Lara Croft (Original Timeline)

Lara Croft (birthday February 14, 1968) is a British video game character, and the Amazonian heroine of the Tomb Raider series of video games, movies and comic books. She has also featured in various advertisements. In the two movies, she is portrayed by Angelina Jolie.

(Note: Lara Croft's biography has been significantly changed; it is now almost completely different from the original biography which was relevant for the first six Tomb Raider games. This is due to the recent biography and character change made by Crystal Dynamics for the new gameTomb Raider: Legend

Early Life
Lara Croft was born and raised in Wimbledon, London, in a world of aristocracy. From age 3 to 11 she had private tutoring. From age 11 to 16 Lara attended the Wimbledon High School for Girls.

Ireland Adventure
In 1984, when Lara was 16, she had to stay with Winston and his wife in their small house in Connussie, off the coast of Ireland, for a while, while repairs were being carried out in Croft Manor. One evening she overheard a talk between Father Patrick Dunstan and Winston and being intrigued, followed the Father to his boat. Sneaking aboard she accompanied him undetected to the Black Isle, where strange things were happening and the demon Verdilet, who was imprisoned between running water, which he - being a demon - could not cross, was trying to escape.

Introduction to Archelogy
Later in 1984, after finishing High School, young Lara requested to accompany renowned archaeologist Werner von Croy, whom she had previously met when he'd lectured at her school, on an expedition to Cambodia, to search for the Iris. Her parents agreed and it was her first of many expeditions around the globe.

The daughter of Lord Henshingly Croft, Lara was brought up in the secure world of aristocracy - wanting for nothing she was surrounded by servants, social events and high society.

Having attended Wimbledon High School for Girls from the age of 11 years, Lara's parents decided that now she was 16, she should broaden her education by studying for her A'levels at one of England's most prominent boarding schools. An adventurous soul, Lara found the idea of being sent away from home an exciting prospect. By chance one day Lara came across a copy of National Geographic on the hall table. The front cover featured a familiar name - Professor Werner Von Croy. A respected archaeologist, Von Croy had once lectured at Lara's school to pupils and parents alike. The experience had a profound effect on Lara, triggering a desire to travel to remote locations in search of adventure. In some ways Von Croy had become an inspirational figure for Lara.

As Lara read further, she learned that Von Croy was currently preparing for an archaeological tour across Asia, culminating in a potential new discovery to be made in Cambodia. Unable to contain herself, Lara burst into the room, thrust the article in front of her parents and without hesitation demanded she accompany Von Croy on his expedition. Lord Croft could hardly disagree that travel was an education in itself. As Lara argued the case further, he found himself walking over to the desk and penning a letter to Von Croy, introducing himself as an influential society figure and offering financial assistance in exchange for his daughter's place on the expedition.

Von Croy's reply assured the Henshingly Crofts that the territories were friendly and that he had ample experience to look after both his and Lara's well being. Lara's company as an assistant would be welcome, as was the offer of such a generous cheque. He remembered Lara from his lecture - her incessant yet insightful questions had made quite an impression upon him.

And so it was agreed by all that Lara would accompany Von Croy for the duration of the tour... Tomb Raider IV The Last Revelation booklet, pages 6 & 7

Resumed Studies
After her expedition she resumed her studies, attending Gordonstoun Boarding School, in Scotland, where she discovered her love for climbing, water sports, horse back riding and archery.

Plane Crash (Age 21)
After finishing her education in 1991, at the age of 21, Lara went on a skiing trip, but on her way home her plane crashed in the Himalayas and Lara had to survive in the wilderness alone. This event had a big influence on her character and changed her life forever. As a result she did not marry the Earl of Farrington, as intended, but was instead disowned by her parents.

