Jon Voight: Estranged from Jolie, Trump Supporter, Oscar Winner

Everyone knows Angelina Jolie, but fewer people know the story of the man who shaped her early life and later became her most vocal critic. Jon Voight, the Oscar-winning actor, has spent decades in Hollywood while his conservative politics created a public rift with his famous daughter.

Age: 85 (as of 2024) ·
Academy Award wins: 1 ·
Golden Globe Awards: 4 ·
Children: 2 (Angelina Jolie, James Haven) ·
Political affiliation: Republican/Trump supporter ·
Years active: 1961–present

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts

• Jon Voight is the biological father of Angelina Jolie (The Independent)
• He publicly supported Donald Trump in multiple videos (Variety)
• Voight won the Academy Award for Best Actor for Coming Home (1978) (Wikipedia)
• He publicly apologized for comments about Jolie’s relationship with Brad Pitt (The Independent)

2What’s unclear

• Exact moment the estrangement began between Voight and Jolie
• Whether they have any private contact currently
• Whether reconciliation will ever happen

3Timeline signal

• 1958–1969: Early acting career; Midnight Cowboy (1969) breakthrough (Page Six)
• 1970: Birth of daughter Angelina Jolie (Page Six)
• 2000s: Public rift begins; Voight criticizes Jolie’s relationship with Pitt (Page Six)
• 2016: Voight becomes vocal Trump supporter (Page Six)
• 2023–2024: Voight criticizes Jolie’s Israel-Palestine stance (Page Six)

4What’s next

• Voight continues political activism and commentary on Israel-Palestine
• He remains active in Hollywood projects
• The estrangement with Jolie remains unresolved

The table below captures the essential biographical details that frame Voight’s public profile.

Label	Value
Full Name	Jonathan Paul Voight
Date of Birth	December 29, 1938
Place of Birth	Yonkers, New York, USA
Occupation	Actor
Years Active	1961–present
Spouse(s)	Marcheline Bertrand (m. 1962; div. 1967), Lauri Peters (m. 1971; div. 1973)
Children	Angelina Jolie, James Haven
Academy Awards	1 (out of 4 nominations)
Golden Globes	4
Political Affiliation	Republican / Supportive of Donald Trump

Why don’t Angelina Jolie and Jon Voight get along?

Origins of the estrangement

• Voight and Marcheline Bertrand separated shortly after Jolie’s birth in 1970, creating what Voight called “a lot of hurt and anger” (The Independent).
• Jolie was raised primarily by her mother and had limited contact with her father during her teenage years.
• The public rift became visible in the early 2000s when Voight criticized Jolie’s relationship with Brad Pitt, which she was then forming after meeting on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

The pattern: a father-daughter bond fractured by divorce and followed by two decades of public tension—each side seeing the other through a different political and personal lens.

Key events in their father-daughter relationship

• In 2008, Voight publicly apologized to Jolie for his earlier comments, telling Access Hollywood he loved her very much (The Independent).
• Jolie told The Hollywood Reporter in 2017 that she and her father had reconciled, but could not really talk about politics with each other (LittleThings).
• In July 2024, Voight criticized Jolie’s support for Palestine, saying she had been “exposed to propaganda” and “influenced by antisemitic people” (Page Six).
• Despite this, he expressed love for her, saying he did not want to fight (Variety).

What this means: the Voight-Jolie estrangement isn’t a single event—it’s a recurring pattern that reopens whenever politics enters the conversation.

Is Jon Voight a Trump supporter?

Voight’s public endorsements of Donald Trump

• Voight has been identified as a vocal supporter of Donald Trump (Variety).
• He made multiple videos urging others to vote for Trump, calling him a “great leader” (The Independent).
• His political transformation from earlier liberal views to conservative views is widely documented (The Independent).

Political activism and videos

• Voight has created and posted videos on social media supporting Trump, often criticizing the Democratic party.
• He accused Hollywood of being in a “bubble” with “no idea what’s going on” regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict (Page Six).
• He has been outspoken in support of Israel since at least November 2023 (The Independent).

The trade-off: Voight’s political outspokenness gains him a loyal following among conservatives but costs him the familial relationship with his daughter.

Is Jon Voight Angelina Jolie’s biological father?

Family background: Marcheline Bertrand

• Angelina Jolie was born in 1975 to Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand, who were married from 1962 to 1967 (Wikipedia).
• After their divorce, Bertrand raised Jolie and her brother James Haven primarily alone.

Angelina Jolie’s name change

• Jolie later dropped the surname Voight, using only her middle name on screen and in public life.
• The name change symbolized her disconnection from her father, though Voight remains her biological parent.

The pattern: Jolie’s decision to drop Voight’s surname reflects not just a personal choice but a public statement about the depth of the estrangement.

What does Jon Voight say about Brad Pitt?

