Uma Thurman Biography
Uma Thurman is a celebrated Hollywood actress who gained fame through her diverse roles, achieving worldwide recognition through her collaboration with Quentin Tarantino in "Pulp Fiction" and "Kill Bill."
Childhood
Uma was born in 1970 in Boston to a large family - her mother was a Swedish model and her father a professor of German descent. Her father, Robert Thurman, specialized in Eastern religions and was a friend of the Dalai Lama, having previously been a Buddhist monk. It's no surprise then that they named their daughter after Uma, the Indian goddess of beauty and light.
First Roles
Uma's decision to become an actress came after a small but successful role in school theater. At 15, Thurman dropped out of school and devoted herself to honing her acting craft. During this time, she supported herself by working as a waitress, model, and dishwasher. The aspiring actress searched for film roles and moved from city to city.
The girl was too young and naive to see through her companion's true intentions, even though they were right on the surface. Uma went to his home, and when she realized what was about to happen to her, it was already too late. The door was locked, the key hidden, and no one responded to her screams and pleas. After finishing what he'd started, the rapist let Uma go.
Directors and producers were paying more attention to Uma Thurman, even though she was mostly being offered supporting roles. That same year, she played the innocently seductive wife of American writer Henry Miller in Philip Kaufman's "Henry & June." The film was a major success, and Uma was elevated to the ranks of actresses capable of powerful roles that demanded talented acting first, not just attractive looks.
The Tarantino Partnership
Long-awaited fame came to Uma Thurman after Quentin Tarantino offered her the role of Mia in "Pulp Fiction." The director didn't even want to consider other candidates, but Thurman herself wasn't sure she liked this character. Still, collaborating with the director of the buzzy "Reservoir Dogs" promised plenty of interesting moments. While she hesitated, Tarantino would call her at night and read chunks of the script, and finally the actress came around.
Thurman's scenes as the quirky heroine instantly became cinema history, and the film itself spawned countless quotable moments. However, after "Pulp Fiction," the actress spent some time taking on rather modest or forgettable projects, unlike her co-stars Bruce Willis and John Travolta, whose career "Pulp Fiction" literally resurrected from the dead.
In 2002, Quentin offered Uma another unconventional role: this time he wrote the screenplay specifically for her, even postponing filming for a year due to the actress's pregnancy. The bold and vibrant action flick "Kill Bill" was an instant hit for both the actress and Tarantino, whose fame had also dimmed somewhat by then.
Uma also published a highly emotional statement ("Weinstein doesn't deserve a quick death from a bullet..."), confirming she'd become one of Weinstein's victims. The New York Times then ran an article that shed light on the actress's sharp reaction to "Weinstein-gate" and the relationship between Thurman and Tarantino. It revealed that Weinstein had attacked Uma in a hotel room, and she'd miraculously managed to break free from under his body and escape.
Roles with Other Directors
In 1995, there was "A Month by the Lake," followed by work in the 1996 comedy "The Truth About Cats & Dogs." That same year, the actress shined in "Beautiful Girls," and while she simply played a beauty here, her next picture required her to showcase her villainous charms.
After "Kill Bill," Uma Thurman took a break from serious roles and started exploring lighter genres. This included comedies like "Be Cool," "My Best Friend's Girl," "My Super Ex-Girlfriend," and "The Accidental Husband." The actress proved she could fit seamlessly into films with fairly straightforward plots and elevate both melodramas and light comedies with her performance.
In 2018, Lars von Trier's new film "The House That Jack Built" featuring Uma Thurman was presented at the Cannes Film Festival. Also around this time, "The War with Grandpa" was preparing for release, while "The Con Is On" and "Down a Dark Hall" were in development – this distinctive actress isn't slowing down.
That same year, the actress received an honorary award at the David di Donatello film festival in Italy and shined in the revival of Ibsen's play "Ghosts" at the Williamstown Theatre Festival.
The film "The War with Grandpa" starring Robert De Niro, shot back in May 2017, finally saw the light of day in October 2020. The lengthy delay happened because of the collapse of Harvey Weinstein's production company. In this family comedy, Thurman played the daughter of De Niro's recently widowed character, reuniting with her "Mad Dog and Glory" co-star from 1993.
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IMDb
Meanwhile, Thurman embodied Arianna Huffington, co-founder of The Huffington Post and head of public relations at Uber, in the first season of Showtime's "Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber." Arianna is half-Greek, and Uma tried to capture that Greek accent, but faced criticism. The Guardian, for example, called it "horribly cartoonish."
Source:
IMDb
In 2023, Thurman starred in the crime thriller "The Gentlemen" and also played US President Ellen Claremont in the romantic comedy "Red, White & Royal Blue" for Amazon Prime Video.
Uma Thurman's Personal Life
Here's a little-known fact: from 1990 to 1992, Uma Thurman was married to British actor Gary Oldman, with whom she later starred in the box office bomb "The Avengers" (1998). While their paths to acting were similar, the two actors turned out to be complete opposites in lifestyle – Uma was a modest young woman who stayed away from alcohol and drugs, so she couldn't handle Gary's rebellious nature.
Uma married actor Ethan Hawke, her co-star from "Gattaca," in May 1998, and just a couple of months later, the couple welcomed their daughter Maya Ray. The spouses claimed that family came first for them, while still managing to successfully build their acting careers. In 2002, they had their second child – son Levon Roan.
In 2008, Uma found new love with French businessman Arpad Busson, who fathered her third child in 2012 – daughter Luna (full name: Rosalind Arusha Arkadina Altalune Florence Thurman-Busson).
In June 2021, The New York Times mentioned that Thurman was dating Bloomberg Media Group CEO Justin B. Smith.
During these years, the actress also took an active civic stance. Thurman sharply criticized Texas's fetal heartbeat law banning abortions, calling it "a human rights crisis for American women" and sharing her own experience with abortion as a teenager. She described that abortion as "the hardest decision of my life," but emphasized that it "allowed me to grow up and become the mother I wanted and needed to be."
Family relationships remain a priority for Thurman. Her daughter Maya Hawke became a star of the series "Stranger Things," while her son Levon is developing as a musician. Her youngest daughter Luna is growing up away from the spotlight of fame.
Uma Thurman Now
In 2025, Thurman joined the cast of "The Old Guard 2" alongside Charlize Theron. The film was released on Netflix in July 2025.
Source:
IMDb
Thurman admitted that her return to the action genre wasn't accidental:
Critics gave the film a lukewarm reception: it scored only 23% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, with viewers complaining about the slow pace and lack of action compared to the original.Charlize was just epic in the first 'Old Guard,' and I thought, 'Well, I can go and do this for her. Where she's developing the genre. I'll go support her, fight with her... I joined the project almost at the very end. So I didn't have training. I'm like, 'Oh yeah, sword. I think I hold it like this.'
Source:
@umathurman
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2021-04-27 14:22:46
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