Brad Pitt's Full Biography
Brad Pitt is a renowned American actor and film producer who has been active in the entertainment industry for over three decades. He was born on December 18, 1963, in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and grew up in Springfield, Missouri. Pitt started his career with small roles in television shows and movies before landing his breakthrough role in the movie Thelma & Louise (1991).
Since then, he has starred in numerous blockbuster films such as Fight Club (1999), Ocean's Eleven (2001), and Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005). Pitt has won several awards for his acting, including an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019).
In addition to his successful acting career, Pitt is also a well-known philanthropist and has been involved in various humanitarian causes. Overall, Brad Pitt is a highly respected figure in the entertainment industry and has made a significant impact on Hollywood.
Brad Pitt's Early Life/Education
William Bradley Pitt, the first-born child of a dedicated Southern Baptist household, was born on December 18, 1963, in Shawnee, Oklahoma. He grew up in Springfield, Missouri, with his mother Jane Pitt who worked as a family counselor and father Bill Pitt who operated a trucking company.
Brad Pitt studied at the University of Missouri, pursuing a degree in journalism yet had quiet aspirations to be an advertising art director.
Eventually Pitt dropped out of college, packed up and headed west to pursue an acting career in Los Angeles, just two credits shy of a college degree.
For the next few months, he worked as a chauffeur and helped deliver refrigerators while attempting to make a name for himself in the Los Angeles acting arena.
He then decided to enroll in an acting course and even auditioned alongside a classmate in front of an agent. In a fortunate turn of events, Brad Pitt was chosen over his friend by the agent.
Brad Pitt's Career
1990’s
After a few small television and film roles, Pitt became famous for his portrayal of a charming scoundrel in Thelma & Louise. He went on to appear in popular films like A River Runs Through It, Interview with the Vampire, and Legends of the Fall (1994).
His diverse abilities were showcased in Se7en (1995), where he played a realistic police detective, and 12 Monkeys (1995), where he played a deranged recluse. For his performance, Pitt was nominated for both a Golden Globe and an Oscar.
2000's
The millennium started off with Brad Pitt’s role in Ocean's Eleven which was a smash hit in 2001, and as a result, two sequels were released: Ocean's Twelve in 2004 and Ocean's Thirteen in 2007.
Other big movies for Brad Pitt in the early aughts included but are not limited to:
Troy 2004
Mr. and Mrs. Smith 2005
Babel 2006
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford 2007
Burn After Reading 2008
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 2008
Inglourious Basterds 2009
Megamind 2010
And many more that made over $100 million in the box office. All in all, Brad Pitt has been nominated for 78 awards and won 53 of them.
Brad Pitt's Business Ventures
Brad Pitt is also a producer and started his production company in 2001 with then wife Jennifer Aniston, called Plan B. Since then, Plan B has put out numerous successful films, including "The Departed," "12 Years a Slave," and "Moonlight," which all won Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
Recently, however, Pitt has been focusing on inner peace and a possible retirement. He gave up a large portion of his stake in the company, to the tune of around $300 million.
Despite this, he remains active in the film industry and has several upcoming projects in the works. Pitt has also been vocal about his struggles with addiction and mental health, and he has used his platform to advocate for greater awareness and support for those dealing with similar issues.
Brad Pitt's Relationships/Family
In 2001, Brad Pitt married Jennifer Aniston. It was short lived however and they divorced in 2005.
Pitt's divorce from Aniston made headlines, but it was more so his relationship with Angelina Jolie was also in the public eye. The two had filmed the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith together during 2003-2004 and there was much speculation over how close they remained afterwards.
That answer came shortly after the ink was dry on the divorce papers. Jolie had adopted two children from different countries, and Pitt became their adoptive parent in 2006. The couple then had their first biological child, Shiloh, followed by twins Knox and Vivienne in 2008. In 2015, they adopted a boy from Vietnam named Pax.
Timeline:
Gwyneth Paltrow, ex-fiancée (1994-1997)
Jennifer Aniston, ex-wife (2001-2005)
Angelina Jolie, ex-wife (2014-2019)
Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt, son (8/5/2001)
Pax Jolie-Pitt, son (11/29/2003)
Zahara Jolie-Pitt, daughter (1/8/2005)
Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, daughter (5/27/2006)
Twins: Knox Jolie-Pitt, son and Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, daughter (7/12/2008)
Brad Pitt's Net Worth
Brad Pitt is said to be worth $400 million in 2023.
Activism/Causes
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have championed numerous causes aimed at bettering the world. Among Pitt's endeavors, he established Not on Our Watch to support underprivileged areas such as Sudan's Darfur region.
Brad Pitt also founded the Make It Right Foundation to provide sustainable housing for families affected by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
Despite attracting many famous architects, the project faced difficulties during construction that resulted in several legal disputes. One of these disputes involved the foundation suing the wood supplier in 2015 due to rotting in completed homes, which was resolved outside of court.
Another lawsuit was filed by homeowners in a class-action suit three years later, claiming poor construction by the foundation. Make It Right ultimately agreed to pay $20.5 million to settle the case in 2022.