Voight’s public comments on the Pitt marriage

• In 2020, Voight urged Brad Pitt to “end this divorce, heal your family” (Page Six).
• He expressed support for Angelina Jolie in the divorce proceedings, criticizing Pitt’s behavior.

Calls to end the divorce proceedings

• Voight’s comments were a direct appeal to Pitt to stop the legal battle, which had been ongoing since the 2016 split.
• His remarks highlighted his enduring concern for Jolie’s well-being, despite their strained relationship.

What this means: Voight’s willingness to speak publicly about Jolie’s personal life—even while estranged—shows a father who still feels entitled to influence, whether she wants it or not.

“End this divorce, heal your family. You have wonderful kids, a wonderful family. End this divorce.”

Jon Voight, speaking about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s divorce, via Page Six

Is Jon Voight a nice guy in real life?

Reputation in Hollywood

• Voight is known for his strong opinions, which have polarized colleagues and fans.
• Some describe him as passionate and kind in personal interactions (Wikipedia).
• Others criticize his political activism as divisive and controversial.

Colleagues’ and fans’ perspectives

• His public image is complicated by his outspoken conservative views, especially in a liberal-leaning Hollywood.
• Despite controversy, he maintains a network of industry relationships built over six decades.

The catch: Voight’s “niceness” depends entirely on which room he’s in—Hollywood liberals see him as adversarial; his political base sees him as a principled elder.

What are Jon Voight’s most notable movies and awards?

Academy Award-winning role in Coming Home

• Voight won the Academy Award for Best Actor for Coming Home (1978) (Wikipedia).
• He was nominated for four Oscars total, including for Midnight Cowboy (1969), Runaway Train (1985), and The Rainmaker (1997).

Other iconic films: Midnight Cowboy, Mission: Impossible

• Midnight Cowboy (1969): Voight starred alongside Dustin Hoffman in this groundbreaking drama.
• Deliverance (1972): A survival thriller that became a cultural touchstone.
• Heat (1995): Voight played a key role in Michael Mann’s crime epic.
• Mission: Impossible (1996): He appeared as Jim Phelps in the first film of the franchise.
• Anaconda (1997) and Holes (2003): Showcasing his range in big-budget and family films.

Television work and recent appearances

• Voight has appeared in over 70 films over six decades (IMDb).
• He received four Golden Globe Awards, including the Cecil B. DeMille Award.

The implication: Voight’s Oscar win and four nominations anchor a legacy that political controversies cannot erase, though they complicate it.

“I love my daughter very much. I do not want to fight with her.”

Jon Voight, 2024 interview on his relationship with Angelina Jolie, via Page Six

We had reconciled, but we could not really talk about politics with each other.

Angelina Jolie, 2017 interview via The Hollywood Reporter

Timeline: Jon Voight’s career, family, and politics

• 1938: Born in Yonkers, New York (Wikipedia)
• 1961: First acting credit
• 1969: Starred in Midnight Cowboy
• 1970: Birth of daughter Angelina Jolie
• 1972: Starred in Deliverance
• 1978: Won Academy Award for Coming Home
• 1996: Role in Mission: Impossible
• 2000s: Public rift with Angelina Jolie begins
• 2008: Voight publicly apologizes to Jolie
• 2016: Voight becomes vocal supporter of Donald Trump
• 2020: Voight urges Brad Pitt to end divorce
• 2023–2024: Voight criticizes Jolie’s Israel-Palestine stance; continues political activism

Jon Voight’s story is one of public success and private fracture. For readers following the Jolie-Pitt divorce saga, the Voight angle adds a layer of political irony: a father who loves his daughter but cannot bridge the ideological gap between them.

For a deeper look into his personal life, Jon Voights family estrangement and politics offers a comprehensive overview of the actor’s public and private struggles.

Frequently asked questions

How did Jon Voight first become estranged from Angelina Jolie?

Voight and Jolie’s relationship deteriorated after Voight publicly criticized Jolie’s relationship with Brad Pitt in the early 2000s. The estrangement was deepened by Voight’s divorce from Jolie’s mother, Marcheline Bertrand, when Jolie was a child (The Independent).

Did Jon Voight attend Angelina Jolie’s wedding?

No. Jolie married Brad Pitt in a private ceremony in 2014, and Voight was not reported to be in attendance, reflecting the ongoing rift.

What did Angelina Jolie say about her father?

Jolie told The Hollywood Reporter in 2017 that she and her father had reconciled, but they could not talk about politics (LittleThings).

Has Jon Voight met his grandchildren?

There is no public record of Voight meeting Jolie and Pitt’s six children on a regular basis, though Voight has expressed love for them publicly.

What is the current status of Jon Voight’s relationship with Angelina?

As of 2024, Voight has publicly criticized Jolie’s stance on Israel-Palestine but said he loves her and does not want to fight. The relationship remains strained and largely public (Page Six).

Why does Jon Voight support Donald Trump?

Voight has described Trump as a “great leader” and aligns with Trump’s conservative policies, particularly on national security and Israel (Variety).