Uma Thurman

Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American film actress. She performs predominantly in leading roles in a variety of films, ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action thrillers. She is best known for her films directed by Quentin Tarantino. Her most popular films include Dangerous Liaisons (1988), Pulp Fiction (1994), Gattaca (1997) and the two Kill Bill movies (2003–04).She is currently the "face" of Virgin Media in the United Kingdom and along with Scarlett Johansson, models handbags and other fashion items for clothes designer Louis Vuitton.

2003–present
Thurman (right) and Vivica A. Fox in 2003’s Kill Bill Vol. 1.
After a five-year hiatus from any major film roles, Thurman returned in 2003 in John Woo’s film Paycheck, followed by her next collaboration with Quentin Tarantino, Kill Bill. Paycheck was only moderately successful with critics and at the box office, but Kill Bill relaunched her career.In Kill Bill she played one of the world’s top assassins, out on a revenge quest against her former lover. She was offered the role on her 30th birthday from Tarantino, who wrote the part specifically for her. He also cited Thurman as his muse while writing the film, and also gave her a formal joint credit for the character of Beatrix Kiddo, whom the two conceived on the set of Pulp Fiction from the sole image of a bride covered in blood. Production was delayed for several months after Thurman became pregnant as Tarantino refused to recast the part.The film reportedly took nine months to shoot, and was filmed on location in five different countries. The role was also her most demanding to date, and she spent three months training in martial arts, swordsmanship, and Japanese.The two-part action epic became an instant cult classic and scored highly with critics. The film series earned Thurman Golden Globe nominations for both entries, and three MTV Movie Awards for Best Female Performance and twice for Best Fight. Rolling Stone likened Thurman to “an avenging angel out of a 1940s Hollywood melodrama”. In the same article, she was quoted as saying the training was so difficult, and the harm done to her character before she recovers and sets out on her vengeance quest was so vicious, "It should have been called Kill Uma!"The main inspirations for “The Bride” were several B-movie action heroines. Thurman’s main inspiration for the role was the title character of Coffy (played by Pam Grier) and the character of Gloria Swenson from Gloria (played by Gena Rowlands). She said that the two characters are “two of the only women I’ve ever seen be truly women [while] holding a weapon”.Coffy was screened for Thurman by Tarantino prior to beginning production on the film, to help her model the character.By 2005, Thurman had become one of Hollywood’s highest paid actresses, commanding a salary of $12.5 million USD per film.Her first film of the year was Be Cool, the sequel to 1995’s Get Shorty, which reunited her with her Pulp Fiction castmate John Travolta. In the film she played the widow of a deceased music business executive. Later in 2005 she starred in the film Prime with Meryl Streep, playing a woman in her late thirties romancing a man in his early twenties. Thurman’s last film of the year was a remake of The Producers in which she played Ulla, a Swedish stage actress hoping to win a part in a new Broadway musical. Originally, the producers of the film planned to have another singer dub in Thurman’s musical numbers, but she was eager to do her own vocals,however it has not been confirmed if she performs all of the vocals in the film. She is credited for her songs in the credits.
With a successful film career, Thurman once again became a desired model. Cosmetics company Lancôme selected her as their spokeswoman, and named several shades of lipstick after her (these were only sold in Asia). In 2005, she became a spokeswoman for the French fashion house Louis Vuitton.
On February 7, 2006, Thurman was named a knight of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France for outstanding achievement in the field of art and literature.
In May 2006 Thurman bought the film rights to the Frank Schätzing novel "The Swarm", which is now in development and due for release in 2008.[28]
Her most recent movie, co-starring Luke Wilson, is My Super Ex-Girlfriend which was released on July 20, 2006 in Australia, and on July 21 in the United States. Thurman stars as a super-heroine named "G-Girl" who is dumped by her boyfriend and then takes her revenge upon him.
Bollywood director Vishal Bharadwaj has announced his interest in Thurman to star in his latest film venture opposite Hrithik Roshan, in a biographical film of the life of actress Nadira. The film is still in its preproduction stages