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Angelina Jolie Biography
Angelina Jolie is an American actor, filmmaker, author and humanitarian. The daughter of actors Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand, she trained at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute with her mother's encouragement, began auditioning as a teenager and later studied screenwriting and directing in New York. Early independent films and Hackers led to the television biopics George Wallace and Gia, followed by an Academy Award for Lisa Rowe in Girl, Interrupted. Her screen range includes Lara Croft, Mariane Pearl in A Mighty Heart, Christine Collins in Changeling, Salt, Maleficent, Tigress in Kung Fu Panda and Thena in Eternals. Before directing narrative films, she sought practical advice from music supervisors, cinematographers and editors. In the Directors Guild interview, she credits editor Patricia Rommel with teaching her to collect transitional footage and think about how scenes connect. She directed the documentary A Place in Time and narrative films In the Land of Blood and Honey, Unbroken, By the Sea, First They Killed My Father and Without Blood, combining writing and producing on several. Her more recent acting work includes Maria Callas in Maria and Maxine in Alice Winocour's Couture. She also produces Broadway's The Outsiders, co-authored Know Your Rights and Claim Them, and founded the creative collective Atelier Jolie. After two decades with UNHCR, she left its Special Envoy role in 2022 to pursue broader humanitarian work. Announced screen projects include Anxious People and Sunny.
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About Angelina Jolie
Full name: Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie is an American actor, filmmaker, author and humanitarian. The daughter of actors Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand, she trained at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute with her mother's encouragement, began auditioning as a teenager and later studied screenwriting and directing in New York. Early independent films and Hackers led to the television biopics George Wallace and Gia, followed by an Academy Award for Lisa Rowe in Girl, Interrupted. Her screen range includes Lara Croft, Mariane Pearl in A Mighty Heart, Christine Collins in Changeling, Salt, Maleficent, Tigress in Kung Fu Panda and Thena in Eternals. Before directing narrative films, she sought practical advice from music supervisors, cinematographers and editors. In the Directors Guild interview, she credits editor Patricia Rommel with teaching her to collect transitional footage and think about how scenes connect. She directed the documentary A Place in Time and narrative films In the Land of Blood and Honey, Unbroken, By the Sea, First They Killed My Father and Without Blood, combining writing and producing on several. Her more recent acting work includes Maria Callas in Maria and Maxine in Alice Winocour's Couture. She also produces Broadway's The Outsiders, co-authored Know Your Rights and Claim Them, and founded the creative collective Atelier Jolie. After two decades with UNHCR, she left its Special Envoy role in 2022 to pursue broader humanitarian work. Announced screen projects include Anxious People and Sunny.
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Questions about Angelina Jolie
Where was Angelina Jolie born?
Angelina Jolie was born in Los Angeles, California, on June 4, 1975.
Sources: IBDB / The Broadway League
How did she prepare for an acting career?
Jolie describes studying at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute with her mother's encouragement, auditioning as a teenager and later studying screenwriting and directing in New York.
Sources: Backstage
Which role won her an Oscar?
She won the 2000 Academy Award for Supporting Actress for Lisa Rowe in Girl, Interrupted.
Which television roles won Golden Globes?
George Wallace won her the supporting television award in 1998, and Gia won the television movie actress award in 1999. Girl, Interrupted added a supporting film win in 2000.
Sources: Golden Globes
Which films has she directed?
Does she still hold a UNHCR Special Envoy role?
UNHCR identifies Jolie as a former Special Envoy. She served as Goodwill Ambassador from 2001 to 2012 and Special Envoy from 2012 to 2022, leaving to pursue broader humanitarian work.
Sources: UNHCR
Which books has she written?
Notes from My Travels collects her humanitarian journals. She also co-authored Know Your Rights and Claim Them with Amnesty International and Geraldine Van Bueren.
Sources: Simon & Schuster / Gallery Books · Andersen Press
What is her connection to The Outsiders?
Jolie is a producer of the Broadway musical and its touring production. The Broadway production won the 2024 Tony Award for Best Musical.
Sources: IBDB / The Broadway League
What recent projects are documented?
Recent interviews cover acting in Couture and writing and directing Without Blood. Official production announcements also establish Anxious People and Sunny; unverified release dates are omitted.
Sources: Harper's Bazaar · ABC Audio · Pinewood Group · Nickel City Pictures
How are her tastes and routines dated?
Tea while writing, Clash and opera listening, historical household pets and film preparation are tied to their individual interviews. The profile does not treat those dated accounts as permanent habits.
Sources: The Stacks · Golden Globes · Vogue · British Vogue · Cinema.com
How did she learn to direct films?
In her Summer 2015 Directors Guild interview, Jolie describes asking experienced film craftspeople about first-time directing mistakes. Editor Patricia Rommel encouraged her to collect extra footage and consider the transitions between scenes.
Sources: Directors Guild of America