Lara Croft, daughter of Lord Henshingly Croft, was raised to be an aristocrat from birth. After attending finishing school at the age of 21, Lara's marriage into wealth has seem assured, but on her way home from a skiing trip her chartered plane had crashed deep in the heart of the Himalayas. The only survivor, Lara learned how to depend on her wits to stay alive in hostile conditions a world away from her sheltered upbringing. 2 weeks later, when she walked into the village of Tokakeriby her experience had had a profound effect on her. Unable to stand the claustrophobic suffocating atmosphere of upper-class British society, she realised that she was only truly alive when she was travelling alone. Over the 8 following years she acquired an intimate knowledge of ancient civilisations across the globe. Her family disowned their prodigal daughter, and she turned to writing to fund her trips. Famed for discovering several ancient sites of profound archaeological interest she made a name for herself by publishing travel books and detailed journals of her exploits. Tomb Raider I booklet, page 1

Tomb Raiding
From 1991 to 1996 Lara made many important archaeological and histological discoveries. Among others she found the Ark of the Covenant, which can be seen displayed in the hall of Croft Manor in 1996. She also had a run in with the creature know as Big Foot before 1996.

Vilcabamba and the Atlantean Scion
In 1996 Lara discovered the lost City of Vilcabama in the Andes mountain region in Peru, resulting the the find of one part of the Atlantean Scion. Looking for the two remaining parts Lara travelled to Greece, where she explored a giant ruined monastery called St. Francis' Folly and an amphitheatre, as well as a Palace devoted to King Midas, before obtaining the second Scion part. Visiting Egypt and the Sphinx Lara discovered the third and final part of the Scion. Following her adversary Jacqueline Natla Lara finally managed to get to the lost continent Atlantis, whose secrets she would finally uncover.

Dagger of Xian
In 1997 Lara travels to China in search of an artefact called the Dagger of Xian. During her search she will come across the sunken Maria Doria. From the wreck she claims the Seraph, an artefact with the power to unlock a door in a Tibetan monastery. Another artefact she discovers, before finally finding the Dagger of Xian is the Talion.

Meteorite Discoveries In 1998 Lara is enlisted by RX-Tech Scientist Mark Willard to retrieve three pieces of a supernaturally powered meteorite which crashed to earth.

She first travels to India and contends with a Jungle Fever Mad Man aptly named Tony who has stolen the first Meteorite Piece: The Infada Stone.

She ultimatley kills Tony to obtain the first piece and also awakens the great god Shiva within the Caves of Kaliya the original location containing the Stone.

Lara then travels to the Nevada Desert and enters Area 51 the confirmed location holding the second meteorite piece: Element 115.

She retrieves the piece from an actual extra-terrestial spacecraft within Area 51 and then heads for the Sout Pacific Islands the third location holding the third and final meteorite piece to be obtained.

There she contends with a London Cosmetics Company owner Sophia Leigh who has stolen the piece.

She battles and kills Sophia to obtain the piece then meets with her client Dr. Willard in Antartica.

There she discovers that Tony and Sophie Leigh were indeed enlisted clients of his and that he plans to use all four pieces of the accursed meteorite to obtain great power.

Lara fails to stop him from forging the meteorite with the pieces and watches as he undergoes a mutant transformation into a large extra-terrestial arachnid.

She fights and kills Dr. Willard.

Death of a Mentor

 * Main article: Lara Croft (The Angel of Darkness)

When asked to come to Paris by her former mentor Werner von Croy Lara set out to find what he wanted, slightly resentful that Werner left her for dead back in Egypt. When speaking to Werner the two argued. During the argument Lara lost conciousness, only to awaken over Werner's dead body. Uncertain what happened Lara fled the scene to escape the police - who would immediately suspect her - to uncover the mystery behind the occurrence herself. This whole episode placed Lara in a new situation, one she has never been in before, being suspected of murder and being on the run, trying to clear her name at the same time.

Early Life
Lara Croft was born in Surrey's Parkside hospital and raised in Surrey, England. From age 3 to 6 Lara attended the Abbingdon Girls School.

Lara Croft was born in Surrey's Parkside hospital to Lady Amelia Croft and the notorious archeologist Lord Richard Croft, the late Earl of Abbingdon. Between the ages of three and six, she attended the Abbingdon Girls School, where it quickly became clear that she was an exceptionally gifted child. Tomb Raider Legend biography Excerpt,

Plane Crash (Age 9)
At the age of nine, Lara and her mother here in the Crofts private yet, over the Himalayas, when lightning struck the engines and caused the plane to crash land. Her mother and Lara were the only survivors at the time. When exploring a nearby temple, Lara inadvertently triggered a mysterious portal, to - as we later find out - the past, by touching a sword. Lara's mother, misunderstanding the person on the other side - Amanda Evert, who was, in the future, talking to Lara - pulled out the sword and vanished to supposedly Avalon. Lara, then alone, walked to Katmandu, to escape the horrors of the plane crash.

