James Haven Bio
James Haven Voight (born May 11, 1973) is an American former actor and filmmaker. He is the elder child of actors Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand and the older brother of actress Angelina Jolie. Haven worked in film and television from 1998 until his retirement from acting in 2013 and later directed and produced independent projects while serving on the executive board of the Artivist festival.
Early Life and Background
James Haven Voight was born in Los Angeles, California, and raised primarily by his mother, Marcheline Bertrand, after his parents separated in 1976. He grew up Catholic and spent part of his childhood in Palisades, New York, before returning to Los Angeles in his early teens. His extended family includes sister Angelina Jolie and uncles Barry Voight and Chip Taylor.
Haven attended Beverly Hills High School and later enrolled at the USC School of Cinema-Television where he directed student work. While at USC he received the George Lucas Award for a student film he directed that featured his sister, a recognition noted in his early training and development as a filmmaker.
Path to Celebrity
Haven’s introduction to the entertainment industry came through family connections and early collaboration with his sister. After completing his studies at USC he pursued small acting roles and assisted on independent film projects, building experience in front of and behind the camera. Early on he combined performance with production work, leaning into documentary and short-form projects in addition to occasional film and television appearances.
His association with nonprofit and festival work matured into a leadership role when he became an executive board director of Artivist, a Los Angeles festival that highlights films addressing human rights, animal rights and environmental issues. That role broadened his public profile beyond acting and into film advocacy and producing.
James Haven Career
Early Career (1998–2004)
Haven began his professional acting career in 1998 with small parts in films connected to his sister. His earliest credited appearances include Gia (1998) and Hell’s Kitchen (1998), both projects that helped introduce him to on-set work and professional film production. Across this period he balanced bit parts with developing production skills and festival exposure for his behind-the-camera projects.
By the early 2000s he expanded his credits to include supporting roles in studio films and a first foray into television. He appeared in Original Sin (2001) and Monster’s Ball (2001), films that placed him within mainstream feature casts, and made television appearances that included an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in 2004.
Breakthrough (2001–2007)
While Haven did not establish leading-man status, the early 2000s represent the most active period of his on-screen work. His appearances in Original Sin and Monster’s Ball tied him to commercially released projects and visible ensemble casts. Monster’s Ball is notable among these credits for its high profile; the film’s principal cast and awards attention elevated public awareness of many associated performers.
Concurrently Haven broadened his creative scope by producing and executive producing documentary and short projects. In 2005 he served as an executive producer on the documentary Trudell, a film about Santee Sioux musician and activist John Trudell that screened at Sundance and Tribeca festivals and won the Special Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Seattle International Film Festival. That producing credit marked a significant milestone in his transition from small acting roles to creative leadership behind the camera.
Notable Works and Milestones
Haven’s most frequently cited screen appearances remain his early roles in Gia and Hell’s Kitchen (1998) and his supporting appearances in Original Sin and Monster’s Ball (2001). As a producer, Trudell stands out for its festival presence and award recognition. In television he made guest appearances on series including CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2004) and The Game (2007). He retired from acting in 2013 and later directed the short film Court of Conscience (2015), which featured his father Jon Voight and actor Anton Yelchin.
James Haven Awards Won
As an executive producer, Haven was associated with the documentary Trudell, which received the Special Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Seattle International Film Festival; the film was also an official selection at the Sundance Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Festival. Beyond that festival recognition tied to Trudell, there are no widely reported personal award wins for Haven as an actor in the sources provided.
James Haven Family
Haven is the son of actor Jon Voight and actress Marcheline Bertrand and the elder brother of actress Angelina Jolie. His extended family includes uncles Chip Taylor, a singer-songwriter, and Barry Voight, a geologist and volcanologist. He grew up primarily under the care of his mother after his parents’ separation and maintained close ties to family during formative years and early career development.
Personal Life
Public records and reporting indicate that Haven experienced an estrangement from his father that lasted several years; during that period he legally dropped the surname Voight. Following the death of his mother from ovarian cancer in January 2007, he reconciled with his father after a six-year estrangement. He grew up Catholic and later publicly identified as a born-again Christian in 2009.
Haven has worked outside mainstream Hollywood through festival leadership and independent production. He served as an executive board director of Artivist beginning in 2006 and focused much of his later career on producing, directing short works, and supporting documentary and socially engaged filmmaking. He retired from acting in 2013 but remained active in creative and advocacy-oriented film projects thereafter.