Words by Angelina Jolie is one of the most famous actors in the world and one of the most prominent celebrity humanitarians. Over three decades she has moved from rebellious young star to Academy Award winner, director and advocate for refugees.
Early life
Angelina Jolie Voight was born on June 4, 1975, in Los Angeles. Her father is the Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight, and her mother was actress Marcheline Bertrand. Jolie studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute and modeled as a teenager.
Breakthrough
Jolie gained attention for the TV films “George Wallace” (1997), which won her a Golden Globe, and “Gia” (1998), in which she played supermodel Gia Carangi and won another Golden Globe.
Her role as a charismatic patient at a psychiatric hospital in “Girl, Interrupted” (1999) won her the Academy Award for best supporting actress.
Action star
Jolie became a global box office draw as video game heroine Lara Croft in “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” (2001) and its sequel. She went on to star in “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” (2005), “Wanted” (2008) and “Salt” (2010).
Her role as the wicked fairy in Disney’s “Maleficent” (2014) became the biggest hit of her career, and she returned for “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” (2019). She also voiced Tigress in the “Kung Fu Panda” films.
Dramatic work
Jolie earned an Oscar nomination for best actress for Clint Eastwood’s “Changeling” (2008), playing a mother searching for her missing son. She portrayed journalist Daniel Pearl’s widow, Mariane, in “A Mighty Heart” (2007). Later films include Marvel’s “Eternals” (2021) and “Maria” (2024), in which she played opera singer Maria Callas.
Director
Jolie has directed several films, including “In the Land of Blood and Honey” (2011), set during the Bosnian War; “Unbroken” (2014), about Olympian and World War II prisoner Louis Zamperini; “First They Killed My Father” (2017), based on Loung Ung’s memoir of the Khmer Rouge era in Cambodia; and “Without Blood” (2024).
Humanitarian work
Jolie began working with the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, in 2001 after filming in Cambodia. She served as a goodwill ambassador and later as special envoy, visiting refugee camps and conflict zones in dozens of countries, until stepping down in 2022.
She co-founded the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative with former British Foreign Secretary William Hague and has been a visiting professor at the London School of Economics. In 2003 she received the first Citizen of the World Award from the UN Correspondents Association, and in 2013 she received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Governors Awards.
Health advocacy
In 2013, Jolie wrote in The New York Times that she had undergone a preventive double mastectomy after learning she carried a BRCA1 gene mutation that sharply raised her risk of breast cancer. Her mother had died of cancer. The essay led to a surge in genetic testing, a phenomenon researchers called the “Angelina effect.”
Family
Jolie has six children, three adopted from Cambodia, Ethiopia and Vietnam and three biological children. She has spoken about how motherhood has shaped her priorities and her choice of projects.
Style and image
Early in her career, Jolie cultivated a rebellious image, and tabloids followed her closely. Over time, her public persona shifted toward diplomacy and family, and she became known for elegant, understated red carpet looks. Her partnership with luxury houses and her long association with Guerlain as a fragrance face reflected that more refined image. Through it all, she has kept much of her inner life private, speaking about her work rather than her relationships.
Legacy
Jolie has used her fame as a platform for causes far from Hollywood. Few stars have combined box office success, an Oscar, a directing career and two decades of sustained humanitarian work.
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