.
• Feet size US 11—immortalized in Tarantino’s signature close-ups.
• Fluent in French; spent childhood summers in India at Buddhist retreats.
• Turned down the role of Éowyn in The Lord of the Rings trilogy due to pregnancy.

Upcoming Projects

• The Old Guard 2 (Netflix, 2025) – antagonist “Discord.”
• Dexter: Resurrection (Showtime, 2025) – series regular Charley.
• Ballerina Overdrive (post-production) – female-led action thriller.
• Voice of Catherine Dickens in animated feature The King of Kings (2025).