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There are people that have made the A-list in Hollywood, then there are those that seem to be on a different level all on their own. One of those actors that has achieved global superstardom is Angelina Jolie, who has frequently been among the highest paid and most talked about actresses in the world. It’s been quite the career for Jolie, who in her mid 40s has plenty of worked lined up for the future.

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Jolie came from a famous family as her father is actor Jon Voight (of “Midnight Cowboy” and “Deliverance” fame) and her mother is the late Marcheline Bertrand, who appeared in multiple films. Jolie herself was born in Los Angeles, California on June 4, 1975, though her parents would split up shortly after her birth. Jolie was raised by her mother, who lived with much less money than her father, with she and Voight becoming estranged for quite some time. However, she still wanted to follow in her parents’ footsteps and get into acting.

Jolie made her acting debut at just seven years old when she appeared in the 1982 film “Lookin’ to Get Out”. It would be more than a decade before she was back on screen, having her first role as an adult with 1993’s “Cyborg 2”. Over the next few years, Jolie would establish a foundation for her popularity by appearing in movies such as “Hackers”, “Love Is All There Is” and “Foxfire”. During this time, Jolie had her only television roles to date with a trio for TV movies including “True Women” and earned an Emmy for her work in “George Wallace”.

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Toward the end of the 1990s, Jolie had become a household name thanks to her work in “Girl, Interrupted”. The role landed Jolie her first Oscar nomination, and she’d end up winning both an Oscar and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress. To start the new millennium, Jolie would star in films such as “Gone in 60 Seconds”, “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” and “Alexander”, becoming one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood.

Jolie has been in some high profile relationships during her career, and that includes actor Jonny Lee Miller, her first husband. After marrying (and divorcing) Billy Bob Thornton for a brief period, Jolie started a relationship with actor Brad Pitt, who was fresh off of his divorce to actress Jennifer Aniston at the time. The two quickly welcomed a child, and were eventually married in 2012 before divorcing in 2016, finalizing three years later.

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The two were perhaps the most well known couple in all of Hollywood, and with their money, were able to shower each other in expensive gifts. When they got married, Jolie wanted to give Pitt something special, so she put down a $11,000 deposit for a typewriter that was owned by Tennessee Williams. The collector backed out of the deal, so Jolie went with something even bigger. She spent $250,000 to buy a different typewriter, with this one being owned by legendary author Ernest Hemingway, which he used to create the book, “For Whom the Bell Tolls”.

After the two had met on the set of “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”, Jolie rounded out the 2000s with blockbuster films like “Beowulf”, “Kung Fu Panda” and “Wanted”. She’s remained a big star ever since then, playing the lead role in the two “Maleficent” films while also starring in “Come Away” and “The Tourist”. Jolie has several other projects coming up over the next few years, keeping her very busy.

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It’s been a wild few years recently for Jolie, having to juggle her career while raising several children and finishing up a divorce, but she says that things are getting better. “The part of us that is free, wild, open, curious can get shut down by life,” Jolie said. “By pain or by harm. My children know my true self, and they have helped me to find it again and to embrace it. They have been through a lot. I learn from their strength.”

Jolie has been very open about her personal struggles during this time. “There have been times in my life where I have felt - and maybe I’ve hidden them well from the public - where I have not felt free, I have not felt safe, I have not felt like free of harm,” Jolie said. “I have felt small. I have felt cornered. And it has taken a lot to find that again, probably more of that today than I was in the last four years...These last few years haven’t been the easiest, and I haven’t felt very strong. There’s something when you’re not feeling very strong, where you push yourself.”