Brad Pitt

William Bradley "Brad" Pitt was born on December 18, 1963, in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and raised in Springfield, Missouri, the son of Jane Etta (Hillhouse), a school counselor, and William Alvin "Bill" Pitt, a truck company manager. At Kickapoo High School, he participated in sports, debating, student government, and school musicals. Pitt attended the University of Missouri, where he majored in journalism with a focus on advertising and occasionally acted in fraternity shows. He left college two credits short of graduating to move to California. Before he became successful as an actor, Pitt supported himself by driving strippers in limos, moving refrigerators, and dressing as a giant chicken while working for El Pollo Loco.

Pitt's earliest credited roles were in television, beginning with a part on the daytime soap opera *Another World* (1964), followed by a recurring role as Randy on the prime time soap opera *Dallas* (1978). After a series of guest appearances on various television series through the 1980s, Pitt gained wider recognition with a small part in *Thelma & Louise* (1991), in which he played a charming criminal who romanced and conned Geena Davis. This led to starring roles in poorly received films such as *Johnny Suede* (1991) and *Cool World* (1992).

Pitt's career improved with his casting in *A River Runs Through It* (1992), which established him as a multi-layered actor rather than just a pretty face. His subsequent projects were as varied as his performances, ranging from a comic cameo as stoner roommate Floyd in *True Romance* (1993) to romantic roles in visually rich films such as *Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles* (1994) and *Legends of the Fall* (1994), to an emotionally tormented detective in the horror-thriller *Seven* (1995). His portrayal of frenetic oddball Jeffrey Goines in *12 Monkeys* (1995) earned him a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role.

Pitt's role as Achilles in the big-budget period drama *Troy* (2004) helped establish his appeal as an action star, and was followed by a co-starring role in the stylish spy film *Mr. & Mrs. Smith* (2005). It was on the set of *Mr. & Mrs. Smith* that Pitt, who married Jennifer Aniston in a highly publicized ceremony in 2000, met Angelina Jolie. Pitt left Aniston for Jolie in 2005, a breakup that continued to attract media attention years later.

Pitt continues to choose a wide range of films, appearing in everything from high-concept popcorn films such as *Megamind* (2010) to more adventurous, critic-focused projects like *Inglourious Basterds* (2009) and *The Tree of Life* (2011). He received two Best Actor Oscar nominations, for *The Curious Case of Benjamin Button* (2008) and *Moneyball* (2011). In 2014, he starred in the war film *Fury* (2014), opposite Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Jon Bernthal, and Michael Peña.

Pitt and Jolie later separated. They have six children, three adopted and three biological.