The Acting Career Of Angelina Jolie
When people think of Angelina Jolie, they tend to think of her tough woman roles. Given there are a few, if you think back to her role as the no nonsense historian-come-superhero Lara Croft or when she went all gun-toting in “Wanted,” but there is also a lot more to an actress who is one of Hollywood’s most “wanted” women.
Acting was always in Jolie’s blood, after all her father is the legendary screen actor Jon Voight, while her mother Marcheline Bertrand was also an actress and producer. Just to top it off, her godmother was yet another screen legend – Jacqueline Bisset. With that in mind, Jolie began her journey into the entertainment world at the age of 11 when she began studying at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute and was soon appearing in stage production. When she was 14, she began modelling and, by the time, she was 16 she was even appearing in music video clips.
In 1982, her feature film career started when she acted alongside her father in Hal Ashby’s “Lookin’ To Get Out” and then in 1993, her career really blossomed when she appeared in the shorts “Alice And Viril” and “Angela And Virl.” The world then began to sit up and take notice of her when she took the lead role in the science-fiction thriller “Cyborg 2,” before appearing in the video clip for rocker Meatloaf’s track “Rock And Roll Dream Come Through.”
From there, she starred in a film that created very little ripples at all “Without Evidence” before starring in her breakout role, that of computer geek Kate in Iain Softley’s “Hackers.” The role not only saw her introduced to her future husband, actor Johnny Lee Miller, but also received her critical and box office success. Jolie then worked on her craft in a number of lower grade films including “Love Is All There Is,” “Foxfire,” “Mojave Moon,” “True Women,” “George Wallace,” “Playing God,” “Gia,” “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Playing By Heart,” before appearing in the notable film “Pushing Tin” alongside Cate Blanchett, John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton…the latter of whom would become her real-life husband.
Since then Jolie has starred in hit film after film. Her role of a young police officer in “The Bone Collector” garnished her more critical acclaim while playing the troubled Lisa Rowe in “Girl, Interrupted” earned her the 2000 Best Actress In A Supporting Role Academy Award.
Over the years Jolie has appeared in commercially successful films like “Gone In Sixty Seconds,” the “Lara Croft” franchise, “Alexander,” “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” “Wanted” and “Salt” while also taking the time to accept more challenging roles in films like “Taking Lives,” “Beyond Borders,” “Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow,” “A Mighty Heart” and “Changeling.” Playing distraught mother Christine Collins in “Changeling” landed Jolie her second Oscar nomination in 2009 – this time for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.
It was also recently announced that at the 2014 Academy Award ceremony, Jolie will be awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for the work that she has done with the United Nations and various charities around the world.
A quick look through Angelina Jolie’s career easily reveals that she is more than the pretty face or action hero that many label her as. Films such as “Beyond Borders” reveal her as a talented caring actress while her voice work on films such as “Shark Tale” and “Kung Fu Panda” reveals a much softer side. Yes, Angelina Jolie is a well-rounded actress in her own right.