Regarded as one of the most in-demand actresses in Hollywood, Angelina Jolie has had an interesting career where she has flourished. Even though she made her acting debut as a child by starring in the 1982 film Lookin' To Get Out, her name became popular only after she landed her first leading role in the 1995 film Hackers. Following her break-out role, Jolie did not step back, and instead, she ensured that she thrived in almost every role she undertook since then. She is a rare international superstar who is also an Academy Award winner and an action hero who is a box office draw.

What makes Jolie an incredible celebrity is that she is not just concerned about her career and her life, but her humanitarian side illustrates how generous she is. Jolie's career is filled with incredible performances across a wide variety of genres. Here are some of her best performances throughout her career, ranked.

Update November 2, 2023: This article has been updated with even more great Angelina Jolie performances, and where you can stream each of the films those performances are in.

12 Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is based on the video game of the same name. The film, overall, did not receive much positive feedback from critics at the time of its release. However, it is hard to deny that Jolie was the perfect casting for the iconic video game character. Jolie is a striking presence, and any elements about the film and its sequel, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life, can be owed to her and how well she embodied the character. While Jolie has moved on from the character, and the franchise has evolved Lara Croft more, it is hard to deny that this 2001 film was a snapshot of a particular moment in time when the star and the character were perfectly blended together.

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11 Wanted (2008)

Wanted is a film by Timur Bekmambetov that is loosely based on the comic book miniseries of the same name by Kingsman creator Mark Millar. The story follows Wesley Gibson, played by James McAvoy, as he is recruited to a team of assassins called the Fraternity under a false identity. Jolie takes on the role of Fox, Gibson's mentor, who turns against him but also ends up helping him.

This, of course, is another film that illustrates Jolie's ability to thrive in the action film genre. The movie was largely sold on Jolie's star power, which helped the movie make $324 million at the worldwide box office. While the movie features the likes of McAvoy, Freeman, and a pre-MCU and pre-Parks and Recreation Chris Pratt, this is still clearly Jolie's show.

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10 Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021)

Jolie features alongside Nicholas Hoult and Jon Bernthal in Wind River director Taylor Sheridan’s screen adaptation of Michael Koryta’s novel Those Who Wish Me Dead. The 2021 action drama pits Jolie at the center of the action as Hannah, a smoke jumper haunted by three deaths she was unable to prevent in a forest fire. Given the chance to make amends, Hannah must do everything in her power to protect a little boy from the perils of two hunters and a raging fire.

Jolie is utterly stupendous, portraying the disturbed Hannah with empathy, complexity, and conviction. The film was primarily lost in the shuffle of Warner Bros. Project Popcorn release of their 2021 slate, but it is a nice throwback to adult mid-budget dramas that dominated screens in the 1990s that were carried by star power.

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9 The Good Shepherd (2006)

The second, and possibly last movie directed by industry icon Robert De Niro, 2006’s The Good Shepherd is a gripping thriller starring Matt Damon in the titular role, as well as De Niro himself, Joe Pesci, and of course, Angelina Jolie. The film details the inception of the CIA during the ensuing Cold War and follows head-honcho Edward Wilson’s (Damon) personal struggles as a lead intelligence officer and the subsequent traitorous acts of a mole in the intelligence service, with Wilson tasked with weeding out the culprit.

Jolie plays Margaret “Clover” Wilson, who marries Edward after falling pregnant with his child. While Jolie adopts more of a supporting role in this picture, she is, nevertheless, terrific as an increasingly disenchanted wife trapped in a loveless marriage with a distant, work-obsessed husband. Even in a small supporting role, Jolie shines alongside some of the most famous names in Hollywood.

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8 Eternals (2021)

Eternals was a big swing for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film was one of the first movies in Phase 4 and looked to introduce a whole new host of characters based on an obscure Marvel property that even die-hard comic book fans might not have known much about. One way to boost the appeal of the film was casting major movie stars, and in a major get for Marvel Studios, they secured Angelia Jolie to play the role of Thena.

Thena is one of the bravest and strongest Eternals, a mighty warrior. Yet she is also stricken with "Mahd Wy'ry", a disorder that makes her violently lash out because she remembers past lives she had as an Eternal and the destruction she caused. Jolie brings a real weight and gravitas to the movie, selling very emotional scenes with a profound sense of heartbreak as her memory betrays her. Yet the movie also knows audiences love Jolie as an action hero and the movie gives her some great superhero moments. It is a great mix of her skills as an Oscar winner and an action hero.

