text: angelina jolie angelina jolie pitt ( / / - ; née voight ; june 4 , 1975 ) is an american actress , filmmaker , and humanitarian . she has received an academy award , two screen actors guild awards , and three golden globe awards , and has been cited as hollywood 's highest - paid actress . jolie made her screen debut as a child alongside her father , jon voight , in lookin ' to get out ( 1982 ) . her film career began in earnest a decade later with the low - budget production cyborg 2 ( 1993 ) , followed by her first leading role in a major film , hackers ( 1995 ) . she starred in the critically acclaimed biographical cable films george wallace ( 1997 ) and gia ( 1998 ) , and won an academy award for best supporting actress for her performance in the drama girl , interrupted ( 1999 ) . jolie 's starring role as the video game heroine lara croft in lara croft : tomb raider ( 2001 ) established her as a leading hollywood actress . she continued her successful action - star career with mr. & mrs. smith ( 2005 ) , wanted ( 2008 ) , and salt ( 2010 ) , and received critical acclaim for her performances in the dramas a mighty heart ( 2007 ) and changeling ( 2008 ) , which earned her a nomination for an academy award for best actress . beginning in the 2010s , she expanded her career into directing , screenwriting , and producing , starting with the wartime dramas in the land of blood and honey ( 2011 ) and unbroken ( 2014 ) . her biggest commercial success came with the fantasy picture maleficent ( 2014 ) . jolie is also known her humanitarian work , for which she has received a jean hersholt humanitarian award and an honorary of the order of st michael and st george ( ) , among other honors . she promotes various causes , including conservation , education , and women 's rights , and is most noted for her advocacy on behalf of refugees as a special envoy for the united nations high commissioner for refugees ( unhcr ) . jolie has been cited as one of the most influential and powerful people in the american entertainment industry . divorced from actors jonny lee miller and billy bob thornton , she has been married to actor brad pitt since 2014 . they have six children together , three of whom were adopted internationally . early life and family born in los angeles , california , jolie is the daughter of actors jon voight and marcheline bertrand . she is the sister of actor james haven and niece of singer - songwriter chip taylor . her godparents are 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 primarily french - canadian , dutch , and german ancestry . like her mother , jolie has stated that she is part iroquois , although her only known indigenous ancestors were 17th - century hurons . after her parents ' separation in 1976 , jolie and her brother lived with their mother , who had abandoned her acting ambitions to focus on raising her children . as a child , she often watched films with her mother and it was this , rather than her father 's successful career , that inspired her interest in acting , though at age five she had a bit part in voight 's lookin ' to get out ( 1982 ) . when jolie was six years old , bertrand and her live - in partner , filmmaker bill day , moved the family to palisades , new york ; they returned to los angeles five years later . jolie then decided she wanted to act and enrolled at the lee strasberg theatre institute , where she trained for two years and appeared in several stage productions . jolie first attended beverly hills high school , where she felt isolated among the children of some of the area 's affluent families , because her mother survived on a more modest income . she was teased by other students , who targeted her for being extremely thin and for wearing glasses and braces . her early attempts at modeling , at her mother 's insistence , proved unsuccessful . she then transferred to moreno high school , an alternative school , where she became a " punk outsider , " wearing all - black clothing , going out moshing , and experimenting with knife play with her live - in boyfriend . she dropped out of her acting classes and aspired to become a funeral director , taking at - home courses to study embalming . at age 16 , after the relationship had ended , jolie graduated from high school and rented her own apartment , before returning to theater studies , though in 2004 she referred to this period with the observation , " i am still at heart — and always will be — just a punk kid with tattoos . " as a teenager , jolie found it difficult to emotionally connect with other people , and as a result she self - harmed , later commenting , " for some reason , the ritual of having cut myself and feeling the pain , maybe feeling alive , feeling some kind of release , it was somehow therapeutic to me . " she also struggled with insomnia and an eating disorder , and began experimenting with drugs ; by age 20 , she had used " just about every drug possible , " particularly heroin . jolie suffered episodes of depression and twice planned to commit suicide — at age 19 and again at 22 , when she attempted to hire a hitman to kill her . when she was 24 , she experienced a nervous breakdown and was admitted for 72 hours to ucla medical center 's psychiatric ward . two years later , after adopting her first child , jolie found stability in her life , later stating , " i knew once i committed to maddox , i would never be self - destructive again . " jolie has had a lifelong dysfunctional relationship with her father , which began when voight left the family when his daughter was less than a year old . she has said that from then on their time together was sporadic and usually carried out in front of the press . they reconciled when they appeared together in lara croft : tomb raider ( 2001 ) , but their relationship again deteriorated . jolie petitioned the court to legally remove her surname " voight " in favor of her middle name , which she had long used as a stage name ; the name change was granted on september 12 , 2002 . voight then went public with their estrangement during an appearance on access hollywood , in which he claimed jolie had " serious mental problems . " at that point , her mother and brother also broke off contact with voight . they did not speak for six - and - a - half years , but began rebuilding their relationship in the wake of bertrand 's death from ovarian cancer on january 27 , 2007 , before going public with their reconciliation three years later . career 1991 – 97 : early work jolie committed to acting professionally at the age of 16 , but initially found it difficult to pass auditions , often being told that her demeanor was " too dark . " she appeared in five of her brother 's student films , made while he attended the usc school of cinema - television , as well as in several music videos , namely lenny kravitz 's " stand by my woman " ( 1991 ) , antonello venditti 's " alta " ( 1991 ) , the lemonheads 's " it 's about time " ( 1993 ) , and meat loaf 's " rock and