Saturday night, though, the Oscar-winning actress made it all about her mother in a touching speech while accepting the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 5th Annual Governors Awards, hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

“My mother loved art,” Jolie said of the late Marcheline Bertrand, who died of ovarian cancer in 2007. “She loved film. She supported any crazy thing I did but whenever it had meaning, she made a point of telling me, ‘That is what film is for.’”She talked about her mother driving Angelina and brother James to auditions before adding, “She wasn’t really the best critic since she never had anything unkind to say, but she did give me love and confidence. And above all, she was very clear that nothing would mean anything if I didn’t live a life of use to others. And I didn’t know what that meant for a long time … It was only when I began to travel and look and live beyond my home that I understand my responsibility to others.”

It wasn’t the first time the 38-year-old mother of six, who won Best Supporting Actress in 2000 for “Girl, Interrupted,” turned emotional while publicly discussing her mother, an actress and producer who was also heavily involved in humanitarian causes, including work with the All Tribes Foundation and the Give Love Give Life organization. Jolie welled up while discussing Bertrand at a 2008 London press conference promoting the mother-son drama “Changeling,” and fought back tears after calling her mother “grace incarnate” on a 2011 episode of “60 Minutes.”

But it was an especially poignant moment in an untelevised ceremony full of them, one that also honored greats Steve Martin, Angela Lansbury and costume designer Piero Tosi.And of course Jolie’s famous fiancé, Brad Pitt, and their kids (including son Maddox, who was in the audience) were also shown some love: “Your support and guidance make everything that I do possible,” she said thanking Pitt before telling her son, “Mad, I’m not going to cry, I promise. I’m won’t embarrᴀss you. You and your brothers and sisters are my happiness. And there is no greater honor in this world than being your mom.”