Thurman grew up in an intellectual, beatnik environment in India, Mass., and Woodstock, N.Y. Her mother was a psychotherapist and her father was a practicing Buddhist. "I grew up in a mostly Buddhist environment," Thurman told Cosmopolitan magazine. "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."

While Thurman's ravishing looks have wooed many a filmgoer, she describes herself as a "gangly and awkward" child. She still tells tales of classmates who teased her over her odd name ("Uma" translates into "bestower of blessings").

But while her peers pursued football games and double dates, Thurman chased more worldly plans. She left school at 15 to launch an acting career in New York City, supporting herself with a series of odd jobs and intermittent modeling gigs.

Thurman first graced the silver screen in 1987 with "Kiss Daddy Good Night," then tagged along with Anthony Michael Hall and Robert Downey Jr. in "Johnny Be Good." Not until her role as Venus in "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen," though, did Thurman make her breakthrough -- or break out, rather: Her striking ascent from a large clam shell delighted moviegoers worldwide.

In "Dangerous Liaisons," Thurman's portrayal of a successfully seduced innocent proved that she's more than mere eye candy. Thurman's "Liaisons" co-star John Malkovich once commented, "She has this Jayne Mansfield body and a horrifyingly great brain."