Casting directors called young Angelina Jolie too dark, then she won an Oscar
At sixteen Angelina Jolie decided to act professionally, only to be rejected at auditions for seeming too dark. She was so dismayed by her first lead, a direct-to-video robot sequel, that she stopped auditioning for a year. Within six years she held an Academy Award, and her films have since grossed more than 6.9 billion dollars.
She was born Angelina Jolie Voight on 4 June 1975 in Los Angeles, to the actors Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand; Jacqueline Bisset and Maximilian Schell were her godparents. Her parents split in 1976 and she grew up with her mother, who gave up acting to raise her children. Watching films together, rather than her father's fame, sparked her interest, though at seven she had a small part in his film Lookin' to Get Out. The family spent several years in Palisades, New York, before returning to Los Angeles.
School was hard. At Beverly Hills High, surrounded by wealthier classmates, she was teased for being thin and for her glasses and braces, and she later moved to an alternative school where she embraced a punk look. Her relationship with her father was strained from infancy; they briefly reconciled while filming Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and she later went to court to drop the surname Voight. Early work included her brother's student films and music videos for artists including Lenny Kravitz.
Cyborg 2 in 1993 was followed by her first big studio film, Hackers, in 1995. Television roles in George Wallace and Gia led to the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Girl, Interrupted in 1999, and Tomb Raider in 2001 made her a leading star. Action hits such as Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Salt followed, alongside acclaimed drama in Changeling, which brought a Best Actress nomination, and voice work in Kung Fu Panda. She has directed war dramas including Unbroken, and produced the musical The Outsiders, which won the Tony for Best Musical in 2024.
Off screen she is best known for humanitarian work, especially as a Special Envoy for the UN refugee agency, visiting camps and war zones around the world. She also champions conservation, education and women's rights. Her honours include the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, three Golden Globes and an honorary damehood in the Order of St Michael and St George, and she has repeatedly been Hollywood's best-paid actress.
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