About
Angelina Jolie Voight, born June 4 1975, is an Academy-, Golden Globe- and Tony-winning actor, filmmaker and humanitarian whose films have earned more than $6 billion worldwide. After a quiet stretch behind the camera, she has surged back into the spotlight with several ventures. She portrays opera legend Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín’s upcoming biopic “Maria,” a performance already creating awards chatter. Jolie was also announced (May 2 2025) as the lead in Marc Forster’s adaptation of Fredrik Backman’s novel Anxious People, reconnecting the team behind A Man Called Otto.
Off-screen, she turned her Manhattan studio space into Atelier Jolie, now operating as a hybrid arts hub and charity that gifts workspace to refugee and emerging artists. Her producing instincts reached Broadway in 2024 when she and daughter Vivienne shepherded The Outsiders musical to 12 Tony nominations, giving Jolie her first Tony nod. Through it all she continues long-standing advocacy for refugees, education and women’s rights.
Before Fame
Raised in Los Angeles by actors Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand, Jolie spent childhood on film sets and in acting classes. She made a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it debut opposite her father in Lookin’ to Get Out (1982), but the career spark truly lit a decade later. By 16 she was studying at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, dabbling in modeling and music videos. Early features such as Cyborg 2 (1993) and the cult cyber-thriller Hackers (1995) won her a niche fan base, while TV movies George Wallace (1997) and Gia (1998) delivered Golden Globes and industry buzz. Everything changed in 1999 when she gathered an Oscar for Girl, Interrupted, cementing her leap from Hollywood legacy kid to marquee name.
Trivia
- Tattoo collection: More than a dozen designs trace her humanitarian stops and personal mantras, including “Know Your Rights” between her shoulders.
- Pilot wings: She earned a private-pilot certificate in 2004 and has flown her own Cirrus SR22.
- Action pioneer: Performing many of her own stunts, she helped redefine the modern female action lead with Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Salt and Marvel’s Eternals.
- UN journey: After two decades and 60-plus field missions she stepped away from her UNHCR Special Envoy role in 2022 to engage more freely with grassroots groups while still championing refugee rights.
- Science nod: A California trapdoor-spider species, Aptostichus angelinajolieae, is named in her honor for bringing attention to biodiversity.
Family Life
Jolie’s personal life has been as headline-friendly as her career. She married British actor Jonny Lee Miller (1996-1999) and later Billy Bob Thornton (2000-2003) before a high-profile partnership with Brad Pitt. Nicknamed “Brangelina,” the pair wed in 2014 after nine years together and separated in 2016, finalizing divorce in 2019. They share six children—Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, and twins Knox and Vivienne—whose globe-trotting upbringing includes humanitarian field visits with their mom. Recent reports note the kids rotating between college, Broadway rehearsals and a New York apartment Jolie bought in her twenties. Ongoing legal wrangling over the former couple’s French vineyard occasionally resurfaces, but Jolie emphasizes that parenting remains her “everything,” often choosing new projects that allow family time.
Associated With
- Directors: Clint Eastwood (Changeling), Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted), Chloé Zhao (Eternals), Pablo Larraín (Maria), and Marc Forster (Anxious People).
- Co-stars: Shared screens with Morgan Freeman, Salma Hayek, Tom Hanks (producer on Anxious People), Elle Fanning (Maleficent series) and Kumail Nanjiani (Eternals).
- Humanitarian & arts allies: Works alongside UN agencies, Amnesty International (co-authoring Know Your Rights youth guide), designers at Atelier Jolie, and Broadway creatives on The Outsiders.
- Family collaborations: Sons Maddox and Pax served as assistant directors on her war drama Without Blood, while daughter Vivienne co-produces the Broadway show—proof that creativity runs deep in the Jolie-Pitt household.
