Angelina Jolie gives birth to boy and girl

Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie has given birth to twins, a boy and a girl, her doctor at a hospital in southern France said yesterday.

Oscar winner Jolie, 33, had the twins by caesarean section on Saturday evening at the Lenval hospital on the glamorous Promenade des Anglais waterfront drive in Nice. Actor Brad Pitt, the twins' father, was at her side.

The girl, named Vivienne Marcheline, weighed 2.27 kg while her brother, Knox Leon, weighed 2.28 kg. Marcheline was the first name of Ms Jolie's mother, also an actress, who died of cancer last year.

"The parents and the babies are in excellent health. Everything is fine," Jolie's doctor, Michel Sussmann, told Reuters. He said the c-section had been planned for a long time but the date was brought forward "for medical reasons."

The doctor said Ms Jolie was under epidural and was able to speak to a "perfectly calm" Brad Pitt, 44, during the birth.

"They were very happy," Dr Sussmann said. Asked what Mr Pitt was doing during the birth, he said: "He was looking at what I was doing. He was my assistant. No, that's a joke."

Ms Jolie arrived at the Lenval hospital in late June by helicopter from the Provence villa where she and Pitt had been staying with their four other children - Maddox, Pax, Zahara and Shiloh.

A frenzied crowd of photographers and camera crews camped outside the building yesterday, sweating in the humid heat.

Eager for the opportunity to promote himself and his city, Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi arrived at the hospital to sign the birth certificates in a smart suit and wearing full make-up for TV interviews despite the sweltering conditions.