Jolie and Thornton married in 2000

The divorce was finalised by a Los Angeles court, ending one of the most talked-about relationships in Hollywood.

The couple were married for two years but split just months after adopting a Cambodian boy.

Citing irreconcilable differences they announced their break-up in July 2002, but they had been living apart for months.

Jolie and Thornton's relationship did raise eyebrows when they first got together as he was nearly 20 years her senior and already had four failed marriages behind him.

But they were determined to prove their love, going as far as having tattoos with each other's name and wearing pendants filled with their partner's blood.

Custody

The couple fought red tape to adopt a seven-month-old boy, which they called Maddox.

But four months later they admitted they were estranged and Jolie took custody of their son and devoted more time to her role as a UN ambassador.

Jolie is best known for playing Lara Croft in Tomb Raider

Speaking about the divorce, Jolie's lawyer, Laura Wasser, said: "The best we can say is it was amicable and they're glad it was completed expeditiously."

Jolie, 28 next week, had previously been married to British actor Jonny Lee Miller, wearing a white shirt with his name written in her own blood for the wedding ceremony.

She won a best supporting actress Oscar for her portrayal of a patient in a mental institution in Girl, Interrupted in 1999.

Thornton, 47, who is also known as a writer, director and musician, picked up an Academy Award in 1997 for writing the screenplay for Sling Blade.

He has three children from his previous relationships.