This sensuously handsome blond actor emerged as one of the most celebrated screen sex symbols of 1990s Hollywood. Brad Pitt started out in TV guest spots (including a recurring role on the CBS primetime soap "Dallas" in 1987) that tended to capitalize on his wiry good looks. He co-starred in "Glory Days" (Fox, 1990), a short-lived drama about post-high school angst. Pitt entered features via the well-traveled low road, appearing in supporting roles in such standard teen fodder as slasher flicks, sex comedies and family-oriented sports dramas.

Pitt gained relatively instant stardom as the hitchhiking hunk—part charmer, part thief—who seduces Geena Davis in the female buddy movie, "Thelma & Louise" (1991). The following year, he achieved leading man status sporting a formidable pompadour as the fictitious, aspiring teen idol "Johnny Suede", and maintained the hairstyle as a soft-hearted yet hard-boiled vet turned cartoon cop in "Cool World,” Ralph Bakshi's uneven blend of live-action and animation. Pitt gained some critical esteem playing the troubled younger brother who casts a mean fishing line in Robert Redford's "A River Runs Through It" (also 1992), but fared less well as a bearded psycho killer in "Kalifornia" (1993). He provided a delightful character turn as a stoner roommate in the Quentin Tarantino-scripted "True Romance" (also 1993). Pitt subsequently played his first high profile lead in a Hollywood blockbuster as Louis, the lachrymose narrator of "Interview With the Vampire" (1994). His depressed bloodsucker seemed all the more anemic paired with a lively Tom Cruise. Pitt's star qualities were better displayed in "Legends of the Fall" (also 1994), as the wild, middle brother of a colorful Western clan. In a change of pace from glamour roles (and to subtly subvert his being dubbed "the sexiest man alive" by People magazine), the actor played a scruffy, arrogant policeman tracking a serial killer with Morgan Freeman in "Seven" and earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination as a twitching mental patient/animal rights activist in the Terry Gilliam-directed "12 Monkeys" (both 1995).

After a turn as a prosecutor in Barry Levinson's "Sleepers" (1996), Pitt adopted a Belfast accent as an IRA gunman seeking refuge in the home of a NYC cop (Harrison Ford) in "The Devil's Own" (1997). What had been a long a troubled shoot resulted in a muddled and uneven drama. Pitt caused some controversy with a Newsweek interview in which he made disparaging comments about the film and its script. With "Seven Years in Tibet" (1997), he adopted an Austrian accent to play an egotistical man who undergoes a conversion of sorts when he is befriended by the youthful Dalai Lama. That film was also the subject of some debate when it was revealed that Heinrich Harrer (Pitt) had been a Nazi Party member; the resultant negative publicity and mixed reviews probably hurt the film's box office. Pitt followed by reuniting with his "Legends of the Falls" co-star Anthony Hopkins in the languid "Meet Joe Black" (1998), a loose remake of "Death Takes a Holiday" with the younger thespian portraying the Grim Reaper in human form.

Further downplaying his attractive facade, Pitt was cast as Tyler Durden, the straight-shooting but charismatic mastermind behind "Fight Club" (1999), an underground society of disaffected young men who engage in fisticuffs. He continued in a similar vein with a turn as an Irish gypsy with a flair for bare knuckles boxing in "Snatch" (2000). In both of these films, Pitt's muscular physique was on display but in "Fight Club,” he favored a scruffy look while in "Snatch,” he was covered in tattoos. Off-screen, however, Pitt's celebrity status as a hunky Hollywood icon soared into the stratosphere after his romantic relationship with equally beautiful and popular TV star Jennifer Aniston culminated in 2001 with a storybook wedding—complete with fireworks—in Malibu. The couple's every move quickly became must-have fodder for entertainment-oriented media outlets everywhere.

In "The Mexican" (2001), he offered a relaxed, loose turn as a somewhat dim low-level gangster sent south (over the objections of his long-time girlfriend, played by Julia Roberts) to retrieve the title object, an antique pistol that supposedly carried a curse. He remained busy portraying the protégé of a retiring CIA operative (Robert Redford) in "Spy Game" and joining George Clooney and the ensemble of the Steven Soderbergh-directed remake of "Ocean's Eleven" (both 2001). That year Pitt also made a notable guest appearance on his wife's famous sit-com "Friends" playing a now-thin high school pal of Monica's who's harbored a long animosity toward Rachel (Aniston), as well as a much discussed slot on MTV's stunt-prank series "Jackass," where the actor was violently "kidnapped" from L.A.'s Pink's hot dog stand as several dumbfounded witnesses observed. In 2002, Pitt made brief cameo appearances in Soderbergh's experimental film "Full Frontal" (as himself) and Clooney's directorial debut "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," and in 2003 voiced the title character in the animated feature film "Sinbad."

