Awesome Angelina: Jolie's Journey From Wild Child To Earth Mother
Few celebs have changed quite as much as Angelina Jolie in the time they've been in the spotlight, as Angelina turns 39 we celebrate her rather bonkers life to date
We love a good wild-child-settles-down celeb story and Angelina Jolie embodies perhaps the perfect transformation in all of Hollywood.
From turning up to her first wedding with a shirt emblazoned with the groom's name written in her own blood, to becoming a UN ambassador, philanthropist and mum of six, she's certainly changed a bit.
Today with her A-list partner, brood of adorable children and genuine ability to help those in need, it's hard to believe she was once one of Hollywood's wildest, wearing vials of blood around her neck and revealing a new huge tattoo at every public appearance. We take a look back on Angie's inspiring journey.
The early days
Angelina has been open that as a teen and in her early 20s she struggled with bouts of depression and dabbled in self harm. At 14 her mum allowed her to have a live-in boyfriend to stop her getting into trouble on the streets. The pair broke up when she was 16 and she credits the experience to pushing her into acting.
The films
And her early films prove far more than Tomb Raider what an awesomely talented actor Angelina is. Playing the title role in Gia, she's magnetic and haunting, and even if the scripts in some of her straight-to-video outings weren't up to much, her performance is never less than stunning. If you haven't seen Gia, Girl Interrupted and Foxfire, find them.
Girl Interrupted catapulted her into the mainstream thanks to the Oscar-win, and her performance is an absolute tour de force as sociopath Lisa Rowe.
Then Tomb Raider gave her a whole new audience and it's hard to imagine anyone else who could have so embodied the enigmatic Lara Croft.
There have been some stinkers too, mind, Pushing Tin, Playing God, Gone in 60 Seconds, Mr & Mrs Smith...
Relationships
Twice-divorced Angie has a relationship history many would envy. She married Brit actor Johnny Lee Miller in 1996 after meeting him on the set of Hackers (a slightly awful but hilarious film worth a watch on a hangover day). On the day of their wedding she arrived wearing rubber trousers and a white shirt with her groom's name written in blood on it. Romantic.
They divorced not long after.
She then flirted with bisexuality, having a relationship with Jenny Shimizu after starring with her in Foxfire.
She moved onto Billy Bob Thornton, who she met on the set of Pushing Tin (probably not worth watching unless you have a thing for Angie, Billy Bob or John Cusack. And even then.). The pair had a passionate red-carpet affair with plenty of public tongues and the aforementioned vials of blood, tattoos and a self-described 'incredible sex life'.
Then Angie got broody and adopted baby Maddox from Cambodia. It seems Billy Bob wasn't keen on the earth mother side and the pair split not long after.
Which of course brings us to Brad, her partner of nine years and father of her three biological children. Yes there are the home-wrecker assertions (Billy Bob was also in a relationship when they met), but everyone's over the Jennifer thing now, right?
And so they are now Brangelina. The most attractive couple in the world.
The tattoos
Angelina has around 14 tattoos, and none of the dainty ones most Hollywood starlets go for. She's got a huge tiger on her back, a big black cross on her abdomen, as well as quotes, mantras and the co-ordinates for the birthplace of all of her children and partner Brad Pitt.
In a perfect example of why you should never get your partner's name tattooed on your body, Ange was forced to erase and tattoo over a 'Billy Bob' tattoo she had on her upper arm when the pair divorced. #fail.
The dark phase
We wonder if she looks back on the outfit she wore for her Oscar win and wishes she'd gone for something a bit less, well, dark. At this time she was sporting dark black hair, wearing vials of Billy Bob's blood around her neck and talking about her history with knife-play in the bedroom.
She also controversially gave her brother a bit of a full-on snog at the awards, which icked people out. Girl knows how to shock.
Philanthropy
With the adoption of her children and filming around the world Angelina's become more and more involved and interested in the plight of people in developing countries. As well as a UN ambassador, she and Brad set up the Jolie-Pitt foundation, whcih raises money for those in need, and is a vocal spokesperson for the world's less fortunate.
The brood
Angelina and Brad have three adopted children, Maddox, 12, Pax, 10, and Zahara, nine, and three biological children, Shiloh, eight, and twins Vivienne and Knox, five.
Her comments on motherhood revealed she's down to earth and appreciative that her privilidge allows her to spend time with her children, work and get on with charity projects without going mad. It's a refreshing statement from a celeb mum.
Boobs
Finally, can we just take a second to appreciate Angie's incredible boobs. She made a huge decision for her health and family when she opted for a double mastectomy, and she's started important conversations all over the world about female health and cancer prevention.
And part of that is because she's a Hollywood sex siren and this invasive surgery was on a part of her body that's very central to her sexy image.
Because Angie's boobs were - and we're sure still are, though she doesn't topless in her films these days - incredible. And she celebrated them in many a movie, including Foxfire, Gia, Pushing Tin, Cyborg, Hackers, Mokave Moon and Original Sin...
Gorgeous.
So Angelina, the archetypal Hollywood Goddess, we wish you a very happy birthday - you've come a long way baby.
