Uma Thurman
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Uma Karuna Thurman (born Wednesday, April 29, 1970), is an American film actress.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, she was given a Buddhist upbringing. Her Swedish mother, Nena, was briefly married to Timothy Leary (to whom she was introduced by Salvador Dalí) before marrying Uma's father, Robert Thurman, a professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist studies at Columbia University. "Uma" is the name of a Hindu goddess of light and beauty. She has three brothers, named Ganden, Dechen and Mipam. For long time, she was a spokesmodel for cosmetics company Lancome which had shades of lipstick named after her. As of 2005, she is a spokesmodel for luxurious French fashion house Louis Vuitton. In Portuguese, her name means "one", in Polynesian, it means "kiss", in Japanese, it means "horse", and in Swahili it means "fork". Ethan Hawke's book For Karuna was dedicated to her.
Uma Thurman left her high school, Northfield Mount Hermon, at the age of 15 to pursue an acting career in New York City. In 1990 she married actor Gary Oldman but divorced him two years later. On May 1, 1998, she married actor Ethan Hawke, whom she had met at the set of Gattaca, and gave birth to a daughter Maya Ray and later on, son Roan.
Thurman became a pop culture legend when, at an Oscar Awards ceremony, comedian David Letterman lampooned her name by pretending to introduce her to talk show host Oprah Winfrey (both were in the audience). As a result, "Uma...Oprah. Oprah...Uma." became a heavily repeated catch phrase over the next year, inciting various spinoffs.
In 2003, Thurman and Hawke split, and in 2004, the couple filed for divorce. She now resides in Hyde Park, New York.
A Russian rock band, Ne Nashego Mira, renamed itself UmaThurman (Уматурман), hoping to capitalize on her popularity.
She reportedly is afflicted with body dysmorphia.
Quotes
- "I grew up in a mostly Buddhist environment. My father, when very young, was the first American to be ordained as a Buddhist monk. He now teaches Indo-Tibetan studies at Columbia University and is regarded as this country's foremost authority on Buddhism. When the Dalai Lama comes to America, it's my father who is his host. When asked if I consider myself Buddhist, the answer is, not really. But it's more my religion than any other because I was brought up with it in an intellectual and spiritual environment. I don't practice or preach it, however. But Buddhism has had a major effect on who I am and how I think about the world. What I have learned is that I like all religions, but only parts of them." interview in Cosmopolitan, 1995
Filmography
- Be Cool (2005)
- Paycheck (2003)
- Kill Bill (Vol. 1 2003, Vol. 2 2004)
- Hysterical Blindness (2002)
- Chelsea Walls (2001)
- Tape (2001)
- The Golden Bowl (2000)
- Vatel (2000)
- Sweet and Lowdown (1999)
- The Avengers (1998)
- Les Misérables (1998)
- Batman & Robin (1997)
- Gattaca (1997)
- You're Still Not Fooling Anybody (1997)
- Beautiful Girls (1996)
- The Truth About Cats & Dogs (1996)
- Duke of Groove (1995)
- A Month by the Lake (1995)
- Pulp Fiction (1994)
- Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993)
- Mad Dog and Glory (1993)
- Final Analysis (1992)
- Jennifer Eight (1992)
- Robin Hood (TV) (1991)
- Henry & June (1990)
- Where the Heart Is (1990)
- The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988)
- Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
- Johnny Be Good (1988)
- Kiss Daddy Goodnight (1987)