At the age of nine she survived a plane crash in the Himalayas that took the life of her mother. In perhaps the first story of her prodigious indomitability, she somehow survived a solo ten-day trek across the Himalayan mountains, one of the most hostile environments on the planet. The story goes that when she arrived in Katmandu she went to the nearest bar and made a polite telephone call to her father asking if it would be convenient for him to come and pick her up. Tomb Raider Legend biography Excerpt,

After the loss of her mother, Lara received private tutoring, part of it from her father, who took her on some of his expeditions.

For six years following the plane crash, Lara rarely left her father's side, traveling around the world from one archeological dig site to another. During this period she was ostensibly given a standard education from private tutors, but it would probably be more accurate to say she was her father's full time apprentice.

Father's Death
Lara suffered another tragic loss at the age of 15, when her father went missing, presumed dead.

Tomb Raider Legend biography Excerpt,

When Lara was fifteen, her father went missing in Cambodia. Extensive searches by the authorities and Lara herself turned up human remains that could not definitively be identified. Since Lord Croft's body was not officially recovered, Lara could not directly inherit the Croft title and Lara was thrust into a bitter family feud over control of the Abbingdon estates with her uncle Lord Errol Croft. Lara eventually won the legal battle, and took possession of her inheritance but at the cost of a deep rift in the Croft family that left her estranged from her living relatives.

Revisiting The Past
In 2006 Lara Croft is telephoned by Paraiso based friend Anaya who informs a Stone Dais has been discovered in Tiwanaku, Bolivia. Lara remembers to when she was nine years old following the plane crash she survived with her mother uncovered a Nepal Temple in the Himayalas containing an ornate Stone Dais accidentally activated by her which sucked in her mother and was consequently the day she vanished forever.

Lara comes across mercernaries patrolling the interior ruins of a few minor Tiwanaku Temples.

Lara eventually comes to the central still in tact Tiwanaku Temple and enters to find within it the reported found Stone Dais.

There with is a man by the name of James Rutland who is accompanied by a handful of the mercernaries revealed to be his.

James in conversation shows Lara a piece of a sword and mentions her believed dead friend Amanda Evvert.

Lara following this decides to go to Paraiso and to the dig site of which her, the believed dead Amanda and a group of confirmed dead college friends made a digsite at.

Lara organizes for Anaya to meet her in Paraiso and the two rendezous at the Statue in the Paraiso Market Place.

There Rutland's men show up and attack.

Anaya takes off in her jeep and a handful of Rutland's pursue her.

Lara catches up on a stolen motorcycle and eliminates the pursuerers.

Lara then boards Anaya's jeep and the two arrive at the dig site.

Lara recounts what happened to her, Amanda and their college friends at the dig site.

Lara then on present day enters through a watery passage into the dig site and uncovers

Central History
As the daughter of Lord Henshingly Croft, Lara was brought up in the secure world of aristocracy surrounded by tennis, butlers and corgis. But this all started to change when she went to the renowned school of Gordonstoun and found the mountains of Scotland.

Later, at her Swiss finishing school, she took to the art of extreme skiing and spent a holiday in the Himalayas searching for more challenging terrain with her fiancee the Earl of Farringdon. On their return trip however, the plane crashed deep within the mountains with Lara as the only survivor.

Two weeks later, when she walked into a mountain village, her experiences had had a profound effect on her. Unable to stand the suffocating atmosphere of upper-class British society any longer, she realised she was only truly alive when she was travelling alone.

Despite this drastic life change, Lara still retains the essence of her upbringing - most notably with her polite, upper-class accent.

Lara's parents however were less than convinced about this chosen lifestyle and disowned their daughter and cut her out of the family fortune.

While in England, Lara lives in a mansion in Surrey which she inherited many years ago. At one time she saw little use in it but now realises that, if nothing else, it is at least handy for storing all the artifacts she has acquired on her travels. She has also had a custom-built assault course constructed in the grounds for training purposes.

