Angelina Jolie revealed in a New York Times op-ed she underwent a preventative double mastectomy in order to lessen her chances of contracting breast cancer.
Jolie learned she carried the BRCA1 gene which would make it highly likely she would develop the cancer.
The actress's mother passed away at age 56 from the disease.
Today, Jolie revealed she will also be removing her ovaries as another precaution.
Many have since shown their support for the actress.
Jolie's not the first famous name to have the preventative surgery.
Here are five other celebrities who have undergone the same procedure and what factored into their decision.
Sharon Osbourne (2012)
Last year, Osbourne revealed to Hello! magazine last year she had the preventative surgery after learning she had the gene for cancer.
"For me, it wasn't a big decision, it was a no-brainer. I didn't want to live the rest of my life with that shadow hanging over me. I want to be around for a long time and be a grandmother to Pearl ... I just wanted to be able to live my life without that fear all the time. It's not 'pity me', it's a decision I made that's got rid of this weight that I was carrying around."
Kathy Bates (2012)
After battling ovarian cancer, the Oscar-winning actress told People she underwent the surgery after learning she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
"Luckily, I don't have to undergo radiation or chemo," said Bates. "My family call me Kat because I always land on my feet and thankfully this is no exception."
Giuliana Rancic (2011)
Rancic told NBC's Today she decided to have the surgery after previous lumpectomies didn't rid of her cancer.
"At the end, to be honest, all it came down to was just choosing to live, and not looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life," said Rancic.
Wanda Sykes (2011)
Sykes revealed on The Ellen Show she opted for the surgery after learning she had cancer.
"It sounds scary up front, but what do you want? Do you want to wait and not be as fortunate when it comes back and it’s too late?"
Christina Applegate (2008)
Applegate explained on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" she had a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer at age 36 and finding out she tested positive for the BRCA gene.
"It came on really fast. It was one of those things that I woke up and it felt so right,"she said. "It just seemed like, 'I don't want to have to deal with this again. I don't want to keep putting that stuff in my body. I just want to be done with this.' & I was just going to let them go."
SEE ALSO: The tons of support Jolie received for her 'brave' decision >
SEE ALSO: Angelina Jolie will also have her ovaries removed >
AND: Brad Pitt's response to his wife's mastectomy >