Early Career and Breakthrough Films
Angelina Jolie began acting as a child alongside her father, Jon Voight, in the 1982 film Lookin' to Get Out, and later returned to film in the early 1990s with roles in several independent and television productions. Her breakthrough came with the 1998 HBO film Gia, which earned her a Golden Globe and expanded her recognition beyond independent cinema Forbes. She followed this with the 1999 drama Girl, Interrupted, winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Lisa Rowe IMDb.
Before her Oscar win, Jolie starred in several commercially notable films that helped define her early screen persona, including the 1997 action thriller George Wallace and the 1998 supernatural drama Hellboy. These roles established her as a bankable leading actress in Hollywood and positioned her for larger franchise work in the following decade.
Major Franchise Roles and Box Office Performance
Angelina Jolie became a central figure in major franchise films, most notably playing Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider series, with the first film releasing in 2001 and earning over $270 million worldwide at the box office. She reprised the role in 2003 with Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, which grossed approximately $156 million globally Box Office Mojo.
In the 2010s, Jolie joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Thena in the 2021 film Eternals, which earned over $400 million worldwide and received mixed critical reception. She also starred in the 2014 fantasy film Maleficent and its 2019 sequel, with the first installment grossing over $758 million globally, making it one of her highest-grossing live-action films Forbes.
Directorial Work and Recent Projects
Angelina Jolie made her directorial debut with the 2011 drama In the Land of Blood and Honey, followed by the 2014 biographical film Unbroken, which grossed over $163 million worldwide and received multiple Academy Award nominations. Her 2017 film First They Killed My Father, a Netflix original, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film and earned her a BAFTA nomination for Best Direction IMDb.
Most recently, Jolie starred in the 2023 action film The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, which grossed over $120 million worldwide and was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Films and Black Bear Pictures. She also has upcoming projects in development, including a sequel to Maleficent and a biographical drama about Napoleon Bonaparte, both in active production as of the latest industry reports Deadline.