Lara doesn't consider tomb raiding as a job, merely a way of life - although she has been known to uncover archeological artifacts on commission. To fund her radical lifestyle, Lara writes travel books. Titles so far have included 'A Tyrannosaurus is jawing at my head' and 'Slaying Bigfoot'. Her common complaint though is that she doesn't have enough time to put pen to paper.

As well as uncovering many notorious archeological sites - including the Atlantean pyramid and the last resting place of the dagger of Xian, Lara has found fame in other areas. She has driven the dangerous Alaskan Highway from Tierra del Fuego in South America in record time (although this was later denounced by the Guinness Book of Records due to her "reckless driving") and she hit the headlines again when she hunted out and killed Bigfoot in North America..

Hobbies: Any challenging sports. Has a particular interest in experimenting with different, often extreme forms of transport. Has also once admitted to stitching a kind of Bayeux tapestry of her own adventures while at home. With her unique physical abilities, Lara is certain of being able to break many world athletic records and so sees no challenge in this herself. Her main ambitions still lie in the undefined world of tombs and the past. She has also however, developed a personal regard for Brian Blessed's attempts to climb Everest. If he never succeeds, she is determined to piggy-back him up there.

Heroes: All the great ancient figures who respected themselves enough to design such intricate tombs to be buried in. "Nobody goes to trouble like that anymore..."

Fears: Her Aunty's Corgi which has bitten her on several occasions - about which, for once, there is little she can do.

Education: Private Tutoring (3 - 11) Wimbledon High School for Girls (11 - 16) Gordonstoun Boarding School (16 - 18) Swiss Finishing School (18 - 21)

Sports: Not much of a team player. Discovered rock climbing while at Gordonstoun and used to set off into the hills alone during netball practice. Also took up shooting as an extra-curricular activity but was instantly banned for showing "too keen an interest'. However, the strength that climbing gave her fingers was to become useful when she started pulling triggers for real.

Biography (Tomb Raider Legend, Movies)
The Right Honourable Lara Croft is the 11th Countess of Abbingdon. The Croft family was granted the title and rights to Abbingdon, Surrey by King Edward VI in 1547. The Croft Estate was a manor house, home to Lady Croft, before it burned to the ground in Tomb Raider: Underworld.



Lady Croft herself has suffered several personal tragedies, including the deaths of both parents on separate occasions before she came of age. Reputably an accredited genius and Olympic-standard gymnast, Lady Croft is the focus of wild speculation and intense debate in both the scientific and political communities in addition to the popular press. Idealized and vilified in equal measure, she is perhaps one of the most fascinating and enigmatic figures of our time.

Lara Croft was born in Surrey's Parkside hospital to Amelia Croft, Countess of Abbingdon and the notorious archeologist Richard Croft, 10th Earl of Abbingdon. Between the ages of three and six, she attended the Abbingdon Girls School, where it quickly became clear that she was an exceptionally gifted child.

At the age of nine she survived a plane crash in the Himalayas, and shortly after her mother mysteriously vanished. In perhaps the first story of her prodigious indomitability, she somehow survived a solo ten-day trek across the Himalayan mountains, one of the most hostile environments on the planet. The story goes that when she arrived in Katmandu she went to the nearest bar and made a polite telephone call to her father asking if it would be convenient for him to come and pick her up.

For six years following the plane crash, Lara rarely left her father's side, traveling around the world from one archeological dig site to another. During this period she was ostensibly given a standard education from private tutors, but it would probably be more accurate to say she was her father's full time apprentice.

When Lara was eighteen, her father went missing in Thailand. Extensive searches by the authorities and Lara herself turned up human remains that could not definitively be identified. Since Lord Croft's body was not officially recovered, Lara could not directly inherit the Croft title and Lara was thrust into a bitter family feud over control of the Abbingdon estate with her uncle Lord Errol Croft. Lara eventually won the legal battle, and took possession of her inheritance but at the cost of a deep rift in the Croft family that left her estranged from her living relatives.

Lady Lara Croft has already eclipsed her father's career; as of this writing she is credited with the discovery of some fifteen archeological sites of international significance. These sites are still yielding new and exciting insights to the past on an ongoing basis. No one can deny Lady Croft's incredible contribution to the field of archeology, however she is not without her detractors.

