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William Bradley "Brad" Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. He has been cited as one of the world's most attractive men and his off-screen life is widely reported. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and has won one Golden Globe Award out of four nominations.
Pitt began his acting career with television guest appearances, which included a role on the CBS soap opera Dallas in 1987. He gained recognition as the cowboy hitchhiker who seduces Geena Davis's character in the 1991 road movie Thelma & Louise. Pitt's first leading roles in big-budget productions came with A River Runs Through It (1992) and Interview with the Vampire (1994). He was cast opposite Anthony Hopkins in the 1994 drama Legends of the Fall, which earned him his first Golden Globe nomination. In 1995, he gave critically acclaimed performances in the crime thriller Seven and the science fiction film Twelve Monkeys, the latter earning him a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor and an Academy Award nomination. Pitt starred in the 1999 cult hit Fight Club, as well as the 2001 heist film Ocean's Eleven – a major international hit – and its sequels Ocean's Twelve (2004) and Ocean's Thirteen (2007). He has had his biggest commercial successes with Troy (2004) and Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005). Pitt received his second Academy Award nomination for his performance in the title role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008).
Following a high-profile relationship with actress Gwyneth Paltrow, Pitt was married to actress Jennifer Aniston for five years. As of 2009, he lives with actress Angelina Jolie in a relationship that has attracted worldwide media attention. He and Jolie have three adopted children, Maddox, Zahara, and Pax, as well as three biological children, Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne. Pitt owns a production company named Plan B Entertainment, which has produced the 2007 Academy Award winner for Best Picture, The Departed, among other films. Since beginning his relationship with Jolie, he has become increasingly involved in social issues, both in the United States and internationally.
Pitt was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, the son of Jane Etta (née Hillhouse), a high school counselor, and William Alvin Pitt, a truck company owner. Along with his siblings Doug (born 1966) and Julie Neal (born 1969),he grew up in Springfield, Missouri, where the family moved soon after his birth. He was raised as a conservative Southern Baptist during childhood.
Pitt attended Kickapoo High School, where he was a member of the golf, tennis and swimming teams. In addition, he was a part of the school's Key and Forensics clubs. He participated in school debates and musicals. Following his graduation, Pitt enrolled at the University of Missouri in 1982. He belonged to the Sigma Chi fraternity,where he acted in several fraternity shows. He majored in journalism, with a focus on advertising. In 1985, two weeks prior to earning his degree, Pitt left the university and moved to Los Angeles, California to take acting lessons. When asked why he left the university, Pitt responded: "I had this sinking feeling as graduation approached. I saw my friends getting jobs. I wasn't ready to settle down. I loved films. They were a portal into different worlds for me, and Missouri wasn't where movies were made. Then it hit me: If they didn't come to me, I'd go to them."
While struggling in Los Angeles, Pitt took various occasional jobs. These jobs ranged from chauffeur, delivery man, and dressing up as an El Pollo Loco chicken to pay for his acting classes. He had began studying with acting coach Roy London.
Pitt began his onscreen acting career in 1987 with uncredited parts in the films No Way Out, No Man's Land, and Less Than Zero. He made his television debut with a guest appearance on the ABC sitcom Growing Pains. Between December 1987 and February 1988 he appeared in four episodes of the CBS primetime soap opera Dallas. He portrayed Randy, the boyfriend of Shalane McCall's character, Charlie Wade. Pitt described the character as "an idiot boyfriend who gets caught in the hay". He later said about his scenes with McCall: "It was real sweaty-palms time for me. It was kind of wild, because I'd never even met her before." Pitt made a guest appearance on the FOX police drama 21 Jump Street later in 1988.
That year he also performed in his first leading role in a film, The Dark Side of the Sun, a Yugoslavian-U.S. co-production. He portrayed a young American taken by his family to the Adriatic to find a remedy for a skin condition. The film was shelved due to the outbreak of the Croatian War of Independence and was not released until 1997. In 1989, Pitt appeared in two motion pictures: in a supporting role in the comedy Happy Together and in a featured role, his first to reach theaters, in the horror film Cutting Class. He also made television guest appearances on Head of the Class, Freddy's Nightmares, Thirtysomething, and (for a second time) Growing Pains.
Pitt was cast in the NBC television movie Too Young to Die? in 1990, a story about an abused teenager given the death penalty for murder. Pitt portrayed the part of Billy Canton, a drug addict who takes advantage of a runaway young woman, portrayed by Juliette Lewis. Entertainment Weekly's film reviewer wrote: "Pitt is a magnificent slimeball as her hoody boyfriend; looking and sounding like a malevolent John Cougar Mellencamp, he's really scary." That year, he also co-starred in the short-lived FOX dramatic series Glory Days, a stint that lasted for six episodes, and appeared in a supporting role in the HBO television movie The Image.
