Angelina Jolie’s connection to the Oscars goes beyond her own victories—it’s deeply tied to her family’s history and personal memories. While accepting the Maltin Modern Master Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on February 5, Jolie reflected on an emotional moment from her childhood that shaped her understanding of sacrifice.
She recalled watching the 1979 Academy Awards as a young girl while living with her mother, Marcheline Bertrand. Her father, Jon Voight, won Best Actor for Coming Home, but he attended the ceremony with another woman—reportedly actress Stacey Pickren—while Bertrand stayed home with their children.
Jolie described how her mother, a former actress, had once dreamed of making it in Hollywood but instead found herself watching from the sidelines. “She was in her twenties… divorced from a very famous man, and she was home with her babies in an apartment watching him win an Oscar with the other woman,” Jolie shared. This memory left a lasting impact on her, shaping her appreciation for resilience and sacrifice.
When Jolie won her own Oscar for Girl, Interrupted in 2000, she immediately thought of her mother. “To have that moment, to get off that stage and call her and say, ‘It’s yours’—and I gave it to her—was one of the best moments of my life,” she said.
Jolie also reflected on how her mother funneled her own artistic dreams into supporting her daughter’s career. Bertrand would even write letters to Jolie’s characters, like Gia, Lisa Rowe, and Lara Croft, as a way of staying connected to her work.
Bertrand passed away in 2007, but her influence remains a driving force in Jolie’s life. Now, Jolie stars in Maria, a film about opera legend Maria Callas, available on Netflix.