Lara's methods have been frequently called into question by government officials and other practicing archeologists. She has been described variously as anything from cavalier to downright irresponsible. Some scholars have suggested that her notorious lack of documentation and brute force methodology have contaminated countless sites and done more harm than good. There have even been (unsubstantiated) allegations that Lara actually takes items from these sites before informing the international community of their locations, and that she is nothing more than a glorified treasure hunter.

Despite the tabloid press's infatuation with her, Lara Croft guards her privacy with complete determination. She has never granted an interview nor made any personal comment to any of the rumors associated with her, preferring to express herself through brief formal statements given by the family solicitors, Hardgraves and Moore.

Predictably there have been a number of unofficial biographies printed about the young Countess, that attribute wild and fantastic feats to her exploits, ranging from the discovery of living dinosaurs in the Congo to infiltrating the infamous Area 51 in Nevada. The official line from the Croft Estate to these works is simply that "...these books are utter rot: disgraceful, trashy works of total fiction."

Nevertheless if you even make a cursory search on the Internet for the Unexplained, the Mysterious and the Downright Unbelievable, time and again you will find Lara Croft's name appearing. She appears to be a hero to conspiracy theorists and alternate history aficionados alike.

It seems the further you dig into Lady Croft's life, the more bewildering and mysterious she becomes. Perhaps like the archeological sites she discovers, we have only scratched the surface of this incredible woman and the complex and inscrutable secrets buried deep within her.

Overview
Created by Toby Gard, the heroine of the video game series has spawned seven incarnations of the game, where the heroine must defeat ancient deities, spirits, evil gangsters, and even dinosaurs. Since its debut in 1996, Tomb Raider games have been made for the PC, Mac, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Saturn, Dreamcast, N-Gage, Pocket PC, Game Boy Advance, and Game Boy Color. On April 11 2006, the seventh game in the series, Tomb Raider: Legend, was released for the PlayStation 2, PSP, Xbox, Xbox 360, and PC.

It is said the original name for Lara Croft was to be Laura Cruise. It was later changed to Lara Croft due to the fact that an American accent would change the pronunciation of "Laura" to "Lara", and that "Cruise" didn't sound British. Because the pronunciations are alike in an American accent, she is sometimes referred to as Laura.

Lara was brought to life by actress Angelina Jolie for the movies Tomb Raider (2001) and Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003). She has also been portrayed by models for public appearances, most notably model/actress Rhona Mitra, glamour model Nell McAndrew (who was immediately axed from her stint as Lara in 1999 after posing nude in Playboy), and the top model Jill De Jong. Despite some initial reservations, on February 14, 2006, it was announced that a previously unknown 20-year-old sales assistant from London, Karima Adebibe, would star as the new Lara Croft model and would shortly begin a training program to play the role. Some feel she looks very close to the video game Lara Croft in publicity shots.

Some fans consider Croft's growing status as a sex symbol in the video game fandom through each progressive game sequel&mdash;with increasingly gratuitous artwork and advertisements detrimental to the character, who gained more attention from her appearance than her tough-as-nails spirit and determination. In response to this, she has recently undergone a slight "redesign" for the sake of becoming more appealing to female gamers. Her chest size was reduced and her clothes were altered; some have still derided her form as being unrealistic (especially in regard to her BMI), although the constant and extreme level of physical activity Lara is depicted as partaking in, and the lack of a similar real-life individual of similar activity of such manner to utilize as reference, leaves the debate open.

Continuity
Note that several Lara biographical facts of the established canon that were contradicted in the movie, were altered in order to follow the movie. One example is the name of Lara's father, in the game manuals he is mentioned as Henshingly, but since the movies, he has been altered to Richard.

