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Considered a tabloid magnet, people forget this beauty is a great actress; we look at her finest roles

By James Rocchi
Special to MSN Movies

A quick question, and one with no right answer: When you think of Angelina Jolie, do you think of the tabloid sensation, the twice-divorced... more temptress, the serial adopter and the daughter estranged from her father? Or do you think of the Oscar-winning work, the raw performances, the dedicated actress willing to tackle tough roles? Of all our current leading ladies, you could argue that Jolie is the one who most successfully (and notoriously) succeeds as both a movie star and as an actress. Born into show business as the daughter of Jon Voight, Jolie leapt from modeling and appearances in music videos to a full-fledged acting career in the mid-'90s. Jolie's tempestuous personal life, penchant for tattoos and sultry good looks made her an instant celebrity; her work as an actress, though, soon made it clear there was much more to Jolie than just a face that set supermarket-checkout-lane magazine covers ablaze. Jolie earned her first Oscar in 2000 (for her supporting role in  "Girl, Interrupted" ), and her role in Clint Eastwood's upcoming "Changeling" as a real-life Los Angeles mother whose son disappeared is already garnering major Oscar buzz. With that film hitting theaters, we present 10 of Jolie's best (or, in some cases, best-known) roles on-screen. (Warner Bros. Pictures/Photofeast/Retna Ltd.)