Uma Thurman was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Her mother, Nena von Schlebrügge (b. 1941), was a Swedish fashion model, who was briefly married in 1964 to LSD guru Timothy Leary after the two were introduced by Salvador Dalí.

Thurman is described as having been an awkward and introverted young girl who was frequently teased as a child for her large frame, unique angular bone structure, unusual name.

Uma Thurman moved to NYC at age 16 and like her mother, began her career as a Click model, posing for numerous magazines.

Uma Thurman made her movie debut in 1988, appearing in a total of four films that year. Her first two were the high school comedy Johnny Be Good and the teen thriller Kiss Daddy Goodnight at the age of seventeen, but both films were only marginally successful and failed to gain her notice.

Thurman's powerful performance as June, the controlling wife of Henry Miller in Philip Kaufman's "Henry and June" (1990), revealed her to be an actress with considerable depth and ability.

In 2003, she starred in Quentin Tarantino's epic Kill Bill as a vengeful sword slashing assassin. The actress will also join Ben Affleck in the sci-fi thriller Paycheck.

In 1996, 26 year old Thurman sued men's magazine Playboy for unspecified damages after they published pictures of her completely nude on the beach at St. Bart's. The judge threw out the case because Thurman was nude in public and therefore should have taken into account that there could be photographers nearby.