Cancer scares, losing loved ones, and bitter divorces. Behind the fame,
Angelina Jolie's life has been filled with tragedy.
Angelina Jolie was born in June 1975 in Los Angeles, California, to actors Jon Voight and
Marcheline Bertrand. Things were strained between Voight and Bertrand even before Jolie was born,
according to the book, "Angelina Jolie: The Biography" by Rhona Mercer. Jolie's
father was known to be a womanizer who had an affair with an actress named Stacey Pickren,
and he eventually chose to leave his family for the actress.
After the marriage breakup, Voight did stay in touch with his ex-wife
and kids. Everyone was in Los Angeles at that point so it was easier to meet,
but things changed after Bertrand decided to relocate with her children to New York. The
family had to move often back then, according to Jolie. She told Parade,
She added that the family had to rely on Voight for financial support.
As highlighted by the book, "Angelina Jolie: The Biography," things weren't
easygoing in school for the actress, as she was singled out for being very thin,
having braces, and sporting glasses. It was obvious to Jolie as a teenager that being
different wasn't considered acceptable, and she was often mocked by her peers for being
who she was. That said, Jolie didn't give in to the pressure and stayed true to herself,
doing stuff she liked such as wearing black clothes and experimenting with hair colors.
Jolie also decided to give modeling a shot to make some money like her classmates, but sadly,
she didn't receive great feedback from agents who criticized her and said things like she was,
quote, "too short [...] too fat, too everything." Jolie
later admitted that she went through a tough period as a teenager and said,
Per The Guardian, things turned around for Jolie later and she
started getting modeling offers by the time she was 16 years old.
Seeing her parents get divorced was hard for Angelina Jolie, especially because she knew
that her mom was suffering and was dealing with many things on her own. Jolie told The Guardian,
Her mother encouraged Jolie to consider acting or modeling,
and Jolie agreed because she wanted to support her mom in any way possible. Also,
Angelina Jolie believed that her mom didn't get the chance to have a flourishing career
or a voice of her own, which motivated Jolie to work even harder. She said,
"'Hang on.' That's what I would say to my younger self. 'Just hang on.'"
For Angelina Jolie, the pursuit of happiness was elusive in her youth and she struggled to
be at peace, trying to find the right answers to her questions. The actress told Parade,
She added that she couldn't help but feel trapped and needed a way out. She said that
she had a lot of pent-up energy that she needed to release. In a rare CNN interview in 2005,
Jolie spoke about what made her turn to self-harm, saying,
In 2010, a drug dealer claimed that he supplied drugs to Angelina Jolie
and even said that she was "high on cocaine" while promoting her 2000
film "Girl Interrupted," according to Page Six. The drug dealer, Franklin Meyer said,
Meyer also insisted that the actress would often end up spending around
$100 on drugs whenever she met him in New York.
Per the Associated Press, Angelina Jolie wanted to "shed her early reputation" when she was filming
"Tomb Raider," and even said yes to being tested for drugs while working on the film. Director
Simon West offered some context and explained that Jolie was keen on the role and "would do
anything" to show that she deserved the part. According to an excerpt from "Angelina Jolie:
The Biography," the actress made the decision to be transparent in
her interviews and ensured that her fans knew that she wasn't perfect. She said,
Angeline Jolie was heartbroken when her mother
Marcheline Bertrand died in 2007 from cancer. Jolie told ET Online,
"It's a part of something when you feel you just want to kind
of hide under the covers or you're not sure what you got left in you."
Jolie recounted her mom's experiences in a piece for Time Magazine and wrote that
chemotherapy was very difficult for Bertrand because of the side effects. Jolie added,
Bertrand had ovarian cancer for nearly 10 years before succumbing to it in 2007 at
the age of 56. Before she died, Bertrand made clear she was grateful for the life
she had lived and said that "she had missed nothing in life except getting to know her
grandchildren."Jolie told Parade that she could visualize her mom singing
songs in church and lighting candles. Jolie teared up when she said that she visited the
church with her son after Bertrand passed away — they lit a candle in her memory.
