Angelina Jolie: Actress, Humanitarian, and Filmmaker
Date of Birth: June 4, 1975
Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California, USA
Nationality: American
Occupations: Actress, Director, Producer, Humanitarian
Years Active: 1982; 1991–present
Early Life and Background
Angelina Jolie was born into Hollywood royalty. Her father is Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight, and her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, was an actress and humanitarian. Jolie is of Slovak, German, French-Canadian, and Dutch ancestry on her father's side, and French-Canadian and Iroquois heritage on her mother's side.
Her parents separated when she was just a year old. Jolie was primarily raised by her mother, who left acting to raise her children. This early exposure to the entertainment world, along with her complex family dynamics, deeply influenced Jolie’s emotional development and later her artistic sensibilities.
She attended Beverly Hills High School, where she often felt like an outsider. Later, she transferred to the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, where she trained in method acting. By her teens, she had decided to pursue acting seriously, despite a period of estrangement from her father.
Career Breakthrough
Jolie began acting professionally in the early 1990s. Her first significant film role came in Hackers (1995), where she met her future husband, British actor Jonny Lee Miller. While Hackers was not a commercial success, it gained a cult following and brought attention to Jolie’s on-screen charisma.
Her real breakthrough came with her performance in George Wallace (1997), a TV film that won her a Golden Globe. In Gia (1998), a biographical film about supermodel Gia Carangi, Jolie delivered a raw and emotional performance that garnered her widespread acclaim and another Golden Globe.
In 1999, Jolie starred in Girl, Interrupted, opposite Winona Ryder. Her role as Lisa Rowe, a sociopathic mental patient, won her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and established her as one of Hollywood’s most exciting talents.
Mainstream Stardom
In the early 2000s, Angelina Jolie became one of the most bankable stars in the world. Her portrayal of Lara Croft in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) transformed her into a global action icon. Though critically mixed, the film was a commercial success and spawned a sequel.
She continued to appear in a mix of action, drama, and fantasy films, including:
Original Sin (2001)
Beyond Borders (2003)
Taking Lives (2004)
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) — where she co-starred with Brad Pitt in a performance that not only attracted major box office but also captured global media attention due to their off-screen romance.
Critical and Commercial Success
Jolie transitioned smoothly between serious dramatic roles and major blockbusters. She was praised for her performances in:
A Mighty Heart (2007), where she played the wife of journalist Daniel Pearl
Changeling (2008), directed by Clint Eastwood, for which she earned another Academy Award nomination
Wanted (2008), an action film that demonstrated her ability to carry box office hits
Salt (2010) and The Tourist (2010), both of which solidified her as a female action star
In 2014, she played the title role in Maleficent, a reimagining of the classic Disney villain. The film was a global hit and spawned a sequel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019).
Director and Filmmaker
In the 2010s, Jolie turned her attention to directing and producing. She made her directorial debut with In the Land of Blood and Honey (2011), a war drama set during the Bosnian War. She followed this with:
Unbroken (2014), the biopic of Olympian and war hero Louis Zamperini
By the Sea (2015), a slow-paced drama she wrote, directed, and starred in alongside Brad Pitt
First They Killed My Father (2017), a powerful film about the Cambodian genocide, which earned critical acclaim and was submitted as Cambodia’s entry for the Academy Awards
Humanitarian Work
Angelina Jolie is one of the most prominent humanitarian figures in the entertainment industry. Her activism began in earnest after filming Tomb Raider in Cambodia, a country that would later become deeply personal to her as she adopted her first son, Maddox, from there.
She became a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 2001. In this role and later as Special Envoy, she traveled to over 30 countries to meet with refugees and promote awareness. Some of her missions included visits to conflict zones in Darfur, Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan.
She has received numerous awards for her humanitarian efforts, including:
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (2013)
Honorary Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (2014), awarded by Queen Elizabeth II
Global Humanitarian Action Award from the UN Association of the USA
Jolie also co-founded the Jolie-Pitt Foundation, which funds conservation, education, and health initiatives worldwide.
Personal Life
Angelina Jolie's personal life has often attracted intense media scrutiny. She has been married three times:
Jonny Lee Miller (1996–1999)
Billy Bob Thornton (2000–2003)
Brad Pitt (2014–2016, together since 2005)
Her relationship with Brad Pitt was highly publicized and resulted in the birth of three biological children (Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne) and the adoption of three others (Maddox, Zahara, and Pax). Together, they were known as "Brangelina."
In 2016, Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt, citing irreconcilable differences. Their separation and custody battles were widely reported.
In 2013, Jolie underwent a preventive double mastectomy after discovering she carried the BRCA1 gene, which greatly increases the risk of breast and ovarian cancers. She wrote about her decision in a widely praised op-ed in The New York Times, sparking a global discussion on women's health.
Legacy and Influence
Angelina Jolie is not just one of the most talented and versatile actresses of her generation — she is also a globally influential humanitarian, mother, writer, and filmmaker. Her impact transcends cinema, and she has used her fame to advocate for the voiceless and marginalized.
She has been praised for choosing complex and difficult roles, her dedication to international advocacy, and her commitment to using her platform for meaningful change. Whether on screen or on the world stage, Jolie commands attention with elegance, intensity, and integrity.
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