Angelina Jolie's Mom: Marcheline Bertrand
Jolie's mum, Bertrand, was born in Illinois in 1950. Her onscreen appearances included the TV series "Ironside" and the film "The Man Who Loved Women." She eventually turned her eye toward producing and charitable causes. In 1999, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and eventually breast cancer as well, and she died in 2007. Because of that, Jolie has been a strong advocate for breast and ovarian cancer awareness.
In 2013, she revealed in a New York Times op-ed that she had the BRCA1 gene, which "sharply" increases your odds of developing breast or ovarian cancer. She wrote at the time, "My mother fought cancer for almost a decade and died at 56. She held out long enough to meet the first of her grandchildren and to hold them in her arms. But my other children will never have the chance to know her and experience how loving and gracious she was."
She continued, "We often speak of 'Mommy's mommy,' and I find myself trying to explain the illness that took her away from us. They have asked if the same could happen to me." After discovering she had the gene, Jolie got a preventive double mastectomy.
Earlier this year, Jolie shared a message for World Ovarian Cancer Day, remembering her mum. "Tomorrow would have been my mother's 73rd birthday. She passed away 15 years ago, after a long struggle with breast and ovarian cancer. In June, I will be a month away from the age when she was diagnosed," Jolie wrote. "My mom loved Hendrix. And would always sign her letters Kiss the Sky. It took on new meaning after she passed. Sending my love to those who have also lost loved ones and strength to those who are fighting at this very moment for their lives and the lives of those they love."
Jolie also reflected on her mum in a 2017 interview with Elle France. "She would have thrived as a grandmother," she said, as per People. "I know how much she would have contributed to their lives and I am sad they will miss out on that. I would give anything for her to be with me at this time. I've needed her. I talk to her often in my mind and try to think what she might say and how she might guide me."