Pitt's next onscreen appearance was in the 1991 film Across the Tracks. He portrayed Joe Maloney, a high school runner. The character deals with his criminal brother, portrayed by Ricky Schroder. Pitt soon attracted broader public attention with a supporting role in the 1991 road film Thelma & Louise. He portrayed J.D., a small-time criminal who befriends Thelma (Geena Davis). His love scene with Davis, which showed Pitt shirtless and wearing a cowboy hat, has been cited as the moment that defined Pitt as a sex symbol.
After the success of Thelma & Louise, Pitt starred opposite Catherine Keener and Nick Cave in Johnny Suede (1991), a low-budget film about an aspiring rock star. In 1992, he appeared in Cool World, before starring as Paul Maclean in Robert Redford's 1992 biographical film A River Runs Through It. His portrayal of the character has been described as a "career-making" performance. Pitt admitted he felt a "bit of pressure" when making the film. He added that it was one of his "weakest performances ... It's so weird that it ended up being the one that I got the most attention for." When asked about working with Redford, Pitt said, "It's like tennis: When you play with somebody better than you, your game gets better."
Pitt reunited with his Too Young to Die? co-star Juliette Lewis in the 1993 road film Kalifornia. He portrayed Early Grayce, a serial killer and the former boyfriend of Lewis's character. In his review of the film, Rolling Stone's Peter Travers described Pitt's performance as "outstanding, all boyish charm and then a snort that exudes pure menace". Later that year, Pitt won a ShoWest Award for Male Star of Tomorrow.
1994 marked a significant turning point in Pitt's career, when he starred as vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac in the feature film Interview with the Vampire. The latter of which was based upon Anne Rice's 1976 novel of the same name. He was part of an ensemble cast that included Tom Cruise, Kirsten Dunst, Christian Slater, and Antonio Banderas. Although Pitt won two MTV Movie Awards, his performance was criticized. Variety commented, "Brad Pitt's Louis is handsome and personable, but there is no depth to his melancholy, no pungency to his sense of loss. He also doesn't seem to connect in a meaningful way with any of the other actors".
Following the release of Interview with the Vampire, Pitt starred in Legends of the Fall in 1994. The film is set during the first four decades of the twentieth century. Pitt portrayed Tristan Ludlow, son of Colonel William Ludlow (Anthony Hopkins). Aidan Quinn and Henry Thomas co-starred as Pitt's brothers. The film received generally unfavorable reception, but many film critics complimented Pitt's performance. Janet Maslin of The New York Times said, "Pitt's diffident mix of acting and attitude works to such heartthrob perfection it's a shame the film's superficiality gets in his way." The Deseret News predicted that Legends of the Fall would "further cement [Pitt's] big-screen, romantic leading-man status". Pitt garnered his first Golden Globe Award nomination in the category for Best Actor.
In 1995, he starred alongside Morgan Freeman and Gwyneth Paltrow in the crime film Seven as the police detective David Mills who hunts a serial killer portrayed by Kevin Spacey. Variety noted: "This is screen acting at its best. Pitt turns in a determined, energetic, creditable job as the eager young detective." The film garnered positive reviews and earned $327 million at the international box office. Following the success of Seven, Pitt portrayed the supporting role of Jeffrey Goines in Terry Gilliam's 1995 science-fiction film Twelve Monkeys. The film received predominantly positive reviews and Pitt was praised in particular. Janet Maslin of the New York Times stated that Twelve Monkeys was "fierce and disturbing" and remarked on Pitt's performance as "giving a startlingly frenzied performance" and concluding that he "electrifies Jeffrey with a weird magnetism that becomes important later in the film." Pitt won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film, and received his first Academy Award nomination.
The following year, Pitt was in the legal drama Sleepers (1996), based on the Lorenzo Carcaterra novel of the same name; the film starred Kevin Bacon and Robert DeNiro. The film was a major critical failure. Pitt starred opposite Harrison Ford as the Irish Republican Army terrorist Rory Devany in the 1997 movie The Devil's Own. Pitt was required to learn an Irish accent for the film. In addition, that same year he portrayed the main role of Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer in the Jean Jacques Annaud film Seven Years in Tibet. Pitt trained for months for the role, which demanded significant mountain climbing and trekking practice. Part of this included rock climbing in California and the Alps with his co-star David Thewlis.
