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Angelina Jolie: Lara Croft
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Angelina Jolie is an Oscar-winning actress who has become popular by taking on the title role in the "Lara Croft" series of blockbuster movies. Off-screen, Jolie has become prominently involved in international charity projects, especially those involving refugees. She often appears on many "most beautiful women" lists, and she has a personal life that is avidly covered by the tabloid press.
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Although highly regarded for her acting abilities, Jolie's films to date had often not appealed to a wide audience, but Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) made her an international superstar. An adaptation of the popular Tomb Raider videogame, Jolie was required to master a British accent and undergo extensive martial arts training to play the title role of Lara Croft. She was generally praised for her physical performance, but the movie generated mostly negative reviews. Slant Magazine commented, "Angelina Jolie was born to play Lara Croft but [director] Simon West makes her journey into a game of Frogger."[31] The movie was a huge international success nonetheless, earning $275 million worldwide,[3] and launched her global reputation as a female action star.
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Jolie first became personally aware of worldwide crises while filming Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in poverty-stricken and widely mined Cambodia. She was deeply affected by these experiences and eventually turned to USA for UNHCR for more information on international trouble spots. In the coming months she agreed to visit different refugee camps around the world to learn more about the situation and the conditions on the ground.
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April 16, 2001 -- Jolie helps raise money for a school in Angkor Wat, the Cambodian city where portions of "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" were shot. The $85 million action film was a major boost for the city, which is famous for its temples. The last Hollywood film shot there was Peter O'Toole's "Lord Jim" in 1965.
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