Remembered best as the mother of Hollywood A-List actress Angelina Jolie, she is also notable for having founded charities called Give Love Give Life and the All Tribes Foundation. In addition, she worked as an actress and a producer.
After training under the renowned acting teacher Lee Strasberg, she appeared in the 1982 film Lookin' to Get Out and in an episode of the television series Ironside.
Tragically, in her mid-fifties, she lost her battle with ovarian cancer.
Her nine-year marriage to actor Jon Voight resulted in Angelina Jolie and Jolie's actor brother, James Haven. Following her divorce from Voight, she had long-lasting partnerships with filmmaker Bill Day and author and activist John Trudell.
She died just two years after her daughter's high-profile romance with Brad Pitt began.