29 August 2014 | 11:01

'Brangelina' marry in secret French wedding

Hollywood power couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt finally tied the knot after nine years together at a secret wedding in the south of France described as a "family affair" with their six children, AFP reports.

Hollywood power couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt finally tied the knot after nine years together at a secret wedding in the south of France described as a "family affair" with their six children, AFP reports.

The A-list Oscar winners were married by a US judge on Saturday in a small chapel at Chateau Miraval, in the picturesque village of Correns, a spokeswoman for the Tinseltown royal couple said.

George Clooney was among the celebrity friends to congratulate them. "I'm really happy for Brad and Angie and their whole family," said the 53-year-old veteran bachelor, who announced his own engagement in April.

Jolie was walked down the aisle by her eldest sons Maddox and Pax. Daughters Zahara and Vivienne threw petals, while the couple's other two children, twins Shiloh and Knox, were the ring bearers.

"It was very much a family affair," the spokeswoman said in a statement.

Pitt, 50, and Jolie, 39, obtained a marriage license in California from a local US judge who traveled to France to conduct the wedding, which was described as a "non-denominational civil ceremony."

Pitt was photographed Thursday wearing a gold band on his left ring finger during an event in Britain to promote his new World War II film "Fury," in which he plays a battle-hardened army sergeant.

He and Jolie fell in love on the set of 2005 action film "Mr & Mrs Smith" -- spawning the media phenomenon of "Brangelina" that has dominated celebrity journalism and the tabloids ever since.

Earlier this year, Jolie told People Magazine that she and Pitt were "not really in a rush" to get married, adding: "We're just waiting for it to be the right time with the kids, with work, when it feels right."

Third time lucky?

Jolie -- the daughter of Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight -- will be hoping to make it third time lucky: she was previously married to actors Jonny Lee Miller and Billy Bob Thornton.

Her acting career has seen her play everything from a fairytale villain ("Maleficent") to a sexy video game heroine ("Lara Croft: Tomb Raider") to the widow of assassinated American journalist Daniel Pearl ("A Mighty Heart").

The actress revealed last year that she had had a double mastectomy to reduce her high risk of breast cancer, garnering widespread support and praise.

Pitt got his big break more than 20 years ago with a much-talked-about shirtless eye-candy role in the hit movie "Thelma and Louise" as the two-bit thief who seduces Geena Davis.

He has received three Oscar nominations: in 1996 for "Twelve Monkeys," in 2009 for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and in 2012 for "Moneyball."

This year, Pitt took home an Academy Award as one of the producers of best picture for "12 Years a Slave."

Pitt was previously married to "Friends" star Jennifer Aniston -- a Hollywood super-pairing that fizzled out at about the same time as Pitt met Jolie.

The supercouple are now working on "By the Sea," their first on-screen appearance together since "Mr & Mrs Smith." The movie is to be filmed in Malta.

Their children are Maddox, 13; Pax, 11; Zahara, 9; Shiloh, 8; and six-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne. Maddox, Pax and Zahara are adopted.

Tabloid queen to UN

Pop culture expert Robert Thompson said the couple were just cementing their role as Hollywood super couple. "It should be called Brand-gelina," he told AFP, adding: "They are in a category of their own."

Jolie once delighted gossip columnists by declarations of bisexuality and quirky behavior such as wearing a vial of Thornton's blood around her neck during their 2000-2003 marriage.

The red carpet darling is now however better known for her humanitarian work than for her tabloid-ready comments.

Jolie long served as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

In 2012, she was promoted to special envoy and has visited refugees around the world, from Syria to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.

More recently, she has been a vocal advocate for victims of sexual violence in war zones, co-hosting a global summit on conflict rape in June in London.

Of her life with Pitt and their children, Jolie told People in May: "We've been through so much, we've gotten a lot closer, which I think naturally happens with raising a family together."

"You have this person you live with who really knows you, and you know them so well. You're not lovers or boyfriend and girlfriend as much as you are a family," she added.

by Michael THURSTON