ANGELINA JOLIE: Her Life, Ups and Downs, The Future
Early Life and Background
Angelina Jolie Voight was born on June 4, 1975, in Los Angeles, California, to a family already deeply rooted in Hollywood. Her father, Jon Voight, is an Oscar-winning actor best known for films like Midnight Cowboy (1969) and Coming Home (1978), while her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, was an actress and producer. From a young age, Jolie was exposed to the entertainment industry, often accompanying her parents to film sets.
Jolie’s childhood, however, was not without its challenges. Her parents separated when she was just one year old, and she was primarily raised by her mother, who gave up her career to care for her children. The divorce left a strain on Jolie’s relationship with her father, and they remained estranged for many years, though they reconciled later in life. Raised in Beverly Hills, Jolie often felt like an outsider, despite her family’s fame. She described herself as a “punk kid with tattoos” who felt alienated by her peers.
From an early age, Jolie exhibited an intense passion for acting. She enrolled at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute at the age of 11, where she trained for two years, appearing in several stage productions. Despite her early exposure to acting, Jolie’s path to Hollywood was far from smooth. She faced feelings of self-doubt, depression, and alienation, which manifested during her teenage years. She struggled with self-harm and was vocal about her feelings of disconnection from the world, speaking openly about her experiences later in life as part of her advocacy for mental health.
Early Career and Breakthrough (1990s)
Jolie began her professional career as a model, appearing in music videos for artists like Meat Loaf (“Rock & Roll Dreams Come Through”) and Lenny Kravitz (“Stand by My Woman”). By the early 1990s, she made the transition to acting, landing minor roles in films like Cyborg 2 (1993) and Hackers (1995). Though these films were not major commercial successes, Hackers became something of a cult classic, and Jolie’s performance as a computer genius hinted at her talent and charisma.
Her breakthrough came in 1998 with the HBO film Gia, a biographical drama about supermodel Gia Carangi, whose life was tragically cut short by AIDS. Jolie’s portrayal of the troubled and rebellious Carangi earned her critical acclaim, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress. The performance established her as a serious actress with both emotional depth and a willingness to take on complex, unconventional roles.
Rise to Fame and Stardom (Late 1990s–2000s)
Following the success of Gia, Jolie continued to earn praise for her performances in films like Playing by Heart (1998), Pushing Tin (1999), and The Bone Collector (1999), in which she co-starred with Denzel Washington. However, it was her role in Girl, Interrupted (1999) that truly catapulted her to international stardom. Jolie played Lisa Rowe, a sociopathic patient in a mental institution, opposite Winona Ryder. Her powerful and raw performance earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, solidifying her place among Hollywood’s elite.
Jolie’s career continued to soar as she took on a variety of challenging and diverse roles. In 2000, she starred in the action-comedy Gone in 60 Seconds, opposite Nicolas Cage, and showed her versatility as an actress by playing a sultry yet tough car thief. She also embraced the action genre with her iconic portrayal of Lara Croft in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), a role that introduced her to a global audience and marked her as a leading action star. Though the film itself received mixed reviews, Jolie’s performance was widely praised, and her physical transformation for the role, which involved extensive training in martial arts and weaponry, earned her a new level of respect.
Beyond her work on the screen, Jolie was making headlines for her personal life. In 2000, she married actor Billy Bob Thornton, a relationship that attracted significant media attention due to the couple’s eccentric displays of affection, including wearing vials of each other’s blood around their necks. Their whirlwind romance and subsequent divorce in 2003 became a fixture in the tabloids.
Humanitarian Work and Personal Transformation
Around the time of her marriage to Thornton, Jolie began to undergo a profound personal transformation. While filming Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in Cambodia, Jolie was deeply moved by the plight of refugees in the region. This experience sparked her interest in humanitarian work, and in 2001, she was appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). This marked the beginning of her lifelong commitment to humanitarian causes.
Jolie’s first field mission with the UNHCR was in Sierra Leone, where she witnessed the devastating effects of civil war. She followed this with visits to more than 20 countries, including Afghanistan, Sudan, and Iraq, where she advocated for the rights and protection of refugees and displaced persons. Her commitment to humanitarian work was recognized in 2012, when she was promoted to the position of Special Envoy to the UNHCR, allowing her to focus on larger-scale crises and represent the UNHCR at a diplomatic level.