roll dreams come through " ( 1993 ) . she began to learn from her father , as she noticed his method of observing people to become like them . their relationship during this time was less strained , with jolie realizing that they were both " drama queens . " jolie began her professional film career in 1993 , when she played her first leading role in the straight - to - video science - fiction sequel cyborg 2 , as a near - human robot designed for corporate espionage and assassination . she was so disappointed with the film that she did not audition again for a year . following a supporting role in the independent film without evidence ( 1995 ) , she starred in her first hollywood picture , hackers ( 1995 ) . the new york times critic janet maslin wrote , " kate stands out . that 's because she scowls even more sourly than [ her co - stars ] and is that rare female hacker who sits intently at her keyboard in a see - through top . " hackers failed to make a profit at the box office , but developed a cult following after its video release . after starring in the modern - day romeo and juliet adaptation love is all there is ( 1996 ) , jolie appeared in the road movie mojave moon ( 1996 ) , of which the hollywood reporter said , " jolie , an actress whom the camera truly adores , reveals a comic flair and the kind of blatant sexuality that makes it entirely credible that danny aiello 's character would drop everything just for the chance of being with her . " in foxfire ( 1996 ) she played a drifter who unites four teenage girls against a teacher who has sexually harassed them . jack mathews of the los angeles times wrote of her performance , " it took a lot of hogwash to develop this character , but jolie , jon voight 's knockout daughter , has the presence to overcome the stereotype . though the story is narrated by maddy , legs is the subject and the catalyst . " in 1997 , jolie starred with david duchovny in the thriller playing god , set in the los angeles underworld . the film was not well received by critics ; chicago sun - times critic roger ebert noted that jolie " finds a certain warmth in a kind of role that is usually hard and aggressive ; she seems too nice to be [ a mobster 's ] girlfriend , and maybe she is . " her next work , as a in the cbs miniseries true women ( 1997 ) , was even less successful ; writing for the philadelphia inquirer , robert strauss dismissed her as " horrid , a fourth - rate scarlett o 'hara " who relies on " gnashed teeth and overly lips . " jolie also starred in the music video for the rolling stones 's " anybody seen my baby ? " as a stripper who leaves mid - performance to wander new york city . 1998 – 2000 : breakthrough jolie 's career prospects began to improve after she won a golden globe award for her performance in tnt 's george wallace ( 1997 ) , about the life of the segregationist alabama governor and presidential candidate george wallace , played by gary sinise . jolie portrayed wallace 's second wife , cornelia , a performance lee winfrey of the philadelphia inquirer considered a highlight of the film . george wallace was very well received by critics and won , among other awards , the golden globe award for best miniseries or television film . jolie also received a nomination for an emmy award for her performance . jolie 's first breakthrough came when she portrayed supermodel gia carangi in hbo 's gia ( 1998 ) . the film chronicles the destruction of carangi 's life and career as a result of her addiction to heroin , and her decline and death from aids in the mid - 1980s . vanessa vance of retrospectively noted , " jolie gained wide recognition for her role as the titular gia , and it 's easy to see why . jolie is fierce in her portrayal — filling the part with nerve , charm , and desperation — and her role in this film is quite possibly the most beautiful train wreck ever filmed . " for the second consecutive year , jolie won a golden globe award and was nominated for an emmy award . she also won her first screen actors guild award . in accordance with lee strasberg 's method acting , jolie preferred to stay in character in between scenes during many of her early films , and as a result had gained a reputation for being difficult to deal with . while shooting gia , she told her husband , jonny lee miller , that she would not be able to phone him : " i 'd tell him : ' i 'm alone ; i 'm dying ; i 'm gay ; i 'm not going to see you for weeks . ' " after gia wrapped , she briefly gave up acting , because she felt that she had " nothing else to give . " she separated from miller and moved to new york , where she took night classes at new york university to study directing and screenwriting . encouraged by her golden globe award win for george wallace and the positive critical reception of gia , jolie resumed her career . following the previously filmed gangster film hell 's kitchen ( 1998 ) , jolie returned to the screen in playing by heart ( 1998 ) , part of an ensemble cast that included sean connery , gillian anderson , and ryan phillippe . the film received predominantly positive reviews , and jolie was praised in particular ; san francisco chronicle critic peter stack wrote , " jolie , working through an overwritten part , is a sensation as the desperate club crawler learning truths about what she 's willing to gamble . " she won the breakthrough performance award from the national board of review . in 1999 , jolie starred in the comedy - drama pushing tin , alongside john cusack , billy bob thornton , and cate blanchett . the film met with mixed reception from critics , and jolie 's character — thornton 's seductive wife — was particularly criticized ; writing for the washington post , desson howe dismissed her as " a completely ludicrous writer 's creation of a free - spirited woman who weeps over hibiscus plants that die , wears lots of turquoise rings and gets real lonely when russell spends entire nights away from home . " jolie then co - starred with denzel washington in the bone collector ( 1999 ) , playing a police officer who reluctantly helps washington 's paraplegic detective track down a serial killer . the film grossed $ 151 . 5 million worldwide , but was critically unsuccessful . terry lawson of the detroit free press concluded , " jolie , while always delicious to look at , is simply and woefully miscast . " jolie next took the supporting role of a sociopathic mental patient in girl , interrupted ( 1999 ) , an adaptation of susanna kaysen 's memoir of the same name . while winona ryder played the main character in what was hoped to be a comeback for her , the film instead marked jolie 's final breakthrough in hollywood . she won her third golden globe award , her second screen actors guild award , and an academy award for best supporting actress . for variety , emanuel levy noted , " jolie is excellent as the flamboyant , irresponsible girl who turns out to be far more instrumental than the doctors in susanna 's rehabilitation . " in 2000 , jolie appeared in her first summer blockbuster , gone in 60 seconds , which became her highest - grossing film to that point , earning $ 237 . 