Pitt had the leading role in Meet Joe Black in 1998. He portrayed a personification of death inhabiting the body of a young man in order to learn what it is like to be human. The film received mixed reviews and Pitt's performance was often criticized. Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle concluded: "It's not just that Pitt's performance is bad. It hurts. Watching Pitt struggle, with inert face and glazed eyes, to make an audience believe that he knows all the mysteries of death and eternity is painful."
In the 1999 film Fight Club, Pitt portrayed Tyler Durden, a straight-shooting and charismatic mastermind who runs an underground fight club. The film, an adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's novel of the same name, was directed by Seven director David Fincher. To prepare for the role, Pitt took lessons in boxing, taekwondo, and grappling. For the cosmetics of his role, Pitt voluntarily had pieces of his front teeth removed, which were restored after filming concluded. During promotion for the film, he said, "The fighting is not necessarily 'take your aggressions out on someone else.' The idea is just to get in there, have an experience, take a punch more importantly and see how you come out on the other end." Fight Club premiered at the 1999 Venice International Film Festival. The film failed to meet expectations at the box office, and received polarized reactions from film critics. However, it became a cult classic after its DVD release. Despite the film's reception, Pitt's performance was favored by critics. Paul Clinton of CNN said, "Pitt has proved he's not afraid of experimentation, and this time it pays off." Variety remarked on Pitt's ability to be "cool, charismatic and more dynamically physical, perhaps than he has been since his breakthrough role in Thelma and Louise".
After Fight Club, Pitt appeared in the Guy Ritchie-directed gangster film Snatch in 2000. Pitt's performance as an Irish Gypsy boxer, and his delivery of a barely intelligible Irish accent, drew criticism and praise. Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle said, "[He] is ideally cast as an Irishman whose accent is so thick even Brits can't understand him. The picture also trades on our past associations with Pitt. For years Pitt was shackled by roles that called for brooding introspection, but recently he has found his calling in black comic outrageousness and flashy extroversion."
The following year, Pitt starred opposite Julia Roberts in the romantic comedy The Mexican (2001). The film garnered negative reception, but was successful at the box office. His next role was in the 2001 Cold War thriller Spy Game, in which he portrayed an operative from the CIA's Special Activities Division. Pitt starred alongside Robert Redford, who portrayed his mentor. Salon.com enjoyed the film, but felt that neither Pitt nor Redford "provide[d] much of an emotional connection for the audience". The film grossed $143 million worldwide. Later that year, Pitt portrayed Rusty Ryan in the heist film Ocean's Eleven, a remake of the 1960s Rat Pack film of the same name. He was part of an ensemble cast which included George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, and Julia Roberts. The film was well-received by critics and was successful at the box office; it earned $450 million worldwide. On November 22, 2001, Pitt made a guest appearance in the eighth season of the television series Friends, where he portrayed a man who has a grudge against Jennifer Aniston's character. Pitt was at the time married to Aniston. For this performance he was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.
Pitt had a cameo role in George Clooney's 2002 directorial debut Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, and appeared in an episode of MTV's Jackass, where he and several cast members ran wild through the streets of Los Angeles in gorilla suits. In a later Jackass episode, Pitt took part in a staged abduction of himself. In 2003, he took his first voice-acting roles; he lent his voice to the titular character of the DreamWorks animated film Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, and voiced Boomhauer's brother Patch in an episode of the animated television series King of the Hill.
In 2004, Pitt starred in two films, Troy and Ocean's Twelve. In Troy, based on the Iliad, he portrayed hero Achilles. Before the filming of Troy, Pitt spent six months sword training. He injured his Achilles tendon on set, which delayed production for several weeks. With revenue of $497 million worldwide, the film is the highest grossing film of his career to the end of 2008. It earned $364 million overseas. With $133 million domestically, however, it did more moderately in North America. Stephen Hunter of The Washington Times wrote: "In a role that requires larger-than-life dimensions, he's pretty terrific." The success of Ocean's Eleven led Pitt to return to the role in the 2004 sequel, Ocean's Twelve. Paul Clinton of CNN reported that Pitt and Clooney have the best male chemistry since Paul Newman and Robert Redford. The film was a financial success, having earned $362 million worldwide.
The following year, Pitt starred in the action comedy Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005). The film, directed by Doug Liman, tells the story of a bored married couple who find out that they are both secret assassins. Pitt starred as John Smith alongside Angelina Jolie. The film received mixed reviews, but was generally lauded for the chemistry between Pitt and Jolie. The Star Tribune noted, "While the story feels haphazard, the movie gets by on gregarious charm, galloping energy and the stars' thermonuclear screen chemistry." The movie earned $478 million worldwide, making it one of the biggest hits of 2005.
