Angelina Jolie

Early life

Jolie is the daughter of actors Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand. She is the sister of actor James Haven, niece of singer-songwriter Chip Taylor, and goddaughter of actors Jacqueline Bisset and Maximilian Schell.

On her father's side, Jolie is of German and Slovak descent, and on her mother's side, she is of French Canadian, Dutch, and German ancestry. She has also claimed to be part Iroquois through her mother, although Voight has said that Bertrand was not seriously Iroquois."

At the age of 14, Jolie dropped out of her acting classes and began working as a fashion model, modeling mainly in Los Angeles, New York, and London. During this period, she wore black clothing, experimented with knife play, and went out moshing with her live-in boyfriend.

Two years later, after the relationship had ended, she rented an apartment above a garage a few blocks from her mother's home. She returned to theater studies and graduated from high school a year early, though in recent times she has referred to this period with the observation, "I am still at heart—and always will be—just a punk kid with tattoos."

Jolie suffered episodes of suicidal depression throughout her teens and early twenties. She felt isolated at Beverly Hills High School among the children of some of the area's affluent families. She found it difficult to emotionally connect with other people, and as a result she started to self-harm.

Emotional Experiences

Jolie had a serious boyfriend for two years from the age of 14.

During filming of Hackers (1995), Jolie had a romance with British actor Jonny Lee Miller. They were not in touch for many months after production ended, but eventually reconnected and married soon after on March 28, 1996. Jolie and Miller separated in September 1997 and divorced on February 3, 1999, but remained on good terms.

Jolie has long acknowledged that she had a brief bisexual relationship with model-actress Jenny Shimizu on the set of Foxfire (1996). Shimizu claimed in 2005 that her relationship with Jolie had lasted many years and continued even while Jolie was romantically involved with other people.

After just weeks of dating, Jolie married actor Billy Bob Thornton on May 5, 2000. They met on the set of Pushing Tin (1999). Jolie and Thornton announced the adoption of a son from Cambodia in March 2002, but abruptly separated three months later. Their divorce was finalized on May 27, 2003.

In early 2005, Jolie was involved in a well-publicized Hollywood scandal when she was accused of being the reason for the divorce of actors Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. She and Pitt were alleged to have started an affair during filming of Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005).

Jolie and Pitt did not publicly comment on the nature of their relationship until January 2006, when Jolie confirmed to People that she was pregnant with Pitt's child. The couple-dubbed "Brangelina" by the entertainment media-and their six children are the subject of worldwide media coverage.

Humanitarian Work

Jolie first became personally aware of worldwide humanitarian crises while filming Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) in Cambodia. She contacted UNHCR for information on international trouble spots. To learn more about the conditions in these areas, Jolie began visiting refugee camps around the world.

Jolie has been on field missions around the world and met with refugees and internally displaced persons in more than 20 countries. She has received wide recognition for her humanitarian work.

In 2003, she was the first recipient of the Citizen of the World Award by the United Nations Correspondents Association, and in 2005, she was awarded the Global Humanitarian Award by the UNA-USA. Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni awarded Jolie Cambodian citizenship for her conservation work in the country on July 31, 2005. In 2007, Jolie received the Freedom Award by the International Rescue Committee.

Media & Popularity

Jolie has attracted notable media attention for her physical appearance - particularly her full lips and her many tattoos, being her most distinctive features. She has been named the world's "sexiest" or "most beautiful" woman by various media outlets.

She has fourteen known tattoos, among which the Latin proverb "quod me nutrit me destruit" (what nourishes me destroys me), the Tennessee Williams quote "A prayer for the wild at heart, kept in cages," two sak yant designs featuring a prayer of protection and a twelve-inch-by-eight-inch tiger, and six sets of geographical coordinates indicating the birthplaces of her children.

Over time, she has covered or lasered several of her tattoos, including the name of her second husband, "Billy Bob", and the Chinese characters "死" (death) and "勇" (courage).

Filmography

Films:

• 2011: Oz: The Great and Powerful

• 2010: Ted

• 2010: The Muppets

• 2008: Friends with Benefits

• 2008: Black Swan

• 2008: Date Night

• 2007: The Book of Eli

• 2007: Extract

• 2006: Max Payne

• 2005: Forgetting Sarah Marshall

• 2004: Boot Camp

• 2004: Moving McAllister

• 2004: After Sex

• 2004: Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story

• 2003: Tony n' Tina's Wedding

• 2003: American Psycho 2

• 2002: Get Over It

• 2001: Krippendorf's Tribe

• 2001: Gia

• 2000: Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves

• 1999: Santa with Muscles

• 1999: Piranha

• 1999: Make a Wish, Molly

• 1998: Gia

• 1998: Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves

• 1998: Santa with Muscles

• 1997: Piranha

• 1997: Make a Wish, Molly

Selected Awards

• 2000: Screen Actors Guild Award:

        Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor

• 2000: Golden Globe Award:

        Best Performance by an Actress

• 2000: Academy Award:

        Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

• 1999: Screen Actors Guild Award:

        Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor

• 1999: Golden Globe Award:

        Best Performance by an Actress

• 1998: National Board of Review of Motion Pictures Award:

        Breakthrough Performance

• 1998: Golden Globe Award:

        Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Nominations

• 2011: Golden Globe Award:

        Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture

• 2009: Screen Actors Guild Award:

        Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

• 2009: Golden Globe Award:

        Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

• 2009: BAFTA Award:

        Best Actress in a Leading Role

• 2009: Academy Award:

        Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

• 2009: Academy Award:

        Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

• 2008: Screen Actors Guild Award:

        Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

• 2008: Golden Globe Award:

        Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

• 1998: Emmy Award:

        Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie

        Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie