If there was ever a literally "rags to riches" story, it would be the one of Maddox Jolie-Pitt. The seventeen-year-old son of megastars, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, is fast approaching adulthood and while he does his very best to keep his life under wraps, we managed to uncover twenty fascinating facts that no one knew about the famous adopted offspring. The once-orphaned infant who lived out his days in a rundown, impoverished Cambodian orphanage now lives the Hollywood lifestyle alongside his five siblings and his fiercely protective and very eccentric mother. (He also lives a French Chateau lifestyle, a seaside villa lifestyle and a luxury New York apartment lifestyle thanks to his parents' wealth.)

From what we were able to gather from bits and pieces of Maddox's history, interests and personality traits, we are able to confirm that he is a unique character who mirrors his mother greatly. Only time will tell what the world has in store for Maddox Jolie-Pitt, but we are relatively sure that whatever walk of life he chooses to travel down, the world will be curiously watching his every move in adulthood.

20 Maddox Was Born In Cambodia

Maddox Jolie Pitt wasn't always living in posh mansions across the globe. For the first seven months of his life, he lived in the impoverished country of Cambodia as an orphan. Jolie visited the orphanage where Maddox was and saw several babies, none of which she felt a connection with. She then saw one more baby, a male infant in a box-like structure that was attached and suspended from the ceiling. Jolie knew right then and there that she had just laid eyes on her first child. Maddox, now seventeen, and his famous mother continue to devote time, funds and energy to the country of Maddox's birth.

19 His Adoption Facilitator Was A Scam Artist

Maddox's adoption and future life in the United States almost never came to be. Following his adoption, the Seattle-based agency that helped Angelina become a first-time mother was shut down permanently and was then hit with federal charges because of reports that it was buying children from poor Cambodian families for one hundred dollars! The owner, Lynn Devin, plead guilty to false claims some children the agency handled were orphans. Many of these families gave up their precious children and never even saw funds come their way. The agency essentially preyed on their need to survive in whatever way they could figure.

18 His Father Could Have Been Billy Bob Thorton

By now we all know that Maddox Jolie-Pitt was raised first, by a single Angelina and then by Angie and her leading man Brad, who went on to formally adopt Maddox. Before Brad though, there was Billy. Angelina Jolie was previously married to actor Billy Bob Thorton, and the pair was still married when Angie went ahead and adopted Maddox. At one point he even carried a part of Billy Bob's name and was called Maddox Chivan Thornton Jolie. Jolie ended up adopting Maddox solely but had things gone a bit differently; the Cambodian youngster could have been brought up by an entirely different leading man in Hollywood.

17 He's Worked In The Film Industry

Maddox Jolie-Pitt is already making a name for himself in the world of Hollywood, both in front of and behind the cameras. He teamed up with his now estranged father, Brad Pitt, in the zombie thriller flick World War Z. Maddox played a zombie who eventually meets a grueling fate. That's one way to fit in some father-son bonding time. He also took on the project, First They Killed My Father, alongside his esteemed mother, but this time Maddox tried his hand at another role. He served as a production assistant and sat in on meetings, prepped for shoots and reviewed dailies. Younger brother Pax also got in on the action and worked as a set photographer.

16 He Was Born With A Different Name

Typically children are given a name at birth, and because they can't exactly object to the moniker their parents choose, they get stuck with it. Sometimes they go by their middle name or even a nickname, but generally speaking, birth names are there for good. Now adoption differs a bit in regards to the name game because parents do sometimes give adopted kids a new first and last name. Maddox has had three legal titles in his shirt seventeen years here on Earth. He was born with the name Rath Vibol, and when Angie brought him home, he was renamed Maddox Chivan Thornton Jolie. When his mother Angelina hooked up with the world's hottest human being alive, the name got changed once more. Brad Pitt formally adopted Maddox, and his name then became Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt.

