Tragic Details About Angelina Jolie's Brother James Haven

It's not easy being the lesser-known sibling of a massively famous movie star, but James Haven has found his place outside the spotlight of his younger sister, Angelina Jolie. Despite her superstar status, their relationship has always remained close, with Haven being an actor in his own right, appearing in films like "Monster's Ball" and alongside Jolie in "Original Sin." But their loyalties go far beyond work, with Haven telling the Daily Mail in 2007 that "I go to Angie for advice and won't do anything without her because we were so close as children." Their closeness resulted in Haven and Jolie's most notorious moment when they gave what many thought to be a too-passionate lip-to-lip kiss on the red carpet after Jolie won her Oscar for "Girl, Interrupted." While the public was wincing at the PDA, Haven told People, "It was an amazing moment. Yet it was totally misconstrued."

The actor and activist has faced family drama both in his own life and through his sister's struggles. Put together and it makes for the tragic story of an older brother doing whatever is needed for the family, even if his own hardships take on a minor role compared to his famous headline-grabbing sibling.

James Haven has done a good job of dropping the last name of his father as he's carved out his own career and future for himself, but that does not change the fact that he is the son of famous "Midnight Cowboy" actor Jon Voight (Haven's true full name is James Haven Voight). Voight married Haven's mother Marcheline Bertrand in 1971 but separated only five years later in 1976 after Jolie was born amidst rumors of a marital betrayal. Haven told the Daily Mail about Voight's treatment of their mother, saying, "I have no memory at all of my mother shouting at me or at my sister, but I do have horrible memories of my father and the way he behaved. He was so tough on our mother." After the separation, Haven spoke of Voight's lack of presence in their lives, telling the outlet, "He lived in the same town. We saw him around Christmas time or at school recitals. He was always around but he never did his job as a father."

According to the Daily Mail, Jolie banned Voight from seeing her or her family after he said she had "serious mental problems" on Access Hollywood, but Haven had a fractionally better relationship, saying that when their mother passed away, "My dad left a voicemail message that was very kind, wishing condolences to me and my sister." Now, Voight's void in Haven's life appears to be somewhat mended, with the Daily Mail spotting him and Haven in Beverly Hills together in 2022, which was reportedly the first sighting of the father-son duo since they both attended a UCLA event in 2017.

James Haven and Angelina Jolie lost the woman who held their family together in 2007, and the death of Haven's mother had a profound effect on him. His mother, Marcheline Bertrand, a woman of mixed French-Canadian and Iroquois heritage, died at the age of 56 from cancer. Haven spoke to the Daily Mail about her role as a stable figure in his and Jolie's life growing up, saying, "There was very much that home feeling when we came back from school," adding to the portrait of domestic bliss that, "My mum was methodical in making sure we did our homework perfectly." Bertrand became the anchor in Haven and Jolie's lives while they contended with their father, who, as mentioned, did everything in his power to cause waves at home.

But there was a silver lining to the turbulent home Haven grew up in. He told Marie Claire how his mother inadvertently gave his life direction, saying, "I don't want to constantly berate my father — I wish him well, and I hope he finds peace — but he put my mom through years of mental abuse, and it made me care especially for abandoned women and children. So that's my religion — helping widows and orphans." While it certainly is no concession for the way they grew up, hopefully, Bertrand was able to find some peace in knowing that her calming presence and persistence amid Voight's abusive treatment inspired her son to protect women like her.

When Angelina Jolie went through her years-long tumultuous divorce with Brad Pitt, James Haven was right by her side. When Pitt and Jolie's family life began to unravel, Haven said on the "90who10" podcast, "That's where it all started, it started with the protection of her and her children — my nieces and nephews" (via PageSix). Haven acknowledged that the kids were entering the formative years of their lives, he made himself present. He explained, "I want to be there for them or for her — whatever she's going through."

Havens' unwavering openness to help ended up becoming a full-time job when Jolie leaned on him to become her kids' around-the-clock "manny" during the difficult time. While we're sure he did it out of love for his family, it is interesting to note that the Daily Mail reported that Haven has always received 10% of Jolie's earnings due to an arrangement that their mother made while handling her finances. While Haven is probably not listing the gig on his resume, he did make quite the impression on Jolie's kids, with OK! even reporting that twins Knox and Vivienne slipped into calling him "daddy." But while the family camaraderie appears to be a feel-good story, it has a tragic ending, with Yahoo reporting that Haven was "quietly dismissed" from his duties –- not because he did anything wrong, but because the weight of his responsibility was apparently taking a "heavy toll" on him. It's a heart-wrenching ending to a story of a family coming together during hard times.

While James Haven stood by his sister Angelina Jolie's side during her most difficult times, Jolie was noticeably missing when Haven got married. In August 2024, Haven married Romi Imbelli, an actress known for her role in "The Real L Word," and the ceremony was attended not by Jolie but by Haven's once-estranged father, Jon Voight. Imbelli posted about her and Haven's nuptials on Instagram, with a caption that said, "In 2024, I married my best friend of 23 years. ... Our wedding day was intimate, just us and our parents while exchanging vows, with plans to have a larger celebration later."

But even Haven's happily-ever-after with Imbelli was apparently marred by a dramatic break-up that briefly called off their vows. Imbelli wrote about the incident in her post, saying, "Unfortunately, we had a big fight the next day. After 5 months of much crying, healing, and reflection, we decided to work through our issues and are now planning a special day with my daughter." Given the news that Haven had his marriage blow up in his face, it raises the question of where Jolie was during his time of crisis, considering he dropped everything to become a live-in nanny for her. And though the story seems to have a happy ending, with Haven and Imbelli still together, we hope that Jolie at least sent quite the wedding gift in place of her absence.

Given what we know about James Haven being let go as Angelina Jolie's nanny and her ghosting his wedding, we can't help but think about the quote that Jolie gave to People back in 2004, where she said, "I've always been tough on anyone he's dated. I've been the nightmare for any girl. But if I like her, I'm fantastic." Haven also told the Daily Mail that, "Maybe I haven't found the right woman because my sister is too picky for me. Any woman has to go through two filters, me and then my sister." It makes us wonder if Jolie's apparently high standards did not approve of Haven and Romi Imbelli's relationship. It also has us relitigating Haven's nanny duties to his sister, especially when an insider told Grazia, "It was his job to be there if any of the kids woke up during the night and to deal with the nannies if they had any issues. He was virtually running the household and it became very draining" (via Yahoo!).

Given what's been said, the sibling bond begins to look like a bit of a one-sided relationship, with the very famous and always busy Jolie relying on her doting older brother who will drop everything to help her in her times of need –- but when it comes time for his wedding, or his marriage that imploded a day later, she was nowhere to be found. While there may be more to the story, we can't help but feel like the greatest tragedy that Haven has faced is that his sister may not fully appreciate the brother that he is.