2 million internationally . she had a minor role as the mechanic ex - girlfriend of a car thief played by nicolas cage ; the washington post writer stephen hunter criticized that " all she does in this movie is stand around , cooling down , modeling those fleshy , pulsating muscle - tubes that nest so provocatively around her teeth . " jolie later explained that the film had been a welcome relief after her emotionally demanding role in girl , interrupted . 2001 – 04 : mainstream recognition although highly regarded for her acting abilities , jolie had rarely found films that appealed to a wide audience , but lara croft : tomb raider ( 2001 ) made her an international superstar . an adaptation of the popular tomb raider videogames , the film required her to learn an english accent and undergo extensive martial arts training to play the archaeologist - adventurer lara croft . although the film generated mostly negative reviews , jolie was generally praised for her physical performance ; newsday 's john anderson commented , " jolie makes the title character a virtual icon of female competence and . " the film was an international hit , earning $ 274 . 7 million worldwide , and launched her global reputation as a female action star . jolie next starred opposite antonio banderas as his mail - order bride in original sin ( 2001 ) , the first of a string of films that were poorly received by critics and audiences alike . the new york times critic elvis mitchell questioned jolie 's decision to follow her oscar - winning performance with " soft - core nonsense . " the romantic comedy life or something like it ( 2002 ) , though equally unsuccessful , marked an unusual choice for jolie . salon 's allen barra considered her ambitious newscaster character a rare attempt at playing a conventional women 's role , noting that her performance " doesn 't get off the ground until a scene where she goes punk and leads a group of striking bus workers in singing ' satisfaction . ' " despite her lack of box office success , jolie remained in demand as an actress ; in 2002 , she established herself among hollywood 's highest - paid actresses , earning $ 10 – $ 15 million per film for the next five years . jolie reprised her role as lara croft in lara croft tomb raider : the cradle of life ( 2003 ) , which was not as lucrative as the original , earning $ 156 . 5 million at the international box office . she also starred in the music video for korn 's " did my time " , which was used to promote the sequel . her next film was beyond borders ( 2003 ) , in which she portrayed a socialite who joins an aid worker played by clive owen . though unsuccessful with audiences , the film stands as the first of several passion projects jolie has made to bring attention to humanitarian causes . beyond borders was a critical failure ; kenneth turan of the los angeles times acknowledged jolie 's ability to " bring electricity and believability to roles , " but wrote that " the limbo of a hybrid character , a badly written cardboard person in a fly - infested , blood - and - guts world , completely defeats her . " the year 2004 saw the release of four films featuring jolie . she first starred in the thriller taking lives as an fbi profiler summoned to help montreal law enforcement hunt down a serial killer . the film received mixed reviews ; the hollywood reporter critic kirk honeycutt concluded , " jolie plays a role that definitely feels like something she has already done , but she does add an unmistakable dash of excitement and glamour . " jolie made a brief appearance as a fighter pilot in sky captain and the world of tomorrow , a science fiction adventure shot entirely with actors in front of a bluescreen , and voiced her first family film , the dreamworks animation shark tale . her supporting role as queen olympias in oliver stone 's alexander , about the life of alexander the great , was met with mixed reception , particularly concerning her slavic accent . commercially , the film failed in north america , which stone attributed to disapproval of the depiction of alexander 's bisexuality , but it succeeded internationally , for a total revenue of $ 167 . 3 million . 2005 – 10 : commercial success in 2005 , jolie returned to major box office success with the action - comedy mr. & mrs. smith , in which she starred opposite brad pitt as a bored married couple who find out that they are both secret assassins . the film received mixed reviews , but was generally lauded for the chemistry between the two leads ; star tribune critic colin covert noted , " while the story feels haphazard , the movie gets by on gregarious charm , galloping energy and the stars ' thermonuclear screen chemistry . " with box office takings of $ 478 . 2 million worldwide , mr. & mrs. smith was the seventh - highest grossing picture of the year and remained jolie 's highest - grossing live - action film for the next decade . following a supporting role as the neglected wife of a cia officer in robert de niro 's the good shepherd ( 2006 ) , jolie starred as pearl in the documentary - style drama a mighty heart ( 2007 ) . based on pearl 's memoir of the same name , the film chronicles the kidnapping and murder of her husband , the wall street journal reporter daniel pearl , in pakistan . although the biracial pearl had personally chosen jolie for the role , the casting drew racial criticism and accusations of blackface . the resulting performance was widely praised ; ray bennett of the hollywood reporter described it as " well - measured and moving , " played " with respect and a firm grasp on a difficult accent . " she received nominations for a golden globe award and a screen actors guild award . jolie also played a shape - shifting seductress , grendel 's mother , in the epic beowulf ( 2007 ) , created through motion capture . the film was critically and commercially well received , taking in revenues of $ 196 . 4 million worldwide . by 2008 , jolie was considered the highest - paid actress in hollywood , earning $ 15 – $ 20 million per film . while other actresses had been forced to take salary cuts in recent years , jolie 's perceived box office appeal allowed her to command as much as $ 20 million plus a percentage . she starred alongside james mcavoy and morgan freeman in the action film wanted ( 2008 ) , which proved an international success , earning $ 341 . 