The ultimate guide to Angelina Jolie's growing tattoo collection

Last night, Angelina Jolie surprised fans by inviting four of her children along to the ‘Dumbo’ premiere in Los Angeles but it was her plethora of tattoos that really that got us talking.

The actress graced the red carpet in a backless Atelier Versace gown which showcased her growing ink collection to the world.

READ MORE: Angelina Jolie invites her children to the premiere of ‘Dumbo’

According to multiple reports, the mother-of-six has at least 20 tattoos with everything from coordinates of her children’s birthplaces to Thai inkings dedicated to ex-husband Brad Pitt.

So, what do we know about Jolie’s tattoos?

A love letter to her children

The 43-year-old is famed for her love of ink and has dedicated several of her tattoos to her and former husband Brad Pitt’s six children.

The most significant is on her left arm and lists the coordinates of locations where her children were born between 2011 and 2017.

This includes 17-year-old Maddox Chivan’s birthplace of Cambodia, 15-year-old Pax Thien’s birthplace of Vietnam and Ethiopia, where 14-year-old Zahara Marley was born.

Interestingly, one of the coordinates marks her ex-husband’s birthplace of Oklahoma which she reportedly added to the collection back in 2017.

The actress also has Buddhist writing on the left side of her back to represent adopted son Maddox’s upbringing. Her eldest son was born in Cambodia and the A-list couple adopted him back in 2003.

The message is reportedly designed to protect the mother-son duo from bad luck and translates to:

“May your enemies run far away from you. If you acquire riches, may they remain yours always. Your beauty will be that of Apsara. Wherever you may go, many will attend, serve and protect you, surrounding you on all sides.”

Click below to see which other celebrities have tattoos:

The famous cover-up

To mark her marriage to Billy Bob Thornton, the actress had his name tattooed on her left shoulder alongside a dragon.

But when the couple divorced in 2003, Jolie swiftly had the ink laser removed – later replacing the regrettable tattoo with the coordinates of her family’s birthplaces.

Another ink she had done with Billy Bob featured abstract lines but six years after their split, she replaced it with Arabic scripture which translates to “determination”.

READ MORE: Everything we know about Adam Levine’s many, many tattoos

A tribute to Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s marriage

After more than a decade together and two years of marriage, Hollywood’s most beloved couple split in September 2016.

But just a mere matter of months before parting ways, the former A-list duo cemented their romance with three “symbolically binding” tattoos.

While taking a break from filming ‘First they Killed my Father’ in Cambodia, the actress asked former monk, Ajarn Noo Kanpai, to ink three tattoos across her back.

The Sak Yant tattoos were inked onto her skin using a series of steel rods each mounted with a surgical steel needle – this method is said to be more effective than the modern day tattoo gun.

One of the tattoos features a Buddhist temple design which aims to remind the wearer to have mercy on oneself (see the middle ink). While the tattoo on the far right shoulder blade is said to bring luck and wealth.

The third ink (the largest in the middle) represents the four elements: fire, water, wind and fire.

READ MORE: The Beckham family’s many tattoos and their meanings

The Bengal tiger

One of Jolie’s most famous tattoos is undoubtedly the 12-inch-long Bengal tiger tattoo inked across her lower back. The actress sat in the inking chair back in July 2004 for a two-hour session with tattoo artist, Sompong Kanhphai, while in Bangkok.

While carrying out the process, he reportedly blessed the new ink – which was applied using a traditional Thai needle – by chanting an ancient hymn.

The number 13

The actress isn’t one to worry about superstitions and to prove this, she had the number 13 tattooed on her left forearm in roman numerals.

She later added ‘V MCMXL’ to the tattoo which is the date when Winston Churchill delivered his now-famous quote (13 May 1940): “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat”.

Angelina Jolie’s favourite song

One of the actress’ most visible tattoos sits on the nape of her neck and reads: “Know your rights”.

The Gothic lettering is the title of one of her favourite songs by band, The Clash.