Other facts

 * Name: Lara Croft
 * Title: Countess of Abbingdon
 * Alias: Tomb Raider
 * Age: Between 32-35 as of TR:L
 * Relations: Richard Croft, 10th Earl of Abbingdon / Lord Henshingly Croft (father); Amelia Croft, Countess of Abbingdon (mother)
 * Friends: Alister, Zip, Winston, Jean, Charles, Bram
 * Nationality: British
 * Date Of Birth: February 14, 1968 in Wimbledon, London
 * Spouse(s): None
 * Children: None
 * First Appearance: Tomb Raider (1996)
 * Astrological Sign: Aquarius
 * Current Residence: Croft Manor, Buckinghamshire
 * Marital Status: Single (once engaged to the Earl of Farringdon)
 * Blood Type: AB-
 * Height: 5' 8" (1.73 m)
 * Weight: 110 lb (50 kg)
 * BMI: 17.0 (Underweight) (9 st 7 lb would be a healthier weight)
 * Bust: 34D (Lara is still a Dcup, contrary to many beliefs; the confusion seems to spawn from the fact that Angelina Jolie was a 34C and Lara was once a 35DD, they changed Lara Croft to a 34D in Legend and she continues to be that size :D).
 * Waist: 24
 * Hips: 35
 * Hair Colour: Auburn-Brown
 * Eye Colour: Brown (although in Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, her eyes appear to be dark red)
 * Dress size: 8
 * Shoe size: 7 (UK) / 9.5 (US) / 41 (EUR)
 * Favourite food: Beans on Toast
 * Distinguishing Features: Pony Tail, Flame red coloured lensed sunglasses, Backpack, Dual 9 mm pistols/ .357, Desert Eagles/ .45, Heckler & Koch USPs (Match Variant)
 * Has navel piercing (Seen in TR3)
 * Discoveries (Games):
 * Bestiary (1984),
 * Ark of the Covenant (1993), (before the events of Tomb Raider I)
 * Bigfoot (1995),
 * Philosopher's Stone (1995),
 * Atlantean Scion (1996),
 * Dagger of Xian (1997),
 * The Golden Mask of Tornarsuk (1997),
 * The Iris (1984, 1997),
 * The Meteorite Idols (Infada Stone, Element 115, Ora Dagger, Eye of Isis and Hand of Rathmore) (1998),
 * The Spear Of Destiny (1998),
 * The Armour of Horus and Amulet of Horus (1999),
 * The Obscura Paintings, Sanglyph and Periapt Shards (2003),
 * Excalibur, Lancelot's Shield and Ghalali Key (2006),
 * The King Arthur's tomb (2006),
 * Niflheim, the Norse Underworld (2008),
 * Helheim/Avalon (2008),
 * Thor's Gauntlets - Járngreipr (2008),
 * Thor's Belt - Megingjord (2008),
 * Thor's Hammer - Mjölnir (2008),
 * Etir Stone (2008),

Film Discoveries

 * The All-Seeing Eye, (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider; in her home)
 * Triangle of Light, (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider; in Cambodia and Iceland)
 * Alexander the Great's Orb (Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life; in Santorini, Greece)
 * Pandora's Box, (Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life; in Africa)

Real Life Appearences
See: Lara's Outfits
 * Diverse non-pc game advertisements, for instance SEAT, Lucozade (changed temporarily to Larazade), Visa, etc.
 * In a music video of the German band Die Ärzte (#1 Hit Männer sind Schweine ("Men are Pigs")),
 * On tour with the Irish band U2
 * Outfits

Artifacts collected by Lara
"Excalibur re-forged!"

- Lara Croft

Games

 * Atlantean Scion
 * Dagger of Xian
 * Mask of Tornarsuk
 * Meteorite Artifacts: Infada Stone, Eye of Isis, (Element 115), Ora Dagger, Hand of Rathmore
 * Amulet and Armour of Horus
 * Philosopher's Stone, Spear of Destiny, Bestiary, "The Iris"
 * Periapt Shards, Obscura Paintings, Sanglyph
 * Excalibur
 * Ghalali Key
 * Thor's Hammer
 * Thor's Gauntlets
 * Etir Stone

Films

 * Triangle of Light
 * Pandora's Box

Violence
Fans have been critical of the video games for portraying her in an increasingly bloodthirsty manner, and occasionally not giving players the option to avoid lethal force against human characters. Tomb Raider III was heavily criticized by some for showing Lara committing acts of murder against security guards and police. Angel of Darkness introduced several "stealth kill" moves for Lara, intended for use on humans. This "licenced to kill" aspect of the character has also figured in other media, including the Top Cow comic book (in the first crossover with Witchblade, super-powered police officer Sara Pezinni reacts with disgust when Lara cold-bloodedly kills two guards; Lara tersely replies that she was passing judgement on them and executing their sentence. An original novel based upon the character, The Man of Bronze (published January 2005) describes her once killing a man while kissing him and the book itself has an extremely high body count; at one point she uses deadly force against a man for simply painting a nude portrait of her. The second Angelina Jolie film, Cradle of Life, made a major plot point out of Lara's ability to kill people (an aspect downplayed if not avoided altogether in the first film in which she is only seen killing one man directly - the main villain, as opposed to the numerous deaths caused by her in the second film).