After years of downplaying his handsome, heroic looks by appearing in scruffy beards and long hair, Pitt finally took a role that cast him as every bit the beautiful Golden Boy, playing the legendary Greek hero Achilles in director Wolfgang Petersen's epic "Troy" (2004), a role that inspired excitement among his male and female fans alike. The actor also agreed to rejoin Clooney, Soderbergh, et al, for the sequel romp "Ocean's Twelve" (2004), this time playing a Rusty with his own love interest (Catherine Zeta-Jones), although the film lacked much of the charm of the first outing. The actor then found himself at the center of an intense media whirlwind when he announced he was splitting from Aniston: one of the speculated reasons for the divorce of the dream couple centered on rumors of an on-set relationship with Angelina Jolie during his next film, the Doug Liman-helmed action-fest "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" (2005), in which the actors played a bored married couple surprised to learn that they are each secretly assassins, ultimately hired to kill each other. Though both actors initially refuted the rumors—and, after frequently being photographed together in their private lives, took a coyer stance later on–the intense media and public interest in their possible relationship propelled the film to huge box office receipts, thanks in large part to their palpable on-screen chemistry. Their "are they or aren't they?" coupling captivated star watchers and was the most written-about celebrity story of 2005 (prompting the coining of the term "Brangelina") as their relationship gradually emerged in the public eye as Pitt accompanied Jolie on her missions of mercy to third world nations, petitioned to adopt her two adopted children, and ultimately revealed that he and Jolie were expecting their own biological child together as well.

After a noted absence from the big screen, but not the tabloid pages, which seemed to concoct a new and ridiculous story about Brangelina every week, Pitt returned with a strong and rather mature performance in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “Babel” (2006), a dense and heartbreaking look at confusion, fear and the depths of love. Set on different continents—Asia, Africa and North America—“Babel” told three separate stories brought together by a single random act of violence. Pitt played an American tourist traveling Morocco when a stray bullet from a rifle crashes through a bus window and seriously wounds his wife (Cate Blachett), touching off a series of events—including the couple’s Mexican housekeeper (Adriana Barraza) trying to cross the border, a neglected Japanese girl (Rinko Kikuchi) scouring Japan for love in all the wrong places, and two Moroccan boys (Said Tarchani and Boubker Ait El Caid) dealing with their responsibility for the shooting—that underscore the fear and confusion brought about by the failure to communicate. Meanwhile, Pitt reunited with Soderbergh, Clooney, Damon, et al. for “Oceans 13” (2007), the third—and hopefully last—installment to the hipster caper series, then signed on to play America’s most notorious outlaw, Jesse James, in “The Assassination of Jesse James” (2007).

• Also Credited As:
  William Bradley Pitt
• Born:
  on 12/18/1963 in Shawnee, Oklahoma
• Job Titles:
  Actor, Chauffeur, Delivery man

Family

• Brother: Doug Pitt. owns computer company; born c. 1966
• Daughter: Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt. born May 27, 2006 in Namibia; mother is Angelina Jolie
• Daughter: Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt. legally adopted in 2006; mother is Angelina Jolie
• Father: William Pitt.
• Mother: Jane Pitt.
• Sister: Julie Pitt. born c. 1969; married with at least one child
• Son: Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt. legally adopted in 2006; mother is Angelina Jolie

Significant Others

• Companion: Angelina Jolie. met while filming "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"; rumored to be romantically involved throughout filming, but this was denied by both parties; began being photographed together as a couple in spring 2005
• Wife: Jennifer Aniston. met in 1998; married July 29, 2000 in Malibu, California; announced separation on January 6, 2005, after more than fours years of marriage; Aniston filed for divorce March 2005; divorce finalized October 2005.
• Wife: Jennifer Aniston. began dating in spring 1998; marrried on July 29, 2000 in Malibu, California
• Companion: Gwyneth Paltrow. met on set of "Seven" (1994) where they played a married couple; became engaged in November 1996; separated in June 1997
• Companion: Jill Schoelen. met on set of "Cutting Class"; (1989); broke up in 1989
• Companion: Jitka Pohlodek. dated briefly in 1993
• Companion: Juliette Lewis. met on the set of the 1990 TV-movie "Too Young to Die?"; together for three years; broke up c. February 1993; reportedly were engaged
• Companion: Katja von Garnier. German; born c. 1966; dated in 1997
• Companion: Robin Givens. dated briefly in 1988 after working together on episodes of the TV sitcom "Head of the Class"

