William Bradley Pitt was born on December 18, 1963, inShawnee, Oklahoma, to William Alvin Pitt, the proprietor of a trucking company, and Jane Etta (née Hillhouse; 1940–2025),[7] a school counselor.[8] The family soon moved toSpringfield, Missouri, where he lived together with his younger siblings,Doug Pitt (born 1966) and Julie Neal (née Pitt) (born 1969).[9] Born into a conservative Christian household,[10][11] he was raised asSouthern Baptist and later "oscillate[d] betweenagnosticism andatheism".[12] He later reconciled his belief in spirituality.[13] Pitt has described Springfield as "Mark Twain country,Jesse James country", having grown up with "a lot of hills, a lot of lakes".[14]
Pitt attendedKickapoo High School, where he was a member of the golf, swimming, and tennis teams.[15] He participated in the school'sKey andForensics clubs, in school debates, and in musicals.[16] Following his graduation from high school, Pitt enrolled in theUniversity of Missouri in 1982, majoring in journalism with a focus on advertising.[17] As graduation approached, Pitt did not feel ready to settle down. He loved films—"a portal into different worlds for me"—and, since films were not made in Missouri, he decided to go to where they were made.[18][19] Two weeks short of completing the coursework for a degree, Pitt left the university and moved to Los Angeles, where he took acting lessons and worked odd jobs.[18] He has namedGary Oldman,Sean Penn, andMickey Rourke as his early acting heroes.[20]
Career
Early work (1987–1993)
While struggling to establish himself inLos Angeles, Pitt took lessons from acting coachRoy London.[16][21] His acting career began in 1987, with uncredited parts in the filmsNo Way Out (1987),No Man's Land (1987) andLess than Zero (1987).[16][22] In May 1987, he made his television debut in a two-episode role on theNBC soap operaAnother World.[23] In November of the same year, Pitt had a guest appearance on theCBS sitcomTrial and Error[24][25] and theABC sitcomGrowing Pains.[26] He appeared in four episodes of theCBS primetime seriesDallas between December 1987 and February 1988 as Randy, the boyfriend ofJenna Wade's daughter Charlotte (played byShalane McCall).[27] Later in 1988, Pitt made a guest appearance on theFox police drama21 Jump Street.[28] In the same year, the Yugoslavian–American co-productionThe Dark Side of the Sun (1988) was his first leading film role, starring as a young American taken by his family to theAdriatic to find a remedy for a skin condition. The film was shelved at the outbreak of theCroatian War of Independence, and was not released until 1997.[16] Pitt made two motion picture appearances in 1989: the first in a supporting role in the comedyHappy Together; the second a featured role in the horror filmCutting Class, the first of Pitt's films to reach theaters.[26] He made guest appearances on television seriesHead of the Class,Freddy's Nightmares,Thirtysomething, and (for a second time)Growing Pains.[29]
Pitt was cast as Billy Canton, a drug addict who takes advantage of a young runaway (played byJuliette Lewis) in the 1990 NBC television movieToo Young to Die?, the story of an abused teenager sentenced to death for a murder.Ken Tucker ofEntertainment Weekly wrote: "Pitt is a magnificent slimeball as her hoody boyfriend; looking and sounding like a malevolentJohn Cougar Mellencamp, he's really scary."[30] The same year, Pitt co-starred in six episodes of the short-lived Fox dramaGlory Days and took a supporting role in theHBO television filmThe Image.[31] His next appearance came in the 1991 filmAcross the Tracks; Pitt portrayed Joe Maloney, a high schoolrunner with a criminal brother, played byRicky Schroder.[32] The same year he featured in aLevi's jeans TV commercial based around the song "20th Century Boy" which played in the background.[33]
After years of supporting roles in film and frequent television guest appearances, Pitt attracted wider recognition in his supporting role inRidley Scott's 1991 road filmThelma & Louise.[31] He played J.D., a small-time criminal who befriends Thelma (Geena Davis). His love scene with Davis has been cited as the event that defined Pitt as asex symbol.[26][34] AfterThelma & Louise, Pitt starred in the 1991 filmJohnny Suede, a low-budget picture about an aspiring rock star,[35] and the 1992 live-action/animated fantasy filmCool World,[26] although neither furthered his career, having poor reviews and box office performance.[36][37]
Pitt took on the role of Paul Maclean in the 1992 biographical filmA River Runs Through It, directed byRobert Redford.[38] His portrayal of the character was described byPeople's Janet Mock as a career-making performance,[39] proving that Pitt could be more than a "cowboy-hatted hunk."[40] He has admitted to feeling under pressure when making the film[9] and thought 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."[9] Pitt believed that he benefited from working with such a talented cast and crew. He compared working with Redford to playing tennis with a superior player, saying "when you play with somebody better than you, your game gets better."[39][40] In 1993, Pitt reunited with Juliette Lewis for the road filmKalifornia. He played Early Grayce, aserial killer and the abusive husband of Lewis' character, in a performance described byPeter Travers ofRolling Stone as "outstanding, all boyish charm and then a snort that exudes pure menace."[41] Pitt also garnered attention for a brief appearance in the cult hitTrue Romance as a stoner named Floyd, providing comic relief to the action film.[42] He capped the year by winning aShoWest Award for Male Star of Tomorrow.[43]
Following the release ofInterview with the Vampire, Pitt starred inLegends of the Fall (1994),[47] based on a novel by the same name byJim Harrison, set in the American West during the first four decades of the twentieth century. Portraying Tristan Ludlow, son of Colonel William Ludlow (Anthony Hopkins) aCornish immigrant,[48] Pitt received his firstGolden Globe Award nomination, in theBest Actor category.[49]Aidan Quinn andHenry Thomas co-starred as Tristan's brothers. Although the film's reception was mixed,[50] many film critics praised Pitt's performance.Janet Maslin ofThe 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."[51] TheDeseret News predicted thatLegends of the Fall would solidify Pitt's reputation as a lead actor.[52]
