CHARLIZE THERON MAY PLAY ANNA NICOLE

Charlize Theron has been tipped to play Anna Nicole Smith in a film about her life.The actress is movie bosses' first choice to star as the Playboy Playmate who married an 89-year-old oil billionaire and died aged just 39 last week. A source revealed: "You couldn't make up a life story like Anna's. Studios are falling over themselves to pay tribute to an incredible woman. There are a number of actresses earmarked to play Anna, with Charlize the favourite."This won't be the first time the 31-year-old South African has played a controversial real-life character. Charlize won an Oscar in 2004 for her portrayal of US serial killer Aileen Wuornos in 'Monster'. Anna Nicole died last Thursday, after being found unconscious in Hollywood's Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Her death came during a time of personal grief - her 20-year-old son Daniel died five months ago - and in the middle of a bitter paternity battle over her daughter Dannielynn. After a failed teenage marriage she moved to Houston to become a stripper and met elderly oil billionaire J. Howard Marshall. Anna Nicole, 26, married Marshall, 89, in 1994, but he died the following year. She spent the next decade battling his family for his estate. She got her big break in 1991 when Playboy boss Hugh Hefner chose her to appear on the magazine cover.