When you look at the sharp cheekbones and those piercing eyes, it is pretty hard to miss the resemblance. Angelina Jolie's dad is Jon Voight, a man who is basically Hollywood royalty, but his relationship with his daughter has been anything but a fairytale. Honestly, it’s been more of a decades-long psychological drama played out in front of paparazzi and on late-night talk shows.
If you grew up watching Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, you might remember him playing her father on screen too. That was supposed to be the big "we’re okay now" moment. Spoilers: it wasn't. To really understand who he is, you have to look past the tabloid headlines and see the man who was once a counter-culture icon and is now one of the most vocal, and controversial, voices in the industry.
The Man, The Legend, and the Oscar
Before he was "Angelina’s dad," Jon Voight was a massive star in his own right. He’s 87 now, but back in the late '60s, he was the guy every director wanted. He broke through playing Joe Buck in Midnight Cowboy (1969)—the only X-rated movie to ever win Best Picture. He played a naive Texas hustler, and it earned him his first Oscar nod.
He didn't just stop there.
Voight eventually took home the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1978 for Coming Home, where he played a paraplegic Vietnam veteran. He’s got the range. From the intense river-trip horror of Deliverance to playing a ruthless baddie in Mission: Impossible and the eccentric Mickey Donovan in Ray Donovan, the guy can act. Most recently, he's even been appointed as a "Special Ambassador to Hollywood" under the Trump administration in 2025. He’s deeply entrenched in the business, which is part of why his fallout with Angelina was so loud.
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Why the Relationship Soured
It’s complicated. It’s always complicated with these two. The roots of the drama go back to 1976. Jon was married to Marcheline Bertrand—Angelina’s mother—but he had an affair.
He left when Angelina was just a baby.
That abandonment left a scar that never really healed. Angelina has been open about how her mother’s heartbreak shaped her own view of her father. She basically saw him as a man who blew up her family’s life. For a long time, they just didn’t talk. Even when they tried to fix things during the filming of Tomb Raider in 2001, it blew up in spectacular fashion.
The Public Meltdown of 2002
This was the turning point. In August 2002, Voight went on Access Hollywood and basically told the world that his daughter had "serious mental problems." He was crying, pleading for her to get help. It was messy.
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Angelina’s response? She legally dropped "Voight" from her name. She became just Angelina Jolie. She told the press it wasn't healthy for her to be around him. They didn't speak for six and a half years after that. Imagine that. Living in the same small world of elite Hollywood and having a total blackout of communication with your own parent.
The Reconciliations and the Modern Rift
They did eventually find a way back to each other, mostly because of two things: the death of her mother in 2007 and her kids.
Marcheline’s passing from cancer forced them to interact. Brad Pitt—her partner at the time—reportedly pushed for a truce too. By 2010, Voight was seen hanging out with his grandkids. He’s spoken about how being a grandfather changed his life. He loves those kids. He’s been seen supporting them at events, like when Vivienne worked on the The Outsiders on Broadway.
But as of 2024 and 2026, things are getting shaky again.
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The issue now? Politics. Jon Voight is a staunch conservative. Angelina is a humanitarian who spent years with the UN. Recently, they’ve clashed over the conflict in the Middle East. Voight publicly called his daughter’s views "ignorant" and suggested she’d been "influenced by antisemitic people." Reports from late 2024 suggest she’s cut him off again because he won't stop talking about her private life in interviews.
Quick Facts About Jon Voight:
- Birth Name: Jonathan Vincent Voight.
- Born: December 29, 1938, in Yonkers, New York.
- Siblings: He’s got two brothers—one is Barry Voight (a volcanologist) and the other is Chip Taylor (the guy who wrote the song "Wild Thing").
- Major Awards: One Oscar, four Golden Globes, and a National Medal of Arts.
- Current Status: Appointed as a Hollywood envoy in January 2025.
Actionable Takeaways for Movie Buffs
If you want to understand the acting DNA that Angelina Jolie carries, you sort of have to watch her father’s work. They both have this intense, "still" way of acting where they can say a lot without moving a muscle.
- Watch the "Big Three": Midnight Cowboy, Coming Home, and Deliverance. These define his legacy.
- Look for the Parallels: Compare his performance in The Champ to Angelina’s more emotional roles. You can see the similarities in how they handle vulnerability.
- Fact-Check the Headlines: When you see a "new" story about their feud, check the date. They have cycled through being "on" and "off" for forty years.
At the end of the day, Jon Voight is a legend of the silver screen who struggled to be a hero at home. Whether they are speaking this week or not, his influence on Angelina’s life—both through his absence and his talent—is undeniable. You can’t tell the story of one without the other.
To stay truly informed on their current status, keep an eye on official statements rather than gossip blogs, as their dynamic changes whenever a new political cycle or family milestone hits the news.