Angelina Jolie Opens Up About Late Mother, Marcheline Bertrand: I Feel Her All the Time

In a new interview, the actress shares how Marcheline Bertrand continues to influence her life

By Mike Vulpo Oct 07, 2014 2:08 AMTags
Marcheline Bertrand, Angelina JolieAP Photo/Kevork Djansezian

Talk about the power of moms!

In a new interview with French Marie Claire, Angelina Jolie opens up about her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, who ultimately passed away in 2007 after a long battle with ovarian cancer. Turns out the actress has enormous love for a woman who influenced her life so greatly.

"She was very soft but could move mountains for her kids," Jolie revealed to the publication. "That's something I always admire in women: that mix of softness and strength."

Bertrand also helped Jolie become the humanitarian she is today. The mother-of-six shared a vivid memory of when she attended a dinner for Amnesty International at such a young age.

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"She always tried to understand the complexity of the world," Jolie explained. "She had a great heart, which was sensitive to the world's violence."

Jolie has been a huge supporter of several charities including the Jolie-Pitt Foundation, the ONE Campaign and UNICEF. She also continues to advocate for the end of extreme poverty around the world.

Jolie's love and respect for her mother was on full display when she got married to Brad Pitt this past August. Prior to the nuptials, Pitt had a special personalized message in honor of Marcheline inscribed inside the chapel at their home in France.

"I also wore a little flower ring that was hers," she revealed to People magazine. "And Jamie [her brother] wore an angel pin from her jewelry box."

While she definitely felt her mother's spirit on her wedding day, Jolie says reminders of her mom pop up often in her everyday life.

"I feel in contact with my mother when I look at my children," she told the publication. "I can feel her influence over me then. I see that my way of raising them resembles the way she raised my brother and I."

She added, "It's more apparent with my daughters Shiloh and Vivienne. Therefore, yes, my mother is there, present in this influence, all the time."