15 He Was Homeschooled

There is genuinely nothing traditional about the home that Maddox Jolie-Pitt has been raised in. Since he was just a tot, he has been under the care of his eccentric mother and his famous father. Angie and Brad have made it a point to go against the parenting grain when it comes to their six children. The kids have never had strict rules in regards to bedtimes, diets or toys and have also never attended formal schooling. Maddox has never known the walls of a classroom or the friendships that are often forged in the schoolyard. How will this affect him in adulthood? Only time will tell.

14 He Walked Angelina Down The Aisle

For over a decade Maddox's parents were the universe's most gorgeous couple on the planet. They started as costars on the set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and even though Pitt was still married to actress Jennifer Aniston, the sparks could not be denied between the raven-haired siren and the sexiest man alive. Brad and Angie traveled the world and created a massive family before finally tying the knot in 2014. Maddox stepped up his role in the family and walked his stunning mother down the aisle and into the arms of his adoptive father. Sadly the marriage didn't last longer than a few years.

13 He Lives In More Than One Home

Maddox not only spends a considerable amount of time globetrotting with his family for various humanitarian and film projects but he also splits his time between his parent's many swanky properties. Brad and Angie have acquired as many abodes as they have little humans. Maddox's family owns not one, but two homes in California. The Jolie-Pitts also own two homes in New Orleans, Louisiana, one worth 3.5 million dollars and the other worth 6.5 million dollars. There is a luxury apartment in New York City and of course Chateau Miraval, located in the Provence region of France. Finally, they can always retreat to their 3.7 million villa on the Spanish island of Majorca.

12 He And Angelina Are Extremely Close

Lots of sons are close to their mothers, but Maddox Jolie-Pitt is especially tight with his mama, Angelina Jolie. Angie has been smitten with her son from the moment she laid eyes on him in a Cambodian orphanage. While Angie certainly loves all of her kiddos fiercely and equally, Maddox has a special place in her heart. Not only was he the first of the six children to come into her home and soul, but for a time it was just momma and baby. Until brad came along, Angie was, in fact, a single mother to Maddox. The seventeen-year-old is fiercely protective of his mother and has spoken about how much he adores her and respects her craft.

11 He Ended Up In The Middle Of His Feuding Parents

So much rumor and speculation have befallen the Jolie-Pitts and their family regarding their divorce. We don't know all of the private details about the straw that broke the camel's back, but we do know that their final blowout happened aboard a private jet and Maddox ended up in the middle of his feuding parents. There was a reported altercation between Maddox and Pitt, which resulted in Pitt being investigated, (and eventually cleared,) by Child Protective Services. Two years later the family is still trying to sort through the details of their split.

10 He Isn't Required To Visit His Brad

The demise of Maddox Jolie-Pitt's and Brad Pitt's relationship has probably been the saddest aspect of watching this family crumble. It seems like just yesterday we were flipping through entertainment magazines oogling images of steamy Brad carrying Angie's tot atop his broad shoulders. While Brad is fighting for court-appointed parenting rights with his wife Angelina, one child won't be included in the court documents. Maddox Jolie-Pitt is now old enough to decide for himself whether or not he wants to see his father, so while the other five kids must abide by the court rulings, Maddox has some say here.

9 He Didn't Have A Conventional Childhood

Maddox's childhood was a little bit like Lord of the Flies. This mother is one of those free spirit, stick-it-to-the-man kind of loose thinkers that isn't all that crazy about chores, schedules and low sugar consumption. Angie parents according to her views and philosophies and her methods could certainly be described as unconventional at best. Brad didn't exactly help matters in the parenting department, and the result was constant chaos in the Jolie Pitt home. Maddox might have lived every kid's fantasy while under his parents' roof, but how will that lack of structure affect him as he enters his adult years.

8 His Uncle Was His Nanny

Maddox and his five siblings were under the care of an entire staff for the majority of their lives. Countless housekeepers and nannies came and went, but one was more than staff...he was family. Angelina's offbeat bro, James Haven, was essentially the head of the nanny brigade. Uncle Jimmy oversaw the team of six caretakers that Angie hired to watch her children following her divorce from Pitt. The gig didn't last for too long. Angie "quietly dismissed" Maddox's uncle when she saw the kind of toll the job was taking on her beloved bro. Maddox and the Jolie-Pitt children are a handful to take care of.