"We signed our life away to each other on our anniversary. Even- it was notarized."
Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton got the opportunity to spend time together while
filming the 1999 movie "Pushing Tin." They ended up falling in love and tying the knot
in 2000. According to Grazia Magazine, the couple chose to end their relationship a few
years later — Thornton said that they "had different lifestyles." He added,
Meanwhile, Jolie told Vanity Fair later that she was interested in "learning about other countries
and becoming more politically active" while her ex-husband only concentrated on making more music.
They were still married to each other when the actress decided to adopt her son,
Maddox, but they went their separate ways a few months after Maddox came into their
lives. Speaking about the separation, Jolie said,
Jolie didn't communicate with Thornton for over a year after their separation but got back in touch
with him later and said that he was a good person. Meanwhile, according to a GQ piece,
Billy Bob Thornton once said that he didn't feel like he deserved to be with Jolie and said,
"She's a great person. Great artist. No– and our time together was fantastic."
In 2008, Angelina Jolie reportedly had postpartum depression after giving birth to her twins,
Vivienne and Knox. A report by The Evening Standard claimed that she was staying indoors
in Provence, France with her kids who were believed to have colic. The actress often
stayed up while looking after the twins and was really worried about their health.
According to an unnamed source, their condition took a toll on Jolie who would often stay in bed,
sleeping whenever possible and attempting to keep her emotions in check. The source added,
Additionally, it was believed that Jolie was upset with her then-husband,
actor Brad Pitt. The source explained how Jolie felt and said,
Per NBC News, Jolie was exhausted while looking after six kids and was
also recuperating after her C-section delivery.
While speaking with The Guardian in 2021,
Angelina Jolie admitted that she believes that her mom tried her best to make her
daughter feel empowered and to protect her rights. However, Jolie began working at an
early age to help her mom run the house and didn't know what to expect. She explained,
One of her most vivid memories involves former film producer,
Harvey Weinstein who was found guilty of rape in February 2020. Jolie told The Guardian that she
worked with the producer while starring in the film "Playing By Heart." She said that Weinstein
acted in an inappropriate manner and she had to get out of the room to save herself. She said,
She also made sure that she didn't work with Weinstein again.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt developed feelings for each other while shooting "Mr & Mrs. Smith"
in 2005, according to US Magazine. Jolie said in a Vogue interview in 2007 that it felt like
Brad Pitt was looking for similar things in life and they could relate to each other.
"That's marriage, right?"
Things seemed to be going well: the actors were parents to six kids and even got married in 2014.
Unfortunately, Jolie ended up filing for divorce in September 2016 and got
involved in a legal battle with Pitt. The actress wanted custody
of her kids — at some point, they agreed to compromise for a bit:
Jolie was given "full physical custody" while Pitt was allowed visitation rights.
According to a 2021 piece by The Guardian, Jolie accused Brad Pitt of domestic abuse
and said that she was worried about her family's safety. She added,
She said that they're still fighting in court as of 2023 because they've been
trying to figure out how to establish "a healthy joint custody relationship."
Angelina Jolie opened up to her fans in a 2013 write-up for The
New York Times and wrote about her mom, explaining that she didn't get the chance
to meet some of her grandkids before she passed away. The actress added,
Jolie added that her doctors had concluded that she was at "high
risk" and could develop breast or ovarian cancer because of her family history:
Both her mother and grandmother were diagnosed with cancer at different points in their lives.
She made the decision to say yes to a double mastectomy as a preventive measure. She wrote,
The actress added that her odds had greatly improved thanks to the surgery and urged
other women to get tested and stay proactive. Around two weeks after Jolie underwent surgery,
the actress lost one of her aunts to breast cancer, as reported by the Associated
Press. Additionally, Jolie underwent more procedures in 2015 to safeguard herself
against the possibility of developing ovarian cancer, according to an article by The BBC.