Also controversial (in early games of the series) is Lara's killing of wildlife such as tigers and other animals. In response to this, the makers of the 2006 "relaunch" game, Legend have toned down her bloodthirstiness. While Lara still confronts wildlife (limited to big cats in the game), it is made clear that she only kills in self defense and feels remorse whenever she has to do so, as indicated in the following exchange from the first level -

Alister: Why predators attack prey larger than themselves is a mystery.

Lara: And a pity.

In Anniversary, a point is made of having Lara look at her hands after killing a human for the first time, representing the first time she has had blood on her hands.

Katiegate
The choice of Katie Fleming to represent the Tomb Raider fan fiction community on the Tomb Raider: Anniversary DVD has caused a certain amount of controversy. A number of members of the Tomb Raider community felt that Fleming's inclusion was a blatant slight of more accomplished writers who are active members in the community.

Actors and models
A listing of actors/models who officially have been playing the role of Lara Croft, Angelina Jolie not included.
 * Nathalie Cook 1996-1997 (the first model although unknown, before Tomb Raider became famous)
 * Vanessa Demouy 1997
 * Rhona Mitra 1997-1998
 * Nell McAndrew 1998-1999
 * Lara Weller 1999-2000
 * Ellen Rocche - 2000 (Though widely unknown, Ellen dyed her hair and posed for two Lara Croft photo shoots)
 * Lucy Clarkson 2000-2002
 * Jill De Jong 2002-2004
 * Karima Adebibe 2006-2008
 * Alison Carroll -2008- (For more information see: http://www.tombnews.com/models/alisoncarroll/)

For more information on models, here's a link to for the Tomb Raider Models (Tomb Raider Models)

Voice actresses
Lara has been voiced by four actresses;
 * In Tomb Raider, she was voiced by Shelley Blond.
 * In Tomb Raider II and Tomb Raider III, she was voiced by Judith Gibbins.
 * Jonell Elliott voiced Lara in Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, Tomb Raider Chronicles and The Angel of Darkness.
 * Keeley Hawes voiced Lara in the latest installments Legend, Anniversary and Underworld along with Beneath the Ashes and Lara's Shadow other variant seing Pokemon.

Tomb Raider

 * Lara's Home
 * Caves
 * City of Vilcabamba
 * Lost Valley
 * Tomb of Qualopec
 * St. Francis' Folly
 * Colosseum
 * Palace Midas
 * The Cistern
 * Tomb of Tihocan
 * City of Khamoon
 * Obelisk of Khamoon
 * Sanctuary of the Scion
 * Natla's Mines
 * Atlantis
 * The Great Pyramid

Unfinished Business

 * Return to Egypt
 * Temple of the Cat
 * Atlantean Stronghold
 * The Hive

Tomb Raider II

 * Lara's Home
 * The Great Wall
 * Venice
 * Bartoli's Hideout
 * Opera House
 * Offshore Rig
 * Diving Area
 * 40 Fathoms
 * Wreck of the Maria Doria
 * Living Quarters
 * The Deck
 * Tibetan Foothills
 * Barkhang Monastery
 * Catacombs of the Talion
 * Ice Palace
 * Temple of Xian
 * Floating Islands
 * The Dragon's Lair
 * Home Sweet Home

The Golden Mask

 * The Cold War
 * Fool's Gold
 * Furnace of the Gods
 * Kingdom
 * Nightmare in Vegas

Tomb Raider III

 * Lara's Home
 * Jungle
 * Temple Ruins
 * The River Ganges
 * Caves of Kaliya
 * Nevada Desert
 * High Security Compound
 * Area 51
 * Thames Wharf
 * Aldwych
 * Lud's Gate
 * City
 * Coastal Village
 * Crash Site
 * Madabu Gorge
 * Temple of Puna
 * Antarctica
 * RX-Tech Mines
 * Lost City of Tinnos
 * Meteorite Cavern
 * All Hallows

