Brad Pitt

William Bradley Pitt, born on December 18, 1963, is a prominent American actor and film producer. His illustrious career has earned him numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Pitt is widely recognized as one of the most powerful and influential figures in the American entertainment industry.

Pitt's breakthrough came with his role as a cowboy hitchhiker in the Ridley Scott road film Thelma & Louise. He then secured leading roles in major productions such as the drama films A River Runs Through It and Legends of the Fall. Notable performances followed in the horror film Interview with the Vampire alongside Tom Cruise, and in David Fincher's crime thriller Seven (1995) and the science fiction film 12 Monkeys. The latter earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor and his first Academy Award nomination.

Commercial success further embraced Pitt with Steven Soderbergh's heist film Ocean's Eleven and its sequels. He solidified his leading man status in blockbusters like the historical epic Troy , the romantic crime film Mr. & Mrs. Smith , the horror film World War Z , and the action film Bullet Train . Pitt also starred in critically acclaimed films, including Fight Club , Babel , The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford , Burn After Reading , Inglourious Basterds, The Tree of Life , and The Big Short . His noteworthy performances in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Moneyball earned him Academy Award nominations, while he won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as a stuntman in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

In addition to his acting career, Pitt co-founded the production company Plan B Entertainment in 2001. The company produced critically acclaimed films like The Departed , 12 Years a Slave , and Moonlight , all of which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Other Plan B productions, including The Tree of Life , Moneyball , Selma , and The Big Short , received nominations for the prestigious award.

Beyond his professional achievements, Pitt has been named People's Sexiest Man Alive in 1995 and 2000. However, his personal life has been subject to intense public scrutiny. He has gone through divorces with actresses Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie. His divorce from Jolie has been marked by legal battles, lawsuits, and allegations of abuse.

William Bradley Pitt was born on December 18, 1963, in Shawnee, Oklahoma, to William Alvin Pitt, the owner of a trucking company, and Jane Etta , a school counselor. Shortly after his birth, the family relocated to Springfield, Missouri, where Pitt grew up with his younger siblings, Douglas Pitt and Julie Neal. Raised in a conservative Christian household, Pitt was brought up as a Southern Baptist but later navigated between agnosticism and atheism before ultimately reconciling his belief in spirituality.

Describing Springfield as Mark Twain country, Jesse James country, Pitt reminisced about his upbringing surrounded by hills and lakes. He attended Kickapoo High School, where he actively participated in the golf, swimming, and tennis teams. Pitt was also involved in the school's Key and Forensics clubs, engaged in debates, and took part in musicals.

After high school, Pitt pursued higher education at the University of Missouri in 1982, where he majored in journalism with a focus on advertising. However, as his graduation approached, he felt unprepared to settle down. Pitt had a deep love for films, considering them a "portal into different worlds," but since films were not produced in Missouri, he made the decision to move to Los Angeles. Two weeks before completing his journalism degree, Pitt left the university and headed to Los Angeles, where he took acting lessons and worked various odd jobs to support himself. In the early days of his acting journey, he admired Gary Oldman, Sean Penn, and Mickey Rourke as his heroes in the field.

While navigating the challenges of establishing himself in Los Angeles, Pitt sought guidance from acting coach Roy London. His acting journey commenced in 1987 with uncredited roles in films like No Way Out , No Man's Land , and Less than Zero . In May 1987, Pitt made his television debut in a two-episode role on the NBC soap opera Another World. Later that year, he appeared in guest roles on the CBS sitcom Trial and Error and the ABC sitcom Growing Pains. His early television career also included a four-episode stint on the CBS series Dallas.

In 1988, Pitt made a guest appearance on the Fox police drama 21 Jump Street and starred in the Yugoslavian–U.S. co-production The Dark Side of the Sun , marking his first leading film role. However, the film was shelved due to the Croatian War of Independence and was not released until 1997. Pitt made two film appearances in 1989, including a supporting role in the comedy Happy Together and a featured role in the horror film Cutting Class.


The 1990s saw Pitt taking on diverse roles, including the portrayal of a drug addict in the 1990 NBC television movie Too Young to Die? and a high school runner in the 1991 film Across the Tracks. His breakthrough moment came with his supporting role in Ridley Scott's 1991 road film Thelma & Louise, where he played J.D., a small-time criminal. This role, particularly a love scene with Geena Davis, marked Pitt as a sex symbol.

Following Thelma & Louise, Pitt starred in the 1991 film Johnny Suede and the 1992 live-action/animated fantasy film Cool World. However, these films did not contribute significantly to his career, receiving poor reviews and box office performance. Pitt's career took a positive turn with his role as Paul Maclean in the 1992 biographical film A River Runs Through It, directed by Robert Redford. The performance was considered career-defining, showcasing Pitt's ability beyond being a cowboy-hatted hunk.

In 1993, Pitt reunited with Juliette Lewis for the road film Kalifornia, playing the role of Early Grayce, a serial killer. He also made a brief but memorable appearance in the cult hit True Romance as a stoner named Floyd. Pitt's versatility earned him attention, and he concluded the year by winning a ShoWest Award for Male Star of Tomorrow.

References

1.  "Encyclopædia Britannica". Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
2. ^ "Win for Angelina Jolie as court disqualified judge in Brad Pitt divorce case". The Guardian. Associated Press. July 23, 2021. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2021. The judge already ruled the pair divorced, but separated the child custody issues."They were declared divorced in April 2019, after their lawyers asked for a judgment that allowed a married couple to be declared single while other issues remained, including finances and child custody.
3. ^ "Oscar Movies Brad Pitt Has Produced Over the Years – from Minari to Moonlight". People. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
4. ^ Bunbury, Stephanie (December 14, 2008). "The business of being Brad". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on June 3, 2009. Retrieved May 13, 2009.