Louis Zamperini, who was the inspiration behind Angelina Jolie's directorial venture, Unbroken, was an impressive man. The Olympic distance runner and a World War II hero, who survived 47 days on a raft in the Pacific after his bomber crashed and then went on to endure torture for two years in Japanese prison camps, left a mark on Jolie and taught her about spirituality, among several other things.

Jolie tells People what she learned from the man: "When there is an obstacle, you have to rise to the challenge, not be overwhelmed by it. And we're not alone in the world. I don't know if there's a name for that – religion or faith – just that there's something greater than all of us, and it's uniting and beautiful."

The duo became fast friends and Zamperini had also called her a "human dynamo" months before he passed away at the age of 97.

Jolie often called Zamperini a "father figure". - Video grab from today.com

In a statement Jolie released at the time of his death, the actor-turned-director shared: "It is a loss impossible to describe. We are all so grateful for how enriched our lives are for having known him. We will miss him terribly."

According to the Daily Mail, the actress also said in a Channel Nine interview: "He was extremely intelligent, he’s also extremely funny and so charming. I wanted to spend years following this man’s footsteps because I wanted to learn from him and I wanted to be inspired like everyone who learns about him, but I didn’t know I’d meet one of my best friends, who would be such a father figure to me and give me so much guidance and help me through tough times in my life."

"I’m forever changed for having known him."

Although Angelina was devastated Zamperini never got to see the final edit of the movie, she takes comfort in the fact he saw the draft edit on her laptop.

Unbroken has reportedly grossed $53.9 million worldwide and exceeded box office expectations.