Marcheline Bertrand

Early life

Marcheline Bertrand was born on May 9, 1950, in Blue Island, Illinois, and was of French-Canadian, Dutch, and German descent. She had two siblings, a sister named Debbie, and a younger brother named Raleigh. The Bertrand family moved to Beverly Hills, California, in 1965, where she completed her education.

Film Career

Bertrand pursued acting early in her career, studying with Lee Strasberg and appearing in roles such as Connie in the television show “Ironside” in 1971 and a minor role in the film “Lookin’ to Get Out” a decade later. Her final acting role came in the 1983 comedy remake of the French film “The Man Who Loved Women.”

Later, Marcheline Bertrand transitioned into producing. In 1983, she co-founded Woods Road Productions with Bill Day. She also supported the production of the 2005 documentary “Trudell,” which focused on the life of her partner at the time, John Trudell, a Native American poet and activist.

Humanitarian work

In 2001, Marcheline Bertrand and her partner John Trudell founded the All Tribes Foundation to provide support to Indigenous communities, focusing on both cultural preservation and economic development. Over the years, the foundation disbursed more than $800,000 in grants.

Additionally, Bertrand founded the Give Love, Give Life initiative to use music to raise awareness of gynecological cancers. She planned a fundraiser performance at the Roxy in Los Angeles in 2004. She then lobbied for the Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act (Johana’s Law) to be passed. The purpose of this act was to raise public awareness of gynecological cancers and provide funding for research into these diseases.

Personal life

In 1971, at the age of 20, Marcheline Bertrand married actor Jon Voight. They had two children together, actress Angelina Jolie and actor James Haven. The couple divorced in 1978, after which Bertrand became a single mother to Angelina and James.

Following her separation from Voight, Bertrand entered into a relationship with documentary filmmaker Bill Day, though they never married.

Later in her life, she was involved with activist and musician John Trudell.

Death

During the final stage of her life, Bertrand refused to give interviews, seeking privacy. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of 49, according to Jolie, and also battled breast cancer. After an almost eight-year struggle with ovarian and breast cancer, she passed away at the age of 56 on January 27, 2007, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, surrounded by her children.