Angelina Jolie began formally studying acting at the renowned Lee
Strasberg Theater Institute in New York City at age 11. Five years
later, she began living on her own, working as a professional
model and appearing in music videos for artists including the
Rolling Stones, Lenny Kravitz, Meat Loaf, and the Lemonheads.
Moving back to Los Angeles, Jolie acted in several student films
directed by her brother, who was then attending the University of
Southern California film school; she also joined the Met Theater
Group and performed alongside fellow members like Ed Harris and
Holly Hunter.
After a couple forgettable films (including the direct-to-video
Cyborg II: Glass Shadows), Angelina Jolie landed her first
starring role in the 1995 cyber-thriller Hackers. Though the film
met with a generally poor reception, Angelina Jolie earned praise
for her performance; she also fell in love with co-star Jonny Lee
Miller. At the couple?s wedding ceremony in March 1996, the
unconventional bride wore black rubber pants and a shirt on which
she had written the groom?s name in her own blood. Jolie and
Miller separated less than a year later; they were divorced in
1999
Over the next several years, Jolie's reputation as Hollywood's
newest ?bad girl? grew steadily, even as a number of highly
acclaimed performances established her as a talented A-list
actress.
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