Name: Angelina Jolie
Birthdate: June 4, 1975
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
Claim to fame: Her big breakthrough came in the 1998 HBO film, Gia, where she portrayed supermodel Gia Carangi. She gained wide recognition for this role, some even saying that her performance was quite possibly the most beautiful train wreck ever filmed.
What we can see her in next: After three years off, her latest movie, Maleficent, a live action re-imagining of their 1959 animation adaptation of Sleeping Beauty, is now in theatres.
Interesting fact: She is an honorary European citizen granted for her recognition of her preservation of the truth in the Bosnian war through your directorial movie, as well as a Cambodian citizen, which was awarded to her by the Cambodian king in honour of her conservation work in the country.
Best quote: “When other little girls wanted to be ballet dancers, I kind of wanted to be a vampire.” — commenting on her attraction to the dark side from a young age.
Why we love her: We all remember the Angelina Jolie pre-Brangelina, the wild child who wore matching blood vile necklaces with ex-husband Billy Bob Thornton, as well as wore leather pants and a white shirt with her husband-to-be’s name, Johnny Miller, smeared across her shirt in blood at the altar. The woman who feels most at home when she’s wearing black, famously kissed her brother on the lips at the Oscars, loves to kick some serious butt in action movies, as well as does almost all her own stunts. While she still has most of her tattoos and knows to handle a gun with ease, it seems that most of her wild oats are sewn and behind her. She now makes up one-half of Hollywood’s most glamorous couples and seems to have moved beyond her devilish past. Now her time is occupied being one of Hollywood’s busiest moms, as well as one of the most accomplished humanitarians around. That’s why she’s our crush this week, because she’s so much more than just an actress.
Her big breakout was in 1998 when she starred in the HBO film Gia, where she portrayed the supermodel Gina Carangid. She gained wide recognition for this role and it was the first thing to really push her into the spotlight. Then in 1999, she won the Oscar for best supporting actress for her performance in the drama Girl, Interrupted (which is when she famously kissed her brother on the lips). After that, her career went into high gear and her A-list status was undeniable. Since then, some of her most notable performances were Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Taking Lives, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, A Mighty Heart, and Changeling.
The Angelina that we see nowadays is definitely far removed from the one we used to know. She seems brighter, more settled, and seems dead set on making the world a better place for her children, and everyone and every country she comes into contact with. Which is probably her greatest allure nowadays — she’s no longer just a rebel without a cause, now she’s a rebel with a cause.
Maleficent is now in theatres everywhere.