Lost Artefact

 * Highland Fling
 * Willard's Lair
 * Shakespeare Cliff
 * Sleeping with the Fishes
 * It's a Madhouse!
 * Reunion

The Last Revelation

 * Angkor Wat
 * The Race for the Iris
 * The Tomb of Seth
 * Burial Chambers
 * Valley of the Kings
 * KV5
 * Temple of Karnak
 * The Great Hypostyle Hall
 * Sacred Lake
 * Tomb of Semerkhet
 * Guardian of Semerkhet
 * Desert Railroad
 * Alexandria
 * Coastal Ruins
 * Catacombs
 * Temple of Poseidon
 * The Lost Library
 * Hall of Demetrius
 * Pharos, Temple of Isis
 * Cleopatra's Palaces
 * City of the Dead
 * Chambers of Tulun
 * Citadel Gate
 * Trenches
 * Street Bazaar
 * Citadel
 * Sphinx Complex
 * Underneath the Sphinx
 * Menkaure's Pyramid
 * Inside Menkaure's Pyramid
 * The Mastabas
 * The Great Pyramid
 * Khufu's Queen's Pyramids
 * Inside the Great Pyramid
 * Temple of Horus

Chronicles

 * Streets of Rome
 * Trajan's Markets
 * The Colosseum
 * The Base
 * The Submarine
 * Deepsea Dive
 * Sinking Submarine
 * Gallows Tree
 * Labyrinth
 * Old Mill
 * The 13th Floor
 * Escape with the Iris
 * Red Alert!

The Angel of Darkness

 * Parisian Backstreets
 * Derelict Apartment Block
 * Industrial Rooftops
 * Margot Carvier's Apartment
 * Parisian Ghetto
 * The Willowtree Herbalist
 * St. Aichard's Church
 * Rennes' Pawnshop
 * Café Metro
 * The Serpent Rouge
 * St. Aichard's Graveyard
 * Bouchard's Hideout
 * Louvre Storm Drains
 * Louvre Galleries
 * Archaeological Dig
 * Tomb of the Ancients
 * The Hall of Seasons
 * The Breath of Hades
 * Neptune's Hall
 * Sanctuary of the Flame
 * Wrath of the Beast
 * Galleries under Siege
 * Von Croy's Apartment
 * The Monstrum Crime Scene
 * The Strahov Fortress
 * Bio-Research Facility
 * Maximum Containment Area
 * Aquatic Research Area
 * The Vault of Trophies
 * The Lost Domain
 * Eckhardt's Lab

Legend

 * Bolivia - Tiwanaku
 * Peru - Return to Paraíso
 * Japan - Meeting with Takamoto
 * Ghana - Pursuing James Rutland
 * Kazakhstan - Project Carbonek
 * England - King Arthur's Tomb?
 * Nepal - The Ghalali Key
 * Bolivia - The Looking Glass
 * Croft Manor

Anniversary

 * Croft Manor
 * Peru - Mountain Caves
 * Peru - City of Vilcabamba
 * Peru - The Lost Valley
 * Peru - Tomb of Qualopec
 * Greece - St. Francis Folly
 * Greece - The Coliseum
 * Greece - Midas's Palace
 * Greece - Tomb of Tihocan
 * Egypt - Temple of Khamoon
 * Egypt - Obelisk of Khamoon
 * Egypt - Sanctuary of the Scion
 * Lost City - Natla's Mines
 * Lost City - The Great Pyramid
 * Lost City - Final Conflict

Underworld

 * No Illusions
 * The Path to Avalon
 * Niflheim
 * The Norse Connection
 * God of Thunder
 * Realm of the Dead
 * The Remnants
 * Bhogavati
 * The Ancient World
 * A Puppet No Longer
 * Protected by the Dead
 * The Unnamed Days
 * Xibalba
 * The Midgard Serpent
 * Land of the Dead
 * Gate of the Dead
 * Valhalla
 * Rituals Old
 * Helheim
 * Yggdrasil
 * Out of Time

DLC Levels

 * Father's Secret Study
 * Yggdrasil Remains