She was born in Los Angeles, California as a daughter to Jon Voight and late Marcheline Bertrand. Her father is of German culture and her mother is French Canadian. Her parents divorced in 1976 and Jolie was brought up by her mother in New York. They moved back to Los Angeles when she was 11, Jolie was a student for two years at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. Jolie mother had modest income and she often used to wear second hand clothes. She was teased by her schoolmates at the Beverly Hills High School for her wearing glasses, braces and being extremely thin.

She blames her father infidelity for her parents break up and prefers not to speak or associate with him.