United Kingdom, April 19 -- Charlize Theron has spoken about the night her mother fatally shot her father in self-defence - describing how she once believed her family were "the only people" to experience such trauma.

The actress, 50, recalled the 1991 incident in an interview with The New York Times, reflecting on events that took place when she was 15 and living in South Africa with her mother, Gerda Jacoba Aletta Martiz, now in her 70s, and her father, Charles Theron.

She said the shooting followed an escalation at home after she and her mother returned from visiting a relative, describing her father's anger and the events that led to the fatal confrontation.

Gerda was not charged, with the shooting ruled as self-defence.

Charlize ...