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7 A Mighty Heart (2007)

Based on Mariane Pearl's memoir by the same name, this 2007 drama film focuses on the real-life story of the kidnapping and the murder of Daniel Pearl. Jolie takes over the role of Mariane Pearl and illustrates her intense efforts in trying to find her husband while digging deep into the reasons behind Danny's journey to Karachchi, Pakistan, and navigating her way through the misty, often illusory world of behind-the-curtain politics.

A Mighty Heart is one of Jolie's most rounded performances as, unlike her other roles, this particular role focuses on the emotional aspects of the character. Thus, heavy reliance was given to the delivery of Mariane's pain and trauma, which Jolie perfectly captured.

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6 Salt (2010)

Salt is a perfect example that illustrates Jolie's talents in taking leading roles in action movies. This particular movie follows the story of a woman who leads a seemingly happy life as a CIA agent but has to suddenly face her complex past, which includes her being trained as an assassin during her childhood. Even though the role was initially written for Tom Cruise, it is undeniable that Jolie's portrayal of Evelyn Salt is absolutely remarkable, given the way in which she navigates the character's switch between emotions.

Despite mixed reviews, Salt was a box office hit, and a rare case of an original idea led by a movie star becoming a box office hit in an era that started to become defined by franchises. Some fans are still waiting for Salt 2, and even if it doesn't happen, the first Salt remains a testament to Jolie's generational appeal as both an action hero and a major movie star.

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5 Gia (1998)

This American biographical film focuses on the story of Gia Carangi, who is regarded by many as the first person to be titled a supermodel in America. Jolie takes on the role of Carangi as she portrays her rise to fame in the world of modeling, as well as her downfall due to her drug addiction. Carangi's story is quite tragic and, thus, is not an easy role to play.

However, Jolie does a spectacular job by illustrating Carangi's whirlwind of a life by delivering the perfect notes of emotion. Jolie went on to win a Screen Actors Guild Award under the category of Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries. Despite being a television film, Gia is one of Jolie's best performances.

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4 Maleficent (2014)

Maleficent is a fantasy film that focuses on the villain of Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty. What is interesting about this movie is that it converts the villain into a hero. Jolie takes up the iconic Disney villain Maleficent in a part she seems born to play. Jolie's version is a powerful fairy that turns to the dark side as she is betrayed by her human lover, which transforms the story into a dark twist on sexual assault but within a PG-rated Disney film.

With an intense physique transformation, Jolie both perfectly adapts the iconic over-the-top recreations of Sleeping Beauty perfectly but also adds depth to the character. The film is visually pleasing and went on to be nominated for Best Costume Design at the 87th Academy Awards. The sequel to Maleficent was released in 2019 as Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, with Jolie continuing Maleficent's journey.

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3 Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)

Yet another action film in which Jolie takes up the role of a leading character, Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a film that focuses on two characters, Jane (Angelina Jolie) and John (Brad Pitt), who seem to be a normal married couple but are, in reality, two skilled agents working for different killing firms. The film follows a thrilling adventure with the couple's secrets being revealed to one another and then them pairing up to fight against their employers.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith went on to lay the foundation for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's partnership, as Jolie states that they "just became kind of a pair" as they started working on the project and would become a Hollywood power couple until their divorce in 2019. Mr. and Mrs. Smith is a defining moment in Jolie's career as it is one of her biggest movies to date and showed she could sell an original movie to a wide audience and was one of the defining action stars of the 2000s.

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2 Changeling (2008)

Based on the real-life events of the 1928 Winevilee Chicken Coop Murders, Clint Eastwood's Changeling is a story that focuses on a mother who is forced into a psychiatric hospital merely due to her refusing to accept the police's misconduct in "finding" her son. Jolie takes on the role of the protagonist, Christine Collins, whose nine-year-old son goes missing.

Throughout the story, we follow a major crime that has taken place, of which Walter (Collin's son) is a victim. The emotional trauma and the pain the character undergoes is been perfectly captured by Jolie, in turn allowing her to be nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role category at the 81st Academy Awards.

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1 Girl, Interrupted (1999)

This 1999 psychological drama brought Jolie many awards under the category of Best Supporting Actress, including an Academy Award. Girl, Interrupted is a film that focuses on mental health and institutionalization. The film follows a group of young women with different mental health issues. Jolie takes up the role of the sociopathic Lisa, who can be seen as the most rebellious among the group. Though she comes off as "heartless" at the beginning, the ending of the film suggests otherwise.

In order to get into such a complex character with a major character change, Jolie used method acting. This, of course, led her to keep the "careless, crude demeanor of Lisa Rowe long after the director called cut". Regardless, this film is one of Jolie's most phenomenal deliveries.

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