Angelina Jolie’s Parents: A Look at the Lives of Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand

It’s no secret that Angelina Jolie is one of the most famous actresses in the world. But what many people don’t know is that she comes from a family of entertainers. In fact, her father, Jon Voight, has appeared in over 90 films. And her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, was an accomplished actress in her own right before she passed away in 2007.

Despite their success in the entertainment industry, both of Angelina Jolie’s parents have always been very private people. They’ve never sought out the spotlight, and they’ve raised their children to lead normal lives as much as possible. That’s one of the reasons why Angelina Jolie has been so drawn to humanitarian work over the years.

Who Are Angelina Jolie’s Parents?

Angelina Jolie’s parents are actors Jon Voight and the late Marcheline Bertrand. They might not have the same kind of superstar status as their daughter but both of them are quite famous in their time. Angelina’s father Jon Voight, who is now 82 years old, has been a very successful actor in his career of almost six decades. Her mother Marcheline Bertrand was also an actress but she was known more for her humanitarian work.

The two got married on December 12, 1971, and suffered a miscarriage the following year. In 1973, they were blessed with a son, James Haven, who is now an actor and producer. Two years later, they had Angelina Jolie. Barely a year after Jolie’s birth, Bertrand and Voight separated in 1976 due to Voight’s infidelity. Bertrand filed for divorce in 1978, and this was finalized in 1980.

Angelina Jolie’s Parents: Getting to Know Jon Voight

Jonathan Vincent “Jon” Voight was born in Yonkers, New York to parents Barbara and Elmer. He comes from Slovak and German roots and was raised as a Catholic. Voight has two brothers, the volcanologist Barry Voight and the singer-songwriter James Wesley Voight, who goes by the name Chip Taylor. Voight has a bachelor’s degree from The Catholic University of America.

Acting Career

Voight became interested in acting after participating in a school musical while attending Archbishop Stepinac High School. After college, he underwent formal training in acting under the tutelage of Sanford Meisner. He completed the course at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater.

The Academy Award-winning actor first became popular towards the end of the 1960s. His performance as Joe Buck in the 1969 film Midnight Cowboy was nominated for an Oscar. He went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of a paraplegic war veteran in Coming Home in 1978.

Through the course of his career, Voight has gotten four Academy Award nominations and one win. He has also been nominated eleven times at the Golden Globes, winning four times. He has also starred in some of the most memorable films in various decades, including Deliverance in 1972, Runaway Train in 1985, Heat in 1995, Enemy of the State in 1998, and The Five People You Meet in Heaven in 2004. His most recent movie was the huge hit Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in 2016.

Personal Life

Voight was married to actress Lauri Peters from 1962 to 1967. The two met in the Broadway production of The Sound of Music. In 1971, Voight married Marcheline Bertrand but the relationship also ended in divorce in 1980. Since then, Voight has never married again but he did date a number of women, including several celebrities.

Some of the women who played a significant role in Voight’s life were Linda Morand, Stacey Pickren, Rebecca de Mornay and Eileen Davidson. Voight has also dated Barbra Streisand, Nastassja Kinski, and Diana Ross.

Angelina Jolie’s Parents: Getting to Know Marcheline Bertrand

Marcia Lynne “Marcheline” Bertrand was a popular American actress back in the 1970s and 1980s. She was born in Blue Island, Illinois. However, her ancestry is a combination of French and Canadian from the father’s side, and Dutch and German from the mother’s side. She also has a Native American heritage which can be traced to a Quebec-born Huron woman.

Acting Career

Bertrand trained with Lee Strasberg, the founder of The Actor’s Studio, during the early years of her acting career. She played a small role in the TV show Ironside in 1971. About a decade later, she appeared in a movie that starred Jon Voight, Lookin’ to Get Out.

In 1983, Bertrand joined the cast of The Man Who Loved Women, which was a remake of an earlier French film of the same title. This would be Bertrand’s last acting job before she completely turned her attention to producing. That same year, she established Woods Road Productions with Bill Day. Much later, Bertrand would be the executive producer of Trudell, a documentary that features the work of her partner, John Trudell.

Humanitarian Work

Bertrand had been very active in various humanitarian efforts. Together with her partner, John Trudell, she founded the All Tribes Foundation, which aims to uplift the economic and cultural survival of Native tribes. In 2003, they held a benefit concert, together with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The goal was to raise funds for Afghan women refugees.

Personal Life

Jon Voight was the only man that Bertrand married. After the finalization of their divorce in 1980, Bertrand lived with the documentary filmmaker Bill Day and the relationship lasted 11 years. During her later years, Bertrand was in a relationship with the poet, musician and fellow humanitarian, John Trudell.

Bertrand was a Roman Catholic, which is also how she raised her children. However, she did not require them to attend church. Bertrand battled with ovarian and breast cancer for almost eight years, succumbing to the disease in 2007 when she was only 56 years old.

How Angelina Jolie’s Parents Influenced Her Life

Angelina Jolie’s parents have been great influences on her but in different ways. After Bertrand’s death, Angelina Jolie wrote an essay for the New York Times where she talked about her mother’s influence and inspiration on her life. When she became a mother herself, it was when she really grew to appreciate and relate to her mother.

As for her father, it is public knowledge that they were not exactly on speaking terms. Angelina attributes their conflict largely to the infidelities of her father to her mother. After her mother’s death, and with some encouragement from her then-husband Brad Pitt, Jolie patched things up with her father. Voight now has a relationship with his grandchildren.