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IMDbPro

Uma Thurman(I)

  • Actress
  • Producer
  • Writer
IMDbProStarmeter
Top 5,00011
Uma Thurman
Take a closer look at the various roles Uma Thurman has played throughout her acting career.
Play clip1:25
Uma Thurman | Career Retrospective
63 Videos
99+ Photos
Uma Karuna Thurman was born in Boston, Massachusetts, into a highly unorthodox and internationally-minded family. She is the daughter of Nena Thurman (née Birgitte Caroline von Schlebrügge), a fashion model and socialite who now runs a mountain retreat, and of Robert Thurman (Robert Alexander Farrar Thurman), a professor and academic who is one of the nation's foremost Buddhist scholars. Uma's mother was born in Mexico City, Mexico, to a German father and a Swedish mother (who herself was of Swedish, Danish, and German descent). Uma's father, a New Yorker, has English, Scots-Irish, Scottish, and German ancestry. Uma grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts, where her father worked at Amherst College.

Thurman's household was one in which the The Dalai Lama was an occasional guest; she and her siblings all have names deriving from Buddhist mythology; and Middle American behavior was little understood, much less pursued. And so it was that the young Thurman confronted childhood with an odd name and eccentric home life -- and nature seemingly conspired against her as well. She is six feet tall, and from an early age towered over everyone else in class. Her famously large feet would soon sprout to size 11 -- and even beyond that -- and although they would eventually be lovingly filmed by director Quentin Tarantino, as a child she generally wore the biggest shoes in class, which only provided another subject of ridicule. Even her long nose moved one of her mother's friends to helpfully suggest rhinoplasty -- to the ten-year-old Thurman. To make matters worse yet, the family constantly relocated, making the gangly, socially inept Thurman perpetually the new kid in class. The result was an exceptionally awkward, self-conscious, lonely and alienated childhood.

Unsurprisingly, the young Thurman enjoyed making believe she was someone other than herself, and so thrived at acting in school plays -- her sole successful extracurricular activity. This interest, and her lanky frame, perfect for modeling, led the 15-year-old Thurman to New York City for high school and modeling work (including a layout in Glamour Magazine) as she sought acting roles. The roles soon came, starting with a few formulaic and forgettable Hollywood products, but immediately followed by Terry Gilliam's The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) and Stephen Frears' Dangerous Liaisons (1988), both of which brought much attention to her unorthodox sensuality and performances that intriguingly combined innocence and worldliness. The weird, gangly girl became a sex symbol virtually overnight.

Thurman continued to be offered good roles in Hollywood pictures into the early '90s, the least commercially successful but probably best-known of which was her smoldering, astonishingly-adult performance as June, Henry Miller's wife, in Henry & June (1990), the first movie to actually receive the dreaded NC-17 rating in the USA. After a celebrated start, Thurman's career stalled in the early '90s with movies such as the mediocre Mad Dog and Glory (1993). Worse, her first starring role was in Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993), which had endured a tortured journey from cult-favorite book to big-budget movie, and was a critical and financial debacle. Fortunately, Uma bounced back with a brilliant performance as Mia Wallace, that most unorthodox of all gangster's molls, in Tarantino's lauded, hugely successful Pulp Fiction (1994), a role for which Thurman received an Academy Award nomination.

Since then, Thurman has had periods of flirting with roles in arty independents such as A Month by the Lake (1995), and supporting roles in which she has lent some glamorous presence to a mixed batch of movies, such as Beautiful Girls (1996) and The Truth About Cats & Dogs (1996). Thurman returned to smaller films after playing the villainess Poison Ivy in the reviled Joel Schumacher effort Batman & Robin (1997) and Emma Peel in a remake of The Avengers (1998). She worked with Woody Allen and Sean Penn on Sweet and Lowdown (1999), and starred in Richard Linklater's drama Tape (2001) opposite Hawke. Thurman also won a Golden Globe award for her turn in the made-for-television film Hysterical Blindness (2002), directed by Mira Nair.

A return to the mainstream spotlight came when Thurman re-teamed with Quentin Tarantino for Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), a revenge flick the two had dreamed up on the set of Pulp Fiction (1994). She also turned up in the John Woo cautioner Paycheck (2003) that same year. The renewed attention was not altogether welcome because Thurman was dealing with the break-up of her marriage with Hawke at about this time. Thurman handled the situation with grace, however, and took her surging popularity in stride. She garnered critical acclaim for her work in Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) and was hailed as Tarantino's muse. Thurman reunited with Pulp Fiction (1994) dance partner John Travolta for the Get Shorty (1995) sequel Be Cool (2005) and played Ulla in The Producers (2005).

Thurman had been briefly married to Gary Oldman, from 1990 to 1992. In 1998, she married Ethan Hawke, her co-star in the offbeat futuristic thriller Gattaca (1997). The couple had two children, Levon and Maya. Hawke and Thurman filed for divorce in 2004.
BornApril 29, 1970
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornApril 29, 1970
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Top 5,00011
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
  • Nominated for 1 Oscar

Hollywood Icons, Then and Now

Hollywood Icons, Then and Now

Take a look back at these Hollywood icons in their early days to see how far they've come in their careers.
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Photos

Photos850

Uma Thurman in Super Pumped (2022)
Uma Thurman in Suspicion (2022)
Robert De Niro and Uma Thurman in Mad Dog and Glory (1993)
Uma Thurman in Mad Dog and Glory (1993)
Uma Thurman in Mad Dog and Glory (1993)
Uma Thurman in Mad Dog and Glory (1993)
Robert De Niro and Uma Thurman in Mad Dog and Glory (1993)
Uma Thurman in Mad Dog and Glory (1993)
Robert De Niro and Uma Thurman in Mad Dog and Glory (1993)
Robert De Niro and Uma Thurman in Mad Dog and Glory (1993)
Uma Thurman in Mad Dog and Glory (1993)
Uma Thurman in Mad Dog and Glory (1993)