4 million worldwide . the film received predominantly favorable reviews ; writing for the new york times , manohla dargis noted that jolie was " perfectly cast as a super - scary , seemingly amoral assassin , " adding that " she cuts the kind of disciplinarian figure who can bring boys of all ages to their knees or at least into their theater seats . " jolie next took the lead role in clint eastwood 's drama changeling ( 2008 ) . based in part on the wineville chicken coop murders , the film centers on christine collins , who is reunited with her kidnapped son in 1928 los angeles , only to realize the boy is an imposter . chicago tribune critic michael phillips noted , " jolie really shines in the calm before the storm , the scenes when one patronizing male authority figure after another belittles her at their peril . " she received nominations for a golden globe award , a screen actors guild award , a bafta award , and an academy award for best actress . jolie also voiced the dreamworks animation kung fu panda ( 2008 ) , the first work in a major family franchise , later reprising her voice role in the sequels kung fu panda 2 ( 2011 ) and kung fu panda 3 ( 2016 ) . after her mother 's death in 2007 , jolie began appearing in fewer films , later explaining that her motivation to be an actress had stemmed from her mother 's acting ambitions . her first film in two years was the thriller salt ( 2010 ) , in which she starred as a cia agent who goes on the run after she is accused of being a kgb sleeper agent . originally written as a male character with tom cruise attached to star , agent salt underwent a gender change after a columbia pictures executive suggested jolie for the role . with revenues of $ 293 . 5 million , salt became an international success . the film received generally positive reviews , with jolie 's performance in particular earning praise ; empire critic william thomas remarked , " when it comes to selling incredible , crazy , death - defying antics , jolie has few peers in the action business . " jolie starred opposite johnny depp in the thriller the tourist ( 2010 ) . the film was a critical failure , though roger ebert defended jolie 's performance , stating that she " does her " and " plays her femme fatale with flat - out , drop - dead sexuality . " despite the poor critical reception and a slow start at the north american box office , the film went on to gross a respectable $ 278 . 3 million worldwide , cementing jolie 's appeal to international audiences . she received a golden globe award nomination for her performance , which gave rise to speculation that it had been given merely to ensure her high - profile presence at the awards ceremony . 2011 – present : professional expansion after directing the documentary a place in time ( 2007 ) , which was distributed through the national education association , jolie made her feature directorial debut with in the land of blood and honey ( 2011 ) , a love story between a serb soldier and a bosniak prisoner , set during the 1992 – 95 bosnian war . she conceived the film to rekindle attention for the survivors , after twice visiting bosnia and herzegovina in her role as a unhcr goodwill ambassador . to ensure authenticity , she cast only actors from the former yugoslavia — including stars goran kostić and zana — and incorporated their wartime experiences into her screenplay . upon release , the film received mixed reviews ; todd mccarthy of the hollywood reporter wrote , " jolie deserves significant credit for creating such a powerfully oppressive atmosphere and staging the ghastly events so credibly , even if it is these very strengths that will make people not want to watch what 's onscreen . " the film was nominated for a golden globe award for best foreign language film , and jolie was named an honorary citizen of sarajevo for raising awareness of the war . after a three - and - a - half - year absence from the screen , jolie starred in maleficent ( 2014 ) , a live - action re - imagining of disney 's 1959 animation sleeping beauty . critical reception was mixed , but jolie 's performance in the titular role was singled out for praise ; the hollywood reporter critic sherri linden found her to be the " heart and soul " of the film , adding that she " doesn 't chew the estimable scenery in maleficent — she infuses it , wielding a magnetic and effortless power . " in its opening weekend , maleficent earned nearly $ 70 million at the north american box office and over $ 100 million in other markets , marking jolie 's appeal to audiences of all demographics in both action and fantasy films , genres usually dominated by male actors . the film went on to gross $ 757 . 8 million worldwide , becoming the fourth - highest grossing film of the year and jolie 's highest - grossing film ever . jolie next completed her second directorial venture , unbroken ( 2014 ) , about world war ii hero louis ( 1917 – 2014 ) , a former olympic track star who survived a plane crash over sea and spent two years in a japanese prisoner - of - war camp . based on laura hillenbrand 's biography of the same name , the film was scripted by the coen brothers and starred jack o 'connell . after a positive early reception , unbroken was considered a likely best picture and best director contender , but it ultimately received mixed reviews and little award recognition , though it was named one of the best films of the year by the national board of review and the american film institute . in a typical review , variety 's justin chang noted the film 's " impeccable craftsmanship and sober restraint " , but deemed it " an extraordinary story told in dutiful , unexceptional terms . " financially , unbroken far outperformed industry expectations in its opening weekend , eventually earning over $ 163 million worldwide . jolie 's next directorial effort was the marital drama by the sea ( 2015 ) , in which she starred opposite her husband , brad pitt , marking their first collaboration since 2005 's mr. & mrs. smith . based on her screenplay , the film was a deeply personal project for jolie , who drew inspiration from her own mother 's life . critics , however , dismissed it as a " vanity project , " as part of an overall poor reception . writing for the washington post , stephanie merry noted its dearth of genuine emotion , stating , " by the sea is dazzlingly gorgeous , as are its stars . but peeling back layer upon layer of exquisite ennui reveals nothing but emptiness , sprinkled with stilted sentiments . " despite starring two of hollywood 's leading actors , the film received only a limited release . first they killed my father , jolie 's adaptation of ung 's memoir of the same name , is scheduled to debut on netflix in late 2016 . in addition to directing the film , she co - wrote its screenplay with her friend ung , a human rights activist who survived cambodia 's khmer rouge regime . jolie is next contracted to reprise the role of maleficent in disney 's sequel . humanitarian work unhcr ambassadorship jolie first witnessed the effects of a humanitarian crisis while filming lara croft : tomb raider ( 2001 ) in war - torn cambodia , an experience she later credited with having brought her a greater understanding of the world . upon her return home , she contacted the united nations high commissioner for refugees ( unhcr ) for information on international trouble spots . to learn more about the conditions in these areas , she began visiting refugee camps around the world . in