Pitt appeared alongside Cate Blanchett in his next feature film, Alejandro González Iñárritu's multi-narrative drama Babel (2006). His performance in the film was well-received by critics, and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer believed that he was "credible" and gave the film "visibility". Pitt regarded this as "one of the best decisions of my film career". The film was screened at a special presentation at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, and was later featured at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival. Babel won the Golden Globe Award for Best Drama and Pitt received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The film garnered seven Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations.
Pitt again reprised his role as Rusty Ryan in the third Ocean's film, Ocean's Thirteen (2007). The sequel, while not as lucrative as the first two films, earned $311 million at the international box office. Pitt's next film role was American outlaw Jesse James in the 2007 Western drama The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, adapted from Ron Hansen's 1983 novel of the same name. Directed by Andrew Dominik and produced by Pitt's company Plan B, the film premiered at the 2007 Venice Film Festival. Lewis Beale of Film Journal International said Pitt is "scary and charismatic" in the story. For his performance, he won the Volpi Cup award for Best Actor in Venice. Although Pitt attended the festival to promote the film, he left early after being attacked by a fan who pushed through his bodyguards. He eventually collected the award one year later at the 2008 festival.
Pitt appeared in the 2008 black comedy Burn After Reading, his first collaboration with the Coen brothers. The film received a positive reception from critics. The Guardian called the film "a tightly wound, slickly plotted spy comedy", and noted that Pitt's performance was one of the funniest. He was later cast as Benjamin Button, the lead in David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), loosely adapted from the 1921 short story of the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald, about a man who is born an octogenarian and ages in reverse. "Pitt's sensitive performance helps make 'Benjamin Button' a timeless masterpiece," said Michael Sragow of the The Baltimore Sun. The role earned Pitt his first Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, as well as a fourth Golden Globe and second Academy Award nomination. The film received a total of thirteen Academy Award nominations and grossed $329 million worldwide.
Pitt's projects after 2008 include Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, scheduled for release in August 2009. The film was screened at a special presentation at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. He portrays Lieutenant Aldo Raine, an American resistance fighter battling Nazis in German-occupied France. In addition, he will appear in the drama The Tree of Life directed by Terrence Malick, co-starring alongside Sean Penn. He has signed on to appear in the Lost City of Z, where he will portray a British explorer searching for a mysterious Amazonian civilization. The film is based on the book of the same name by David Grann.
In the late 1980s and the 1990s, Pitt was involved in a series of relationships with several of his co-stars, including Robin Givens (Head of the Class), Jill Schoelen (Cutting Class), and Juliette Lewis (Too Young to Die? and Kalifornia), who at sixteen was ten years his junior when they started dating. Pitt also had a much-publicized romance and engagement to Seven co-star Gwyneth Paltrow whom he dated from 1995 to 1997.
Pitt met Friends actress Jennifer Aniston in 1998 and married her in a private wedding ceremony in Malibu on July 29, 2000. For years their marriage was considered a rare Hollywood success. However, in January 2005, Pitt and Aniston announced that they decided to formally separate after seven years together. Two months later, Aniston filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.
As Pitt's marriage to Aniston drew to a close, his involvement with actress Angelina Jolie during the filming of Mr. & Mrs. Smith turned into a well-publicized Hollywood scandal. While Pitt denied any claims of adultery, he admitted that he "fell in love" with Jolie on the set, and said that production was still going on for Mr. & Mrs. Smith after he and Aniston had separated.
In April 2005, one month after Aniston filed for divorce, a set of paparazzi photographs emerged; the photographs, which showed Pitt, Jolie and her son Maddox at a beach in Kenya, seemed to confirm the rumors of a relationship between Pitt and Jolie. During the summer, the two were seen together with increasing frequency, and the entertainment media dubbed the couple "Brangelina". Pitt and Aniston's final divorce documents were granted by the Los Angeles Superior Court on October 2, 2005, and ended their marriage. On January 11, 2006, Jolie confirmed to People that she was pregnant with Pitt's child and thereby confirmed their relationship for the first time in public. In an October 2006 interview with Esquire, Pitt said that he and Jolie would marry "when everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able".
Despite media reports that Pitt and Aniston have an acrimonious relationship, in a February 2009 interview, Pitt said that he and Aniston "check in with each other". Also adding, "She was a big part of my life, and me hers." In an October 2007 interview, Pitt revealed that he is no longer a Christian nor believes in an afterlife. "There's peace in understanding that I have only one life, here and now, and I'm responsible," he said.
Brad Pitt's Children:
Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt (born August 5, 2001 in Cambodia; adopted January 19, 2006)
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*Information gathered from online sources including wikipedia*