Angelina Jolie’s Remarkable Career Evolution
Angelina Jolie began her brilliant career in 1993 with a low-budget film called Cyborg 2: Glass Shadow. It took her two more years to land her first significant role in the film Hackers and until 1999 to receive her first recognition. She actually won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for the movie Girl, Interrupted. This was followed by a series of successful productions such as the Tomb Raider saga, which helped her gain immense popularity and become one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood. Since the 2010s, she has also ventured into directing, showcasing her talent with movies like Unbroken, By the Sea, First They Killed My Father, and Without Blood. But Angelina Jolie is also known for being a caring and devoted mother.
Maddox, Zahara, and Pax: Angelina Jolie’s First Three Children and Their Origins
In 2002, at the age of 27 and while still married to actor Billy Bob Thornton, Angelina Jolie decided to adopt her first child from Cambodia. Impacted by the country during the filming of Tomb Raider, the actress, now very famous, witnessed and lamented the poverty of orphans there. Without hesitation, she decided to make a positive impact, officially adopting the young Maddox Chivan on March 10, 2002. This Cambodian child was born on August 5, 2001. Despite the media attention this adoption received, it did not deter the American actress from repeating the process twice more. She welcomed an Ethiopian girl she named Zahara Marley on July 6, 2005, and a Vietnamese child of nearly 4 years named Pax Thien on March 15, 2007.
Angelina Jolie Gives Birth to Shiloh Nouvel in Namibia
In 2004, while filming Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Angelina Jolie met Brad Pitt, sparking an instant connection between the two. Their relationship, which Angelina later clarified was not physical at the time, ultimately led to the actor’s divorce. In 2006, between her second and third adoptions, Angelina Jolie gave birth to her first biological child, a daughter named Shiloh Nouvel. Born in Namibia on May 27, 2006, the baby girl held Namibian citizenship. Meanwhile, Brad Pitt filed to adopt his partner’s first two adopted children, Maddox Chivan and Zahara Marley, who then became Jolie-Pitt. Pax Thien, the couple’s adopted son, also took on their surnames.
Angelina Jolie Pregnant with Twins: Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline born in Nice
In 2008, after months of rumors, Angelina Jolie confirmed her pregnancy with twins at the Cannes Film Festival. She gave birth via cesarean section in July of the same year at the Santa Maria polyclinic in Nice, France. The twins, a boy and a girl, were named Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline. She agreed to sell the first photos of her children to People and Hello! for $14 million, the most expensive celebrity photos ever sold. This substantial sum was donated directly to the Jolie-Pitt Foundation, which supports various causes like Doctors Without Borders and Global Action for Children.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s Separation: Divorce Request and Domestic Violence Accusations
After eleven years together, including two years of marriage at their French estate in Miraval, Angelina Jolie filed for divorce and requested sole custody of their children in September 2016. The legal battle lasted until April 2019, with ongoing tensions over child custody. Relations between Brad Pitt and his four eldest children deteriorated to the point where they no longer officially used his surname. Angelina Jolie even accused her ex-husband of domestic violence, allegations corroborated by their children, particularly Pax and Shiloh. Despite this, an FBI investigation ultimately cleared the actor.
What Happened to Angelina Jolie’s Children and Their Relationship with Brad Pitt?
Today, all six of the couple’s children are now adults, except for the twins who are not yet of legal age. At 24, Maddox Chivan has graduated from Yonsei University in Seoul with a degree in biochemistry. According to various sources, his relationship with Brad Pitt is described as “non-existent”. Pax Thien, 22, is very close to his mother and shows an interest in the film industry. He appeared in Maleficent (2014) and voiced the character Yoo in the animated film Kung-Fu Panda 3 (2016). In addition, he worked as an assistant on the set of First They Killed My Father (2017) and as a backstage manager for Without Blood (2024), both directed by his mother.
Zahara Marley, now 21, frequently accompanies her mother to various red carpets and major events. She also voiced a character in Kung-Fu Panda 3 and had minor roles in Maleficent. In September 2019, she launched her jewelry line called the “Zahara Collection” in collaboration with jeweler Robert Procop, showing her commitment to supporting women and children affected by domestic violence worldwide, especially in Ethiopia, her country of origin. She joined Spelman College in Atlanta in 2023.
Shiloh Nouvel, 19, lacks interest in cinema but actively participates in humanitarian trips with her mother. A dance enthusiast, she displays her talent through numerous videos on social media. She has minimal contact with her father.
As for the twins, Knox and Vivienne, they also have little interaction with their father and will turn 18 in July 2026. Vivienne is passionate about theater, having worked as a production assistant on the musical The Outsiders. Interestingly, her full name does not include her father’s surname. Knox prefers a private life away from the spotlight for now, having a passion for martial arts, particularly Thai boxing. Like their siblings, they maintain a close relationship with their mother but have limited communication with their father.