february 2001 , she went on her first field visit , an 18 - day mission to sierra leone and tanzania ; she later expressed her shock at what she had witnessed . in the following months , jolie returned to cambodia for two weeks and met with afghan refugees in pakistan , where she donated $ 1 million in response to an international unhcr emergency appeal , the largest donation unhcr had ever received from a private individual . she covered all costs related to her missions and shared the same rudimentary working and living conditions as unhcr field staff on all of her visits . jolie was named a unhcr goodwill ambassador at unhcr headquarters in geneva on august 27 , 2001 . over the next decade , she went on more than 40 field missions , meeting with refugees and internally displaced persons in over 30 countries . in 2002 , when asked what she hoped to accomplish , she stated , " awareness of the plight of these people . i think they should be commended for what they have survived , not looked down upon . " to that end , her 2001 - 02 field visits were chronicled in her book notes from my travels , which was published in october 2003 in conjunction with the release of her humanitarian drama beyond borders . jolie aimed to visit what she termed " forgotten emergencies , " crises that media attention had shifted away from . she became noted for travelling to war zones , such as sudan 's darfur region during the darfur conflict , the syrian - iraqi border during the second gulf war , where she met privately with u.s. troops and other multi - national forces , and the afghan capital kabul during the war in afghanistan , where three aid workers were murdered in the midst of her first visit . to aid her travels , she began taking flying lessons in 2004 with the aim of ferrying aid workers and food supplies around the world ; she now holds a private pilot license with instrument rating and owns a cirrus and cessna 208 caravan single - engine aircraft . on april 17 , 2012 , after more than a decade of service as a unhcr goodwill ambassador , jolie was promoted to the rank of special envoy to high commissioner antónio guterres , the first to take on such a position within the organization . in her expanded role , she was given authority to represent guterres and unhcr at the diplomatic level , with a focus on major refugee crises . in the months following her promotion , she made her first visit as special envoy — her third over all — to ecuador , where she met with colombian refugees , and she accompanied guterres on a week - long tour of jordan , lebanon , turkey , and iraq , to assess the situation of refugees from neighboring syria . since then , jolie has gone on a dozen field missions around the world to meet with refugees and undertake advocacy on their behalf . conservation and community development in an effort to connect her cambodian - born son with his heritage , jolie purchased a house in his country of birth in 2003 . the traditional home sat on 39 hectares in the northwestern province battambang , adjacent to national park in the cardamom mountains , which had become infiltrated with poachers who threatened endangered species . she purchased the park 's 60 , 000 hectares and turned the area into a wildlife reserve named for her son , the maddox jolie project . in recognition of her conservation efforts , king norodom sihamoni awarded her cambodian citizenship on july 31 , 2005 . in november 2006 , jolie expanded the scope of the project — renamed the maddox jolie - pitt foundation ( mjp ) — to create asia 's first millennium village , in accordance with un development goals . she was inspired by a meeting with the founder of millennium promise , noted economist jeffrey sachs , at the world economic forum in davos , where she was an invited speaker in 2005 and 2006 . together they filmed a 2005 mtv special , the diary of angelina jolie & dr. jeffrey sachs in africa , which followed them on a trip to a millennium village in western kenya . by mid - 2007 , some 6 , 000 villagers and 72 employees — some of them former poachers employed as rangers — lived and worked at mjp , in ten villages previously isolated from one another . the compound includes schools , roads , and a soy milk factory , all funded by jolie . her home functions as the mjp field headquarters . after filming beyond borders ( 2003 ) in namibia , jolie became patron of the wildlife foundation , a wildlife orphanage and medical center in the kalahari desert . she first visited the farm during production of the film , which features vultures rescued by the foundation . in december 2010 , jolie and her partner , brad pitt , established the shiloh jolie - pitt foundation to support conservation work by the wildlife sanctuary , a nature reserve also located in the kalahari . in name of their namibian - born daughter , they have funded large - animal conservation projects as well as a free health clinic , housing , and a school for the san bushmen community at . jolie and pitt support other causes through the jolie - pitt foundation , established in september 2006 . child immigration and education jolie has pushed for legislation to aid child immigrants and other vulnerable children in both the u.s. and developing nations , including the " alien child protection act of 2005 . " she began lobbying humanitarian interests in the u.s. capital from 2003 onwards , explaining , " as much as i would love to never have to visit washington , that 's the way to move the ball . " since october 2008 , she has co - chaired kids in need of defense ( kind ) , a network of leading u.s. law firms that provide free legal aid to unaccompanied minors in immigration proceedings across the u.s. founded in a collaboration between jolie and the microsoft corporation , by 2013 , kind had become the principal provider of pro bono lawyers for immigrant children . jolie had previously , from 2005 to 2007 , funded the launch of a similar initiative , the u.s. committee for refugees and immigrants ' national center for refugee and immigrant children . jolie has also advocated for children 's education . since its founding at the clinton global initiative 's annual meeting in september 2007 , she has co - chaired the education partnership for children of conflict , which provides policy and funding to education programs for children in conflict - affected regions . in its first year , the partnership supported education projects for iraqi refugee children , youth affected by the darfur conflict , and girls in rural afghanistan , among other affected groups . the partnership has worked closely with the council on foreign relations ' center for universal education — founded by the partnership 's co - chair , noted economist gene sperling — to establish education policies , which resulted in recommendations made to un agencies , g8 development agencies , and the world bank . since april 2013 , all proceeds from jolie 's high - end jewelry collection , style of jolie , have benefited the partnership 