At the same time, Jolie’s personal life was undergoing significant changes. In 2002, she adopted her first child, Maddox, from an orphanage in Cambodia. This marked the beginning of her journey as a mother and humanitarian, and over the next few years, she would adopt two more children: Zahara from Ethiopia in 2005 and Pax from Vietnam in 2007.
The Brad Pitt Era: Brangelina and Family
One of the most significant events in Jolie’s life came in 2005 when she starred alongside Brad Pitt in Mr. & Mrs. Smith, an action-comedy that would forever change the course of her personal life. Rumors of an affair between the two began circulating while Pitt was still married to actress Jennifer Aniston. After Pitt’s divorce, Jolie and Pitt became one of Hollywood’s most talked-about couples, dubbed “Brangelina” by the media.
Together, they became a symbol of modern family life, as they expanded their family both through adoption and biological children. In 2006, Jolie gave birth to their first biological child, Shiloh, followed by the birth of twins, Knox and Vivienne, in 2008. The Jolie-Pitt family became known for their multicultural and globetrotting lifestyle, often traveling between their homes in Los Angeles, France, and Cambodia, and involving their children in their humanitarian efforts.
Despite the media frenzy surrounding their relationship, Jolie and Pitt maintained a relatively private family life, focusing on raising their children and pursuing philanthropic projects. In 2014, after nearly a decade together, the couple married in a private ceremony at their estate in France. However, in 2016, Jolie filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. The split was highly publicized and involved a protracted custody battle over their six children, but over time, the couple has worked to co-parent amicably.
Acclaimed Director and Continued Acting Success (2010s–2020s)
In addition to her work as an actress, Jolie has made a significant mark as a director, producing films that focus on human rights, war, and the human condition. Her directorial debut, In the Land of Blood and Honey (2011), was a war drama set during the Bosnian War, which received critical acclaim for its sensitive portrayal of conflict and its impact on civilians. She followed this with Unbroken (2014), a biographical war drama about Olympic athlete and World War II prisoner of war Louis Zamperini, which was both a commercial and critical success.
Jolie’s work behind the camera continued with By the Sea (2015), a film she directed, wrote, and starred in alongside Brad Pitt. Though it received mixed reviews, the film was a deeply personal project for Jolie, exploring themes of loss and marital strife. She also directed First They Killed My Father (2017), a historical drama based on the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, further showcasing her interest in telling stories that deal with complex historical and political issues.
Despite her growing presence as a director, Jolie continued to act in high-profile roles, including her portrayal of the villainous Maleficent in Disney’s Maleficent (2014) and its sequel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019). These films allowed Jolie to explore a more playful and nuanced side of her acting, endearing her to a new generation of fans.
Health and Advocacy
Throughout her career, Jolie has used her platform to raise awareness about important health issues, particularly women’s health. In 2013, Jolie made headlines when she wrote an op-ed for The New York Times revealing that she had undergone a preventive double mastectomy after learning she carried a mutation of the BRCA1 gene, which greatly increased her risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Jolie’s decision to publicly share her story was widely praised for encouraging other women to take charge of their health and seek genetic testing.
Two years later, Jolie underwent further surgery to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes, again sharing her experience in an op-ed to raise awareness about genetic cancer risks. Her openness about her health has had a profound impact on public discussions surrounding women’s health, genetic testing, and preventive care.
Ongoing and Future Projects
As of 2024, Angelina Jolie continues to balance her professional and personal life. She remains involved in various humanitarian efforts and continues her work with the UNHCR. Jolie is also an advocate for education and human rights, particularly for women and children in conflict zones.
In terms of her film career, Jolie has several exciting projects on the horizon. She is set to reprise her role as Thena in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Eternals franchise, and she has been attached to star in and produce several upcoming films, including Every Note Played, a drama based on the novel by Lisa Genova.
Outside of Hollywood, Jolie continues to focus on her children, who are now teenagers and young adults. She has spoken about the joys and challenges of parenting and remains dedicated to giving her children a well-rounded education, with a strong emphasis on global awareness and social justice.
We love her!
Angelina Jolie’s life and career have been anything but conventional. From her early years as a rebellious young actress to her transformation into an internationally respected humanitarian, director, and mother, Jolie has continually evolved and redefined what it means to be a modern woman in the spotlight. Her journey has been marked by personal challenges, public scrutiny, and professional triumphs, but through it all, she has remained committed to using her platform for good.
As she moves forward, both in her personal life and career, Angelina Jolie’s legacy will undoubtedly continue to inspire generations of women to lead with compassion, embrace their complexities, and use their voices for positive change.
