Action woman
Angelina Jolie is one of Hollywood's favorite badass chicks and she made it to the top all on her own. She became famous after playing Lisa Rowe in Girl, Interrupted, a role that earned her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Although she's taken on a wide range of iconic roles throughout her career, she's perhaps best known as an action woman. And for giving 110% in everything she does.
We take a look at Angelina's baddest bad girl roles.
Tomb Raider
Angelina Jolie became known to the world when she played Lara Croft in Tomb Raider, the movie based on the videogame of the same name.
Other actresses who were contenders for the role were Ashley Judd and Catherine Zeta-Jones. However, director Simon West knew Angelina was the one for him.
The movie made Angelina famous and set her on the road to becoming one of the biggest stars of our times.
The Bone Collector
Before she was Lara Croft, Angelina Jolie played officer Amelia Donaghy in The Bone Collector, hunting a serial killer with Lincoln Rhyme (Denzel Washington).
The star was already making her way in the industry under her own steam, without any help from her father, actor Jon Voight.
Gone in Sixty Seconds
For her role as Sara Wayland in Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000) she went blonde. Alongside Nicholas Cage, who played Randall Memphis Raines, she had audiences on the edge of their seat in this action-packed movie.
The return of Lara Croft
Two years after Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, a sequel was released: Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life.
Angelina underwent a punishing training regime for this role, including boxing, rowing and yoga, plus a strict diet to get Lara's slender figure.
The roles keep rolling in
The parts were coming in thick and fast for Angelina. She starred in two films in 2004: Taking Lives and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.
In the former, she played a distinguished FBI agent searching for a felon, and in the latter, Fanky Cook, the commander of an amphibian squad. Fun fact: She had to wear an eye patch for this role.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
The year after, she starred in the movie that not only made her one of the world's most-renowned actresses, it also changed her life: Mr. & Mrs. Smith, which she starred in alongside Brad Pitt.
Angelina Jolie played Jane Smith, an assassin for hire. However, her husband is also a hitman and, with plenty of action along the way, they end up falling in love. Life imitates art, and how!
Wanted
Angelina was every director's go-to girl when they needed someone who could shoot a weapon, fight and go after the bad guys.
In Wanted, 2008, she played Fox, a woman who teaches Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) how to use a weapon.
Salt
Australian director Phillip Noyce offered her the titular role in Salt, 2010. Evelyn Salt was a CIA agent with bags of attitude and even more cunning. This tough girl was on everyone's hit list, but she escaped every time.
Angelina was very excited about the role as it was her comeback to the big screen after taking time out to focus on family.
Maleficent
Despite being deficient in the guns-car chases-fights department, Maleficent deserves special mention here. In the movie, Angelina's character uses her evil powers to make Princess Aurora's (Elle Fanning) life difficult. Angelina was amazing in this role and the sequel - Maleficent: Mistress of Evil - recently hit the big screen.