Charlize Theron was greeted by a cheering crowd Enlarge Image

She received the plaque just two blocks from the bank where she was discovered by a talent manager after throwing a tantrum a decade ago.

"If somebody had told me then that this would have happened one day, I would have laughed in their face," she said.

Theron became the first South African to win an Oscar when she was rewarded for her role in Monster last year.

"I'm incredibly humbled and honoured to be here today," she said on Thursday. "You've made a farm girl from South Africa feel very much at home."

Theron could be in line for another Oscar nomination next year

The former model and ballerina was persuaded by her mother to move to Los Angeles to try her luck as an actress and was spotted shouting at a cashier who refused to cash her cheque.

Since then, her film credits have included The Cider House Rules, The Devil's Advocate and The Legend of Bagger Vance.

She cemented her status as real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster and her latest film, sexual harassment drama North Country, has also been touted as a possible Oscar contender.