's work . jolie has funded a school and boarding facility for girls at refugee camp in northwestern kenya , which opened in 2005 , and two primary schools for girls in the returnee settlements and in eastern afghanistan , which opened in march 2010 and november 2012 respectively . in addition to the facilities at the millennium village she established in cambodia , jolie had built at least ten other schools in the country by 2005 . in february 2006 , she opened the maddox children 's center , a medical and educational facility for children affected by hiv , in the cambodian capital phnom penh . in , ethiopia , the birthplace of her eldest daughter , she funds a sister facility , the zahara children 's center , which is expected to open in 2015 and will treat and educate children suffering from hiv or tuberculosis . both centers are run by the global health committee . human rights and women 's rights after jolie joined the council on foreign relations ( cfr ) in june 2007 , she hosted a symposium on international law and justice at cfr headquarters and funded several cfr special reports , including " intervention to stop genocide and mass atrocities . " in january 2011 , she established the jolie legal fellowship , a network of lawyers and attorneys who are sponsored to advocate the development of human rights in their countries . its member attorneys , called jolie legal fellows , have facilitated child protection efforts in haiti in the wake of the 2010 earthquake and promoted the development of an inclusive democratic process in libya following the 2011 revolution . jolie has fronted a campaign against sexual violence in military conflict zones by the uk government , which made the issue a priority of its 2013 g8 presidency . in may 2012 , she launched the preventing sexual violence initiative ( psvi ) with foreign secretary william hague , who was inspired to campaign on the issue by her bosnian war drama in the land of blood and honey ( 2011 ) . psvi was established to complement wider uk government work by raising awareness and promoting international co - operation . jolie spoke on the subject at the g8 foreign ministers meeting , where the attending nations adopted a historic declaration , and before the un security council , which responded by adopting its broadest resolution on the issue to date . in june 2014 , she co - chaired the four - day global summit to end sexual violence in conflict , the largest - ever meeting on the subject , which resulted in a protocol endorsed by 151 nations . through her work on the psvi , jolie met foreign policy experts chloe dalton and , who served as special advisers to hague . their collaboration resulted in the 2015 founding of jolie pitt dalton , a partnership dedicated to women 's rights and international justice , among other causes . in may 2016 , jolie was appointed a visiting professor at the london school of economics to contribute to a postgraduate degree program at the university 's centre on women , peace and security , which she had launched with hague the previous year . recognition and honors jolie has received wide recognition for her humanitarian work . in august 2002 , she received the inaugural humanitarian award from the church world service 's immigration and refugee program , and in october 2003 , she was the first recipient of the citizen of the world award by the united nations correspondents association . she was awarded the global humanitarian award by the una - usa in october 2005 , and she received the freedom award from the international rescue committee in november 2007 . in october 2011 , un high commissioner for refugees antónio guterres presented jolie with a gold pin reserved for the most long - serving staff , in recognition of her decade as a unhcr goodwill ambassador . in november 2013 , jolie received the jean hersholt humanitarian award , an honorary academy award , from the board of governors of the academy of motion picture arts and sciences . in june 2014 , she was appointed an honorary dame commander of the order of st michael and st george ( ) for her services to the uk 's foreign policy and campaigning to end sexual violence in war zones . queen elizabeth ii presented jolie with the insignia of her honorary during a private ceremony the following october . personal life relationships and marriages jolie had a serious boyfriend for two years from the age of 14 . her mother allowed them to live together in her home , of which jolie later said , " i was either going to be reckless on the streets with my boyfriend or he was going to be with me in my bedroom with my mom in the next room . she made the choice , and because of it , i continued to go to school every morning and explored my first relationship in a safe way . " she has compared the relationship to a marriage in its emotional intensity , and said that the breakup compelled her to dedicate herself to her acting career at the age of 16 . during filming of hackers ( 1995 ) , jolie had a romance with british actor jonny lee miller , her first lover since the relationship in her early teens . they were not in touch for many months after production ended , but eventually reconnected and married soon after on march 28 , 1996 . she attended her wedding in black rubber pants and a white t - shirt , upon which she had written the groom 's name in her blood . jolie and miller separated in september 1997 and divorced on february 3 , 1999 . they remained on good terms , and jolie later explained , " it comes down to timing . i think he 's the greatest husband a girl could ask for . i 'll always love him , we were simply too young . " jolie began a relationship with model - actress jenny shimizu on the set of foxfire ( 1996 ) . she later said , " i would probably have married jenny if i hadn 't married my husband . i fell in love with her the first second i saw her . " according to shimizu , their relationship lasted many years and continued even while jolie was romantically involved with other people , though it had ended by 2005 . in 2003 , when asked if she was bisexual , jolie responded , " of course . if i fell in love with a woman tomorrow , would i feel that it 's okay to want to kiss and touch her ? if i fell in love with her ? absolutely ! yes ! " after a two - month courtship , jolie married actor billy bob thornton on may 5 , 2000 , in las vegas . they met on the set of pushing tin ( 1999 ) , but did not pursue a relationship at that time as thornton was engaged to actress laura dern , while jolie was reportedly dating actor timothy hutton , her co - star in playing god ( 1997 ) . as a result of their frequent public declarations of passion and gestures of love — most famously wearing one another 's blood in vials around their necks — their marriage became a favorite topic of the entertainment media . jolie and thornton announced the adoption of a child from cambodia in march 2002 , but abruptly separated three months later . their divorce was finalized on may 27 , 2003 . when