Angelina Jolie is most known for being an actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. As one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actresses, Jolie is just as well known for her incredible beauty, and she is for her acting skills. She’s had an esteemed career in which she’s won several awards and has even shown her talents at directing her own movies as well.
At 46 years old, Jolie is one of Hollywood’s elite and is no stranger to the spotlight. From her most recent marriage and longtime relationship with fellow actor Brad Patt to her previous marriages to Johnny Lee Miller and Billy Bob Thornton, Jolie’s life has been just as reported on in the press as her filmography.
Another aspect of her personal life that has been heavily discussed over the actress’ many years in the limelight is her relationship with her parents, specifically her father. Jolie was born on June 4, 1975, in Los Angeles, California, to actors Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand. Bertrand was an actress and humanitarian who clearly passed down several of her lovely genes to her kindhearted daughter.
Voight is also an actor and has played a variety of roles on the big screen, earning him plenty of recognition. While the ending of his marriage with Bertrand drew media attention, nothing could quite compare to the attention Jolie and Voight received following their fallout. Jolie had actually made her screen debut as a child alongside her father in 1982, but their father-daughter bond would see a litany of ups and downs in the years to come, ultimately resulting in a strained relationship.
From a young age, Jolie has been making a name for herself in the entertainment industry as an actress, director, and humanitarian. She made her film debut in “Lookin’ To Get Out” at the age of 7 and began modeling at the age of 16, according to the Guardian. When she was just 24 years old, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “Girl, Interrupted.”
Over her many years in the spotlight, Jolie has been honest about her relationship with her parents, speaking highly of her mother and sharing the good and bad moments she’s had with her father. According to E! News, Bertrand died from cancer in 2007, around the time Jolie had become a mother herself. “My mom always made it clear that I was her friend – and that is a lesson on how to bring up my own children,” she said. “When we talked, I felt she wanted to hear what I had to say. She enjoyed me, and I feel I’m enjoying my kids.”
E! News reported that Jolie and her father had reconnected in 2016, following her split with Pitt. Despite the end of their marriage, Jolie and Pitt have continued to stay in each other’s lives as co-parents to their six children – three of whom are adopted and three who are biological. Their kids include Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, and twins Vivienne and Knox.
Still, the divorce left Jolie feeling “broken,” and took a lot out of her, according to the Guardian. This time really helped Jolie figure out who she wanted to have in her life, one of which was her father, Voight.
Jolie explained, “I think at the end of the day, even if you and a few people you love are the only people who know the truth of your life, what you fight for, or what you sacrifice, of what you’ve suffered, you come to be a peace with that, regardless of everything going on around you.”
However, Jolie’s relationship with Voight was not always smooth sailing. In 2017, she was spotted having dinner with her dad and four of her children and explained that Voight had been “very good at understanding” how to be there for her children during such a difficult time in their lives.
When she became an actress, Jolie did not want to use Voight as her surname since it would cause such a reaction. “I didn’t feel that close to my father,” she said. “I felt more of my mother’s daughter when I was a child. So that was one part of it.” However, in 2000, she was sure to thank Voight in her Oscar acceptance speech, calling him “a great actor” but “a better father.”
Their relationship, unfortunately, shifted toward the negative side again in 2002, when Voight infamously said that Jolie had “mental problems,” according to E! News. Shortly after, Jolie legally dropped “Voight” from her name and didn’t speak to him for years.
Thankfully, in 2010, Jolie and Voight began making efforts to repair their strained relationship, and Voight even showed up for the premiere of Jolie’s directorial debut, “In the Land of Blood and Honey,” in 2011, as per E! News. In 2013, Voight said he and Jolie were “back on track,” and the pair have stayed connected ever since.
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