Angelina Jolie is an Oscar-winning American actress and humanitarian. A contraversial figure within Hollywood, she is known for her exotic looks, wild-child image, numerous tattoos and her humanitarian work.
Jolie has been long estranged from her father, though a reconciliation was attempted by his appearing with her in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Soon after, he claimed that she has “serious emotional problems” on Access Hollywood, and she legally dropped Voight as her last name, taking Angelina Jolie as her legal name.
In 2003, Angelina Jolie published a collection of journals made during missions for the UNHCR. Her proceeds from the book went to the UNHCR.Jolie has been a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees since 2001, and frequently travels to remote countries to draw attention to the plight of people in Third World nations. In a January 2005 interview with Reuters, Angelina criticized fellow actors for not being committed enough in helping others, and stated that she gives one-third of her income to charitable organizations.
In the fall of 2004, it was reported that Jolie had started proceedings to adopt another child, this time from Russia. On March 8th, Jolie took part in a Washington Press club luncheon. At that same conference she stated that she never intended to adopt a Russian orphan boy. Angelina Jolie expressed a deep sadness at the media’s exploitation of the child. Around the same time, Lauryn Galindo, the Hawaii-based adoption facilitator whose services Jolie had used to adopt Maddox, was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to visa fraud and money laundering charges. Maddox Jolie, as he is legally named, was naturalized as a United States citizen some time ago, and there is no indication that that will be rescinded.
Besides her acting and humanitarian endeavors, Jolie also worked as a professional model in London, New York and Los Angeles and appeared in numerous music videos including those of Meat Loaf, Lenny Kravitz, and The Rolling Stones.
For several years prior to mid 2005, Jolie did not have a hit movie. Several of her movies, such as Alexander, Sky Captain, and Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life were major box office disappointments although Jolie usually received good notices.
In March 2005, Jolie was named the third sexiest woman in the world by FHM magazine, from fifteen million votes worldwide.
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