asked about the sudden dissolution of their marriage , jolie stated , " it took me by surprise , too , because overnight , we totally changed . i think one day we had just nothing in common . and it 's scary but ... i think it can happen when you get involved and you don 't know yourself yet . " 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 stated on several occasions that this was not true , but also said that they " fell in love " on the set ; she explained in 2005 , " to be intimate with a married man , when my own father cheated on my mother , is not something i could forgive . i could not look at myself in the morning if i did that . i wouldn 't be attracted to a man who would cheat on his wife . " jolie and pitt did not publicly comment on the nature of their relationship until january 2006 , when jolie confirmed that she was pregnant with pitt 's child . they announced their engagement in april 2012 , after seven years together , and married on august 23 , 2014 , at their estate château miraval in correns , france . jolie took on pitt 's name following their marriage . as a couple , they are dubbed " brangelina " by the entertainment media , and are the subject of worldwide media coverage . children on march 10 , 2002 , jolie adopted her first child , seven - month - old maddox , from an orphanage in battambang , cambodia . he was born as rath on august 5 , 2001 , in a local village . after twice visiting cambodia , while filming lara croft : tomb raider ( 2001 ) and on a unhcr field mission , jolie returned in november 2001 with her husband , billy bob thornton , where they met maddox and subsequently applied to adopt him . the adoption process was halted the following month when the u.s. government banned adoptions from cambodia amid allegations of child trafficking . although jolie 's adoption facilitator was later convicted of visa fraud and money laundering , her adoption of maddox was deemed lawful . once the process was finalized , she took custody of him in namibia , where she was filming beyond borders ( 2003 ) . jolie and thornton announced the adoption together , but she adopted maddox alone , and raised him as a single parent following their separation three months later . jolie adopted a daughter , six - month - old zahara marley , from an orphanage in addis ababa , ethiopia , on july 6 , 2005 . zahara was born as on january 8 , 2005 , in . jolie initially believed zahara to be an aids orphan , based on official testimony from her grandmother , but her birth mother later came forward in the media . she explained that she had abandoned her family when zahara became sick , and said she thought zahara was " very fortunate " to have been adopted by jolie . jolie was accompanied by her partner , brad pitt , when she traveled to ethiopia to take custody of zahara . she later indicated that they had together made the decision to adopt from ethiopia , having first visited the country earlier that year . after pitt announced his intention to adopt her children , she filed a petition to legally change their surname from jolie to jolie - pitt , which was granted on january 19 , 2006 . pitt adopted maddox and zahara soon after . in an attempt to avoid the unprecedented media frenzy surrounding their relationship , jolie and pitt traveled to namibia for the birth of their first biological child . on may 27 , 2006 , she gave birth to a daughter , shiloh nouvel , in swakopmund . they sold the first pictures of shiloh through the distributor getty images with the aim of benefiting charity , rather than allowing paparazzi to make these valuable photographs . people and hello ! purchased the north american and british rights to the images for $ 4 . 1 and $ 3 . 5 million respectively , a record in celebrity photojournalism at that time , with all proceeds donated to unicef . on march 15 , 2007 , jolie adopted a son , three - year - old pax thien , from an orphanage in ho chi minh city , vietnam . he was born as pham quang sang on november 29 , 2003 , in hcmc , where he was abandoned by his biological mother soon after birth . after visiting the orphanage with pitt in november 2006 , jolie applied for adoption as a single parent , because vietnam 's adoption regulations do not allow unmarried couples to co - adopt . after their return to the u.s. , she petitioned the court to change her son 's surname from jolie to jolie - pitt , which was approved on may 31 . pitt subsequently adopted pax on february 21 , 2008 . at the cannes film festival in may 2008 , jolie confirmed that she was expecting twins . for the two weeks she spent in a seaside hospital in nice , france , reporters and photographers camped outside on the promenade . she gave birth to a son , knox léon , and a daughter , vivienne marcheline , on july 12 , 2008 . the first pictures of knox and vivienne were jointly sold to people and hello ! for a reported $ 14 million — the most expensive celebrity photographs ever taken . all proceeds were donated to the jolie - pitt foundation . cancer prevention treatment on february 16 , 2013 , at age 37 , jolie underwent a preventive double mastectomy after learning she had an 87 % risk of developing breast cancer due to a defective brca1 gene . her maternal family history warranted genetic testing for brca mutations : her mother , actress marcheline bertrand , had breast cancer and died from ovarian cancer , while her grandmother died from ovarian cancer . her aunt , who had the same brca1 defect , died from breast cancer three months after jolie 's operation . following the mastectomy , which lowered her chances of developing breast cancer to under 5 percent , jolie had reconstructive surgery involving implants and allografts . two years later , in march 2015 , after annual test results indicated possible signs of early ovarian cancer , she underwent a preventive oophorectomy , as she had a 50 % risk of developing ovarian cancer due to the same genetic anomaly . despite hormone replacement therapy , the surgery brought on premature menopause . after completing each operation , jolie discussed her mastectomy and oophorectomy in op - eds published by the new york times , with the aim of helping other women make informed health choices . she detailed her diagnosis , surgeries , and personal experiences , and described her decision to undergo preventive surgery as a proactive measure for the sake of her six children . jolie further wrote , " on a personal note , i do not feel any less of a woman . i feel empowered that i made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity . " jolie 's announcement of her mastectomy attracted widespread publicity and discussion on brca mutations and genetic testing . her decision was met with praise from various public figures , while health campaigners welcomed her raising awareness of the options available to at - risk women . dubbed " the angelina effect " by a time cover story , jolie 's influence led to a " global and long - lasting " increase in brca gene testing : the number of referrals tripled in australia and doubled in the uk , parts of canada , and india , as well as significantly increased in other european countries and the u.s. researchers in canada and the uk found that despite the large increase , the percentage of mutation carriers remained the same , meaning jolie 's message had reached those most at risk . in her first op - ed , jolie had advocated wider accessibility of brca gene testing and acknowledged the high costs , which were greatly reduced after the u.s. supreme court , in a june 2013 ruling , invalidated brca gene patents held by myriad genetics . in the media public profile as the daughter of actor jon voight , jolie appeared in the media from an early age . after embarking on her own career , she earned a reputation as a " wild child , " which contributed to her early success in the late 1990s and early 2000s . celebrity profiles routinely covered her fascination with blood and knives , experiences with drugs , and her sex life , particularly her bisexuality and interest in sadomasochism . in 2000 , when asked about her outspokenness , she stated , " i say things that other people might go through . that 's what artists should do — throw things out there and not be perfect and not have answers for anything and see if people understand . " another contributing factor of her controversial image were tabloid rumors of incest that started when jolie , upon winning her oscar , kissed her brother on the lips and said , " i 'm so in love with my brother right now . " she dismissed the rumors , saying , " it was disappointing that something so beautiful and pure could be turned into a circus , " and explained that , as children of divorce , she and james relied on one another for emotional support . jolie 's reputation began to change positively after she , at age 26 , became a goodwill ambassador for the united nations high commissioner for refugees , later commenting , " in my early 20s i was fighting with myself . now i take that punk in me to washington , and i fight for something important . " owing to her extensive activism , her q score — the industry 's measure of celebrities ' likability — nearly doubled to 25 between 2000 and 2006 . her recognizability grew accordingly ; by 2006 , she was familiar to 81 % of americans , compared to 31 % in 2000 . she became noted for her ability to positively influence her public image through the media , without employing a publicist or an agent . her q score remained above average even when , in 2005 , she was accused of ending brad pitt 's marriage to jennifer aniston , at which point her public persona became an unlikely combination of alleged homewrecker , mother , sex symbol , and humanitarian . a decade later , jolie was found to be the most admired woman in the world in global surveys conducted by yougov in 2015 and 2016 . jolie 's general influence and wealth are extensively documented . in a 2006 global industry survey by in 42 international markets , jolie , together with pitt , was found to be the favorite celebrity endorser for brands and products worldwide . she was the face of st. john and shiseido from 2006 to 2008 , and in 2011 had an endorsement deal with louis vuitton reportedly worth $ 10 million — a record for a single advertising campaign . jolie was among the time 100 , a list of the most influential people in the world as published by time , in 2006 and 2008 . she was named the world 's most powerful celebrity in forbes 's celebrity 100 issue in 2009 , and , though ranked lower overall , was listed as the most powerful actress from 2006 to 2008 and 2011 to 2013 . forbes additionally cited her as hollywood 's highest - paid actress in 2009 , 2011 , and 2013 , with estimated annual earnings of $ 27 million , $ 30 million , and $ 33 million respectively . appearance jolie 's public image is strongly tied to her perceived beauty and sex appeal . many media outlets , including vogue , people , and vanity fair , have cited her as the world 's most beautiful woman , while others such as esquire , fhm , and empire have named her the sexiest woman alive ; both titles have often been based on public polls in which jolie places far ahead of other celebrity women . her most recognizable physical features are her many tattoos , eyes , and in particular her full lips , which the new york times considered as defining a feature as kirk douglas 's chin or bette davis 's eyes . among her estimated 20 tattoos are the latin proverb " quod me me " ( what nourishes me destroys me ) , the tennessee williams quote " a prayer for the wild at heart , kept in cages " , four buddhist sanskrit prayers of protection , a twelve - inch tiger , and geographical coordinates indicating the birthplaces of her husband and children . over time , she has covered or lasered several of her tattoos , including " billy bob " , the name of her second husband . professionally , jolie 's status as a sex symbol has been considered both an asset and a hindrance . some of her most commercially successful films , including lara croft : tomb raider ( 2001 ) and beowulf ( 2007 ) , overtly relied at least in part on her sex appeal , with empire stating that her " pneumatic figure , " " feline eyes , " and " bee - stung lips " have greatly contributed to her appeal to cinema audiences . conversely , salon writer allen barra agreed with critics who suggested that jolie 's " dark and intense sexuality " has limited her in the types of roles she can be cast in , rendering her unconvincing in many conventional women 's roles , while clint eastwood , who directed her oscar - nominated performance in changeling ( 2008 ) , opined that having " the most beautiful face on the planet " sometimes harmed her dramatic credibility with audiences . beyond her career , jolie 's appearance has been credited with influencing popular culture at large . in 2002 , afterellen founder sarah warn observed that many women of all sexual orientations had publicly expressed their attraction to jolie , which she considered a new development in american culture , adding that " there are many beautiful women in hollywood , and few generate the same kind of overwhelming interest across genders and sexual orientations that she does . " jolie 's physical attributes became highly sought - after among western women seeking cosmetic surgery ; by 2007 , she was considered " the gold standard of beauty , " with her full lips remaining the most imitated celebrity feature well into the 2010s . after a 2011 repeat survey by allure found that jolie most represented the american physical ideal , compared to model christie brinkley in 1991 , writer elizabeth angell credited society with having " branched out beyond the barbie - doll ideal and embraced something quite different . " in 2013 , jeffrey kluger of time agreed that jolie has for many years symbolized the feminine ideal , and opined that her frank discussion of her double mastectomy redefined beauty . awards and nominations filmography