Angelina Jolie

Jon Voight 1988

Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie on the set of Changeling by Monique Autrey (cropped)

Angelina Jolie Cannes 2011

Angelina Jolie by Gage Skidmore 3

Angelina Jolie (born Angelina Jolie Voight, June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. She has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and three Golden Globe Awards, and has been named Hollywood's highest-paid actress multiple times.

Early Life

Angelina Jolie was born in Los Angeles, California, to actors Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand. She is the sister of actor James Haven, and the niece of singer-songwriter Chip Taylor and geologist and volcanologist Barry Voight. Jolie's parents separated in 1976, and she and her brother were raised by their mother, who abandoned her acting ambitions to focus on raising her children. Jolie was introduced to the entertainment industry at a young age, attending the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute and later, Beverly Hills High School. Despite her early interest in acting, Jolie experienced isolation from her peers and struggled with self-esteem, which led her to drop out of acting classes.

Career

Jolie's film career began in earnest a decade later with the low-budget production Cyborg 2 (1993), followed by her first leading role in a major film, Hackers (1995). She starred in the critically acclaimed biographical television films George Wallace (1997) and Gia (1998), and won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the drama Girl, Interrupted (1999).

Jolie gained fame for her role as video game heroine Lara Croft in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) and its sequel, The Cradle of Life (2003). She continued her successful action-star career with films like Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), Wanted (2008), and Salt (2010). Jolie also voiced the character Master Tigress in the Kung Fu Panda franchise.

In addition to her acting career, Jolie has directed and produced several films, including In the Land of Blood and Honey (2011), Unbroken (2014), and First They Killed My Father (2017).

Humanitarian Work

Jolie has been involved in humanitarian efforts for many years, focusing on areas such as refugee rights, education, and women's rights. She was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the UNHCR in 2001 and has conducted field missions around the world. In recognition of her conservation and community development work, particularly in Cambodia, she was awarded Cambodian citizenship in 2005.

Personal Life

Jolie has been the subject of wide media attention due to her high-profile relationships, marriages, and family. She has been married to actors Jonny Lee Miller, Billy Bob Thornton, and Brad Pitt, with whom she has six children, three of whom were adopted internationally. Jolie's public image is also notable for her extensive tattoo collection and her open discussion of her health, having undergone a preventive double mastectomy and oophorectomy to reduce her cancer risk.

Filmography

• Cyborg 2 (1993)
• Hackers (1995)
• George Wallace (1997)
• Gia (1998)
• Girl, Interrupted (1999)
• Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)
• Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)
• Wanted (2008)
• Salt (2010)
• In the Land of Blood and Honey (2011)
• Unbroken (2014)
• First They Killed My Father (2017)

Awards and Nominations

Jolie has received numerous awards and nominations for her work in film and humanitarian efforts, including an Academy Award, Golden Globe Awards, and a Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.