Education

• University of Missouri at Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, journalism, 1982-86

Milestones

• 1986 Moved to Los Angeles claiming to his parents that he was attending the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena
• 1987 Cast as the boyfriend of Jenna Wade Ewing's daughter in three episodes of the CBS primetime soap "Dallas"
• 1987 Did extra work in the film "Less Than Zero"
• 1987 Had small role on the NBC soap opera "Another World"
• 1987 Primetime TV debut in a guest role in an episode of the ABC sitcom "Growing Pains"
• 1988 TV-movie debut, "A Stoning in Fulham County"
• 1989 Feature acting debut, "Cutting Class"
• 1989 Made second guest appearance on "Growing Pains", playing a different character
• 1990 Appeared in the regular role of Walker Lovejoy, a high school graduate working as a reporter, in the short-lived Fox drama "Glory Days"
• 1990 Co-starred with Juliette Lewis in the fact-based NBC TV-movie "Too Young to Die?" , about a teenage girl put on trial for murder
• 1991 Cast in breakthrough role of drifter J D in "Thelma & Louise" after Billy Baldwin bowed out to star in "Backdraft"
• 1991 Debut as a feature lead, "Johnny Suede", about an aspiring pop singer
• 1992 Had major role in "A River Runs Through It", directed by Robert Redford
• 1993 Played featured role in "True Romance"
• 1994 Co-starred with Tom Cruise in "Interview With the Vampire", playing Louis, the aristocratic Southerner made turned reluctant bloodsucker
• 1994 First worked with Anthony Hopkins playing one of his sons in "Legends of the Fall"
• 1995 Co-starred with Morgan Freeman as detectives tracking a serial killer in "Seven"
• 1995 Earned Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his portrayal of a mental patient in "12 Monkeys"
• 1995 In January dubbed "The Sexiest Man Alive" by People magazine
• 1997 Engendered controversy for making negative comments about "The Devil's Own", in which he played an Irish revolutionary opposite Harrison Ford as an NYC cop
• 1997 Film "Seven Years in Tibet" was subject of controversy when it was disclosed that the character Pitt played, Heinrich Harrer, had ties to the Nazis
• 1997 Successfully sued Playgirl magazine to stop distribution after it published unauthorized nude photographs of Pitt and then-girlfriend Gwyneth Paltrow
• 1998 Reteamed with Anthony Hopkins for "Meet Joe Black", a loose remake of "Death Takes a Holiday"
• 1999 Co-starred with Edward Norton in "Fight Club"
• 2000 Portrayed an itinerant Irish gypsy bare knuckles boxer in "Snatch", written and directed by Guy Ritchie
• 2001 Co-starred with Julia Roberts in "The Mexican", playing a mafia bagman sent to retrieve the titular object, an antique pistol that supposedly carried a curse
• 2001 Had featured role in the ensemble of "Ocean's Eleven" which included Julia Roberts, George Clooney and Matt Damon
• 2001 Teamed with Robert Redford in "The Spy Game", playing the protege of a retiring CIA agent
• 2002 Cast as the lead in the sci-fi film "The Fountain" directed by Darren Aronofsky; film fell through
• 2003 Voiced the title character in the animation feature "Sinbad"
• 2004 Portrayed fated warrior Achilles in director Wolfgang Petersen's epic "Troy"
• 2004 Reunited with the original cast for "Ocean's Twelve" directed by Steven Soderbergh
• 2005 Starred opposite Angelina Jolie, as a bored married couple that is surprised to learn that they are assassins hired to kill each other in "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"
• 2006 Co-starred with Cate Blanchett as a tragedy-stricken American couple in "Babel"
• Grew up in Springfield, Missouri
• Teaming with Edward Norton and National Geographic to produce a 10-part miniseries for HBO about explorers Lewis and Clark (lensed 2006)
• Will play cowboy outlaw Jesse James in a film based on a novel called "The Assassination Of Jesse James" by Coward Robert Ford (lensed 2005)
• Will reprise role along with the original cast for "Ocean's 13" (lensed 2006)
• Worked at odd jobs including as a chaffeur to Strip-O-Gram strippers, delivering refrigerators to college students and dressing up in a chicken costume outside the El Pollo Loco restaurant