Angelina Jolie, an Academy Award-winning actress, gained widespread recognition after her role in Girl, Interrupted (1999). She further solidified her stardom with lead roles in blockbuster films such as the Lara Croft series, Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), Wanted (2008), Salt (2010), and Maleficent (2014).
Beyond her acting career, Jolie is deeply involved in international humanitarian efforts, particularly supporting refugees. She frequently appears on “most beautiful women” lists and remains a prominent figure in tabloids due to her highly publicized personal life.
Born Angelina Jolie Voight in Los Angeles, California, she inherited her passion for acting from her parents: Oscar-winner Jon Voight and actress Marcheline Bertrand, who trained under Lee Strasberg. Jolie’s diverse ancestry includes German and Slovak roots from her father and French-Canadian, Dutch, Polish, and distant Huron heritage from her mother.
At age eleven, she began studying at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, where she performed in multiple stage productions. She later pursued film studies at New York University and joined the Met Theatre Group in Los Angeles. By sixteen, Jolie had started a modeling career and appeared in several music videos.
In early 2006, Jolie and Brad Pitt announced they were expecting a child together. Their daughter Shiloh was born in May of that year. The couple also adopted Pax, a three-year-old boy from Vietnam. Married in 2014 and divorced in 2019, Jolie and Pitt share six children and continue their respective film and humanitarian work.
In recognition of her humanitarian efforts, Jolie was appointed Honorary Dame Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George in the 2014 Queen’s Birthday Honours.
On February 16, 2013, at age 37, Jolie underwent a preventive double mastectomy after discovering she had an 87% risk of developing breast cancer due to the BRCA1 gene mutation.
Her family’s history of cancer, including her mother’s battle with breast and ovarian cancer and her grandmother’s death from ovarian cancer, prompted her decision. Her aunt, who shared the same genetic mutation, also succumbed to breast cancer shortly after Jolie’s surgery.
Following the mastectomy, Jolie underwent reconstructive surgery with implants and donor tissue. In March 2015, after further testing revealed potential early signs of ovarian cancer, Jolie opted for a preventive salpingo-oophorectomy, significantly reducing her cancer risk but inducing premature menopause.
Jolie openly shared her medical journey in op-eds published in The New York Times, aiming to raise awareness and empower women facing similar health decisions. She candidly described her diagnosis, surgeries, and the emotional aspects of her choices, emphasizing that her decisions were driven by a commitment to her children and her health.
In her own words, Jolie expressed feeling empowered by her proactive choices, stating that her femininity remained undiminished by the experience.