7 He Shares His Mother's Obsession With Sharp Objects

Angie and her eldest son share a lot of commonalities. They are both involved in humanitarian work, they both have a passion for creativity and film and they both really like sharp, pointy objects. Angie and her son Maddox are both big knife aficionados. Angie's own mother took her shopping for her first dagger when she was around eleven years old, so Angie followed suit and did the same for her kiddo when he was about seven. Considering both Angie and Maddox are getting up there in age these days, they likely have a big old knife collection by now.

6 He Speaks Several Languages

Considering the Jolie-Pitts have made it a point to bring their children up in the most worldly ways possible, it is no surprise that the children in the family speak several languages. Three of the children are adopted from African and Asian nations, and the family has homes in both France and Spain. Maddox and his siblings are nothing if not culturally diverse. Maddox speaks English as well as Russian and German. His younger siblings have all taken to varying languages as well including French, Vietnamese, Arabic and even sign language. Now the family can travel just about anywhere on the planet and have a built-in translator.

5 He Owns A Six Thousand Dollar Guitar

When your parents are worth four hundred million dollars collectively, it probably makes sense to own a six thousand dollar guitar. Maddox, do you even play? For Maddox's twelfth birthday, papa Brad Pitt gifted his adopted son with a pricey black and white Fender Stratocaster guitar. When he received the gift, he had reportedly been taking lessons for "a couple of months." He wanted to be a rock star, so his parents shelled out the money to make him look the part. It's a darn good thing that Maddox didn't want to be an Astronaut when he was twelve!

4 Maddox Reportedly Has A Temper

More than one former staff member to the Jolie-Pitt family has reported that not only are the children wild, unruly and misbehaved, but a few of them have serious anger management issues that continue to go untreated. One nanny to the family reported that there was constant fighting and swearing in the home and that both Maddox and his younger, adopted bro Pax, had tempers on them. Now that Maddox is one year away from adulthood, that temper could hypothetically land him in serious trouble should he continue to unleash it. Let's hope he has grown out of some of those epic tantrums.

3 He Had A Girlfriend When He Was Only 12

We don't hear too much about Maddox's teenage love life, especially compared with other Hollywood offspring like Jaden Smith. When it comes to romantic aspirations, Maddox seems to lay low and fly under the radar, but he did spark rumor and debate back when he was twelve and was spotted with a little lady on his arm. We don't know much about the former gal pal f his other than momma Angie approved and thought the girl was "cool." She lives in London, and Zahara once snitched to mom over catching Mad and his girlfriend smooching! The romance didn't last, but we doubt Maddox will have much trouble landing another companion if he chooses to do so.

2 He Doesn't Have Too Many Pals

Maddox seems like a cool dude. He is artsy, a bit moody and reclusive. He speaks several languages, plays some (expensive) guitar and is very worldly at only seventeen years old. One would think that he would be surrounded by gangs of kids begging to be friends with him. Sadly, his best, and possibly only, friends are his five younger siblings. Angie and Brad have raised to children in a socially isolated manner. They have never attended school and aren't precisely hosting bevies of playdates and sleepovers. It's great to be pals with your bros and sisters, but a seventeen-year-old boy should have some exposure to kids his age right?

1 He's Been Connected With Different Religions

Maddox is from Cambodia, Zahara hails from Africa, Pax was born in Vietnam, and the other three children in the Jolie-Pitt clan are biological kids of Brad and Angie. Angie has dabbled in all sorts of religions and Brad was raised in a strict Christian household, although he is far from practicing these days. Because of the combination of cultures in the home, the Jolie-Pitt kids experience aspects of all religions. While some balk at this approach to child-rearing, it may give Maddox and his siblings the ability to connect with whatever faith they feel as they grow into adulthood.

Resources: emgn.com, heavy.com, people.com, themirror.com, telegraph.co.uk, people.com, stuff.co.nz