Known for

Uma Thurman in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
Kill Bill: Vol. 1
8.2
  • The Bride
  • 2003
Uma Thurman in Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
Kill Bill: Vol. 2
8.0
  • Beatrix Kiddo aka The Bride aka Black Mamba aka Mommy
  • 2004
Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction (1994)
Pulp Fiction
8.9
  • Mia Wallace
  • 1994
George Clooney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Alicia Silverstone, Uma Thurman, and Chris O'Donnell in Batman & Robin (1997)
Batman & Robin
3.7
  • Poison Ivy
  • Dr. Pamela Isley
  • 1997

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actress

  • The Kill Room
    • Post-production
  • Red White & Royal Blue
    • Completed
  • The Old Guard 2
    • Post-production
  • Tau Ceti Four
    • Pre-production
  • Grace VanderWaal in Hollywood Stargirl (2022)
    Hollywood Stargirl
  • Uma Thurman, Kyle Chandler, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Super Pumped (2022)
    Super Pumped
  • Uma Thurman, Elyes Gabel, Gerran Howell, Kunal Nayyar, Georgina Campbell, Tom Rhys Harries, and Elizabeth Henstridge in Suspicion (2022)
    Suspicion
  • Robert De Niro and Oakes Fegley in The War with Grandpa (2020)
    The War with Grandpa
  • Chambers (2019)
    Chambers
  • Uma Thurman, Rosie Day, AnnaSophia Robb, Isabelle Fuhrman, Victoria Moroles, and Taylor Russell in Down a Dark Hall (2018)
    Down a Dark Hall
  • Imposters (2017)
    Imposters
  • Matt Dillon in The House That Jack Built (2018)
    The House That Jack Built
  • Uma Thurman, Tim Roth, Sofía Vergara, and Alice Eve in The Con is On (2018)
    The Con is On
  • Bradley Cooper in Burnt (2015)
    Burnt
  • The Slap (2015)
    The Slap
  • Patrick Stewart, Curtis Armstrong, Dee Bradley Baker, Chris Diamantopoulos, Jeff Fischer, Scott Grimes, David Koechner, Seth MacFarlane, Kevin Michael Richardson, Wendy Schaal, Daisuke Suzuki, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Mike Barker, Mike Henry, Rachael MacFarlane, and Matt McKenna in American Dad! (2005)
    American Dad!
    • (voice)
  • The Mundane Goddess (2014)
    The Mundane Goddess
  • Uma Thurman in The Gift (2014)
    The Gift
  • Jump! (2014)
    Jump!

Producer

  • The Kill Room
    • Post-production
  • Tau Ceti Four
    • Pre-production
  • Chambers (2019)
    Chambers
  • Colin Firth, Uma Thurman, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan in The Accidental Husband (2008)
    The Accidental Husband
  • Hysterical Blindness (2002)
    Hysterical Blindness

Writer

  • Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair (2006)
    Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair
    • (as U)
  • Uma Thurman in Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
    Kill Bill: Vol. 2
    • (as U)
  • Uma Thurman in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
    Kill Bill: Vol. 1
    • (as U)
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos65

Uma Thurman | Career Retrospective
Clip 1:25
Uma Thurman | Career Retrospective
How 'Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood' Connects the TarantinoVerse
Clip 5:09
How 'Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood' Connects the TarantinoVerse
"Chapter 4: Delirium"
Clip 1:00
"Chapter 4: Delirium"
"What Exactly Is Your Objective?" from Ceremony
Clip 2:01
"What Exactly Is Your Objective?" from Ceremony
Playing for Keeps
Clip 0:45
Playing for Keeps
About IMDb: Stars Talk About Our Site
Interview 1:18
About IMDb: Stars Talk About Our Site
Uma Thurman: The IMDb Original Interview
Interview 6:02
Uma Thurman: The IMDb Original Interview
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Interview 0:39
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:28
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:59
Official Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:09
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:03
Trailer

Personal details

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    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • April 29, 1970
    • Boston, Massachusetts, USA
    • Ethan HawkeMay 1, 1998 - July 20, 2004 (divorced, 2 children)
    • Maya Hawke
    • Nena Thurman
    • Ganden Thurman(Sibling)
  • Other works
    Modelling for Lancôme products (print ads)
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Biographical Movie
    • 1 Print Biography
    • 14 Interviews
    • 44 Articles
    • 34 Pictorials
    • 93 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Her warm friendship with director Quentin Tarantino (who calls her his muse) nearly ended following an accident on the set of Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004). Tarantino had apparently pressured her into doing a car stunt that went wrong, causing chronic neck and knee injuries that persist to this day. The production company, Miramax, withheld all proof of the accident unless Thurman agreed to sign a waiver (which she refused to do), releasing them and Tarantino from any liability. Despite Tarantino's profuse apologies, things remained very acrimonious between the two, until they finally reconciled their friendship nearly a decade later. Thurman only came forward with the incident in 2018 after Tarantino had finally given her access to footage from the accident, and Tarantino stated multiple times that he regretted asking her to do the stunt in the first place since the footage never even made it into the film.
  • Quotes
    Tall, sandy blonde, with sort of blue eyes, skinny in places, fat in others. An average gal. - Uma Thurman, self description.
    • Long blond hair and blue eyes
    • My Super Ex-Girlfriend
      (2006)
      $14,000,000

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