Jon Voight is often regarded as one of the most accomplished actors of his generation. He usually makes the news often for his political views.
His career spans several decades and includes a wide range of roles — from cowboys to soldiers to complex, emotionally layered characters of Hollywood.
Voight began his journey on Broadway before stepping into films, making his on-screen debut with ‘Fearless Frank’ in 1964, though the film’s delayed release kept him out of the spotlight initially.
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His breakthrough arrived in 1969 with ‘Midnight Cowboy’, where he played Joe Buck, a naive Texan hustler. The role transformed his career and earned him his first Oscar nomination. Voight continued to take on demanding characters, including his acclaimed portrayal of a paralysed Vietnam War veteran in the 1978 film ‘Coming Home’, which further cemented his place in Hollywood.
Jon Voight’s family
While Voight’s professional achievements earned him respect, his personal life has drawn equal attention. He married Lauri Peters in 1962, but the marriage ended in 1967. In 1971, he married actress Marcheline Bertrand, who was only 21 at the time. Their relationship deteriorated due to Voight’s extramarital affairs. The couple separated in 1976 and finalised their divorce in 1978. They had two children together: James Haven and Angelina Jolie.
Voight’s relationship with his children grew strained over the years. Jolie, in particular, has spoken openly about her difficult relationship with her father, accusing him of infidelity and emotional abandonment. Both she and her brother distanced themselves by dropping the Voight surname and adopting their mother’s middle name as their last name. Despite their complicated history, both children went on to pursue careers in Hollywood, following their father’s path in the film industry.
Like his sister Angelina Jolie, James Haven spent several years working as an actor, guided and encouraged by their mother, Marcheline Bertrand. Haven shared the screen with Jolie in the 1998 HBO biographical drama Gia and went on to appear in several notable projects, including Original Sin alongside Jolie and Antonio Banderas, as well as Monster’s Ball, which featured Jolie’s then-husband Billy Bob Thornton.
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Voight and Jolie did share the screen once, playing a father-daughter duo in the 2001 film ‘Lara Croft: Tomb Raider’. Although they have not collaborated on another project since, their relationship saw periods of reconciliation. Over time, Voight became more involved in Jolie’s life and began forming bonds with her children.
Voight’s grandchildren
Voight is now a grandfather to six children, all are children of Angelina Jolie. His eldest grandson, Maddox, was adopted from Cambodia in 2002 and is currently studying at Yonsei University in Seoul.
Pax was adopted from Vietnam in 2007, while Zahara joined the family from Ethiopia in 2005.
Jolie and Brad Pitt’s first biological child, Shiloh, was born in 2006, followed by twins Vivienne and Knox.
Despite past tensions, Voight has been present in their lives, especially after the passing of Jolie’s mother in 2007.
