Angelina Jolie gets emotional remembering her mother’s heartbreak over Jon Voight

• Jolie shared an emotional family memory at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
• She lived with her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, who had separated in 1976 and divorced in 1980.
• Jolie stars in Netflix's "Maria," portraying opera diva Maria Callas.

Angelina Jolie’s connection to the Oscars began long before her first win. Speaking at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on February 5, the “Maria” star shared an emotional family memory tied to Hollywood’s biggest night.

While accepting her Maltin Modern Master Award, Jolie recalled watching the 1979 Academy Awards, where her father, Jon Voight, won Best Actor for “Coming Home”. At the time, she lived with her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, as Voight and Bertrand had separated in 1976. The couple finalized their divorce in 1980.

"I am trying to think of how much I'm going to share right now," Jolie began talking about her Best Supporting Actress win for Girl, Interrupted, as per People.

Jolie described her mother, Bertrand, a former actress who once dreamed of an acting career in Hollywood. She recalled her mother’s vivid story about watching Voight attend the ceremony with another woman—reportedly actress Stacey Pickren—while Bertrand stayed home with the children.

Jolie spoke about her mother, saying, "She was in her twenties because she had me when she was very young. She was divorced from a very famous man and stayed home with her babies in an apartment, watching him win an Oscar with the other woman." This memory stayed with Jolie, shaping her understanding of sacrifice and resilience.

Jolie recounted, "My mom was home with two little kids. My mom's dream was to be an actor. I believe my mother's mother's dream was to be an actor, which is probably why she took her to the theater in Chicago all the time."

Recalling the night she won an Academy Award for “Girl, Interrupted” in 2000, Jolie said her mind remained preoccupied with her mom that evening. She said, "To have that moment, to get off that stage and call her and say, ‘It's yours' — and I gave it to her — one of the best moments of my life."

During her address, Jolie choked up while discussing Bertrand, who passed away in 2007. She highlighted how her mother had channeled her creative ambitions into supporting Jolie’s career, even writing letters to characters like Gia, Lisa Rowe, and Lara Croft.

Angelina Jolie stars in the latest film, “Maria”, now available on Netflix, where she portrays the opera diva Maria Callas.

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