In 1995, Pitt starred alongsideMorgan Freeman,Gwyneth Paltrow, andKevin Spacey in the crime thrillerSeven, playing a detective on the trail of a serial killer who preys on people he considers guilty of theSeven Deadly Sins.[53] Pitt called it a great movie and declared the part would expand his acting horizons.[54] He expressed his intent to move on from "this 'pretty boy' thing [...] and play someone with flaws."[55] His performance was critically well received, withVariety saying that it was screen acting at its best, further remarking on Pitt's ability to turn in a "determined, energetic, creditable job" as the detective.[56]Seven earned $327 million at the international box office.[36] Following the success ofSeven, Pitt played psychoticanarchist Jeffrey Goines inTerry Gilliam's 1995 science fiction film12 Monkeys. The movie received predominantly positive reviews, with Pitt praised in particular. Janet Maslin ofThe New York Times calledTwelve Monkeys "fierce and disturbing" and remarked on Pitt's "startlingly frenzied performance", concluding that he "electrifies Jeffrey with a weird magnetism that becomes important later in the film."[57] He won a Golden Globe Award forBest Supporting Actor for the film[49] and received his firstAcademy Award nomination forBest Supporting Actor.[58]
The following year, he appeared in the legal dramaSleepers (1996), based onLorenzo Carcaterra's novel of the same name.[59] The film received mixed reviews.[60] In the 1997 filmThe Devil's Own Pitt starred, oppositeHarrison Ford, asIrish Republican Army terrorist Rory Devany,[61] a role for which he was required to learn an Irish accent.[62] Critical opinion was divided on his accent; "Pitt finds the right tone of moral ambiguity, but at times his Irish brogue is too convincing – it's hard to understand what he's saying", wrote theSan Francisco Chronicle.[63]The Charleston Gazette opined that it had favored Pitt's accent over the movie.[64]The Devil's Own grossed $140 million worldwide.[36]
Later that year, he led as Austrian mountaineerHeinrich Harrer in theJean-Jacques Annaud filmSeven Years in Tibet.[65] Pitt trained for months for the role, which demanded significant mountain climbing and trekking practice, including rock climbing in California and the EuropeanAlps with his co-starDavid Thewlis.[66] Pitt had the lead role in 1998's fantasy romance filmMeet Joe Black. He portrayed apersonification of death inhabiting the body of a young man to learn what it is like to be human.[67] The film received mixed reviews, and many were critical of Pitt's performance. According toMick LaSalle of theSan Francisco Chronicle, Pitt was unable to "make an audience believe that he knows all the mysteries of death and eternity."[68]Roger Ebert remarked, "Pitt is a fine actor, but this performance is a miscalculation."[69]
Rise to prominence (1999–2003)
In 1999, Pitt portrayedTyler Durden inFight Club,[70][8] a film adaptation ofChuck Palahniuk'snovel of the same name, directed byDavid Fincher.[71] Pitt prepared for the part with lessons inboxing,taekwondo, andgrappling.[72] To look the part, Pitt consented to the removal of pieces of his front teeth which were restored when filming ended.[73] While promotingFight Club, Pitt said that the film explored not taking one's aggressions out on someone else but to "have an experience, take a punch more and see how you come out on the other end."[74]Fight Club premiered at the 1999Venice International Film Festival.[75] Despite divided critical opinion on the film as a whole,[76][77] Pitt's performance was widely praised.Paul Clinton ofCNN noted the risky yet successful nature of the film,[78] whileVariety remarked upon Pitt's ability to be "cool, charismatic and more dynamically physical, perhaps than [...] his breakthrough role inThelma and Louise".[79] In spite of a worse-than-expected box office performance,Fight Club became acult classic after its DVD release in 2000.[80]
Pitt in 2001
Pitt was cast as anIrish Travellerboxer with a barely intelligible accent inGuy Ritchie's 2000 gangster filmSnatch.[81] Several reviewers were critical ofSnatch; however, most praised Pitt.[82] Mick LaSalle of theSan Francisco Chronicle said Pitt was "ideally cast as an Irishman whose accent is so thick even Brits can't understand him", going on to say that, beforeSnatch, Pitt had been "shackled by roles that called for brooding introspection, but recently he has found his calling in black comic outrageousness and flashy extroversion;"[83] whileAmy Taubin ofThe Village Voice claimed that "Pitt gets maximum comic mileage out of a one-joke role".[84]
Pitt appeared in two episodes of MTV's reality seriesJackass in February 2002, first running through the streets of Los Angeles with several cast members in gorilla suits,[92] and in a subsequent episode participating in his own staged abduction.[93] In the same year, Pitt had a cameo role in George Clooney's directorial debutConfessions of a Dangerous Mind.[94] He took on his first voice-acting roles in 2003, speaking as the titular character of theDreamWorks animated filmSinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas[95] and playingBoomhauer's brother,Patch, in an episode of the animated television seriesKing of the Hill.[96]
Worldwide recognition (2004–2008)
Pitt had two major film roles in 2004, starring asAchilles inTroy, and reprising his role,Rusty Ryan, in the sequelOcean's Twelve. He spent six months sword training before the filming ofTroy, based on theIliad.[97] An on-set injury to hisAchilles tendon delayed production on the picture for several weeks.[98]Stephen Hunter ofThe Washington Post stated that Pitt excelled at such a demanding role.[99]Troy was the first film produced byPlan B Entertainment, a film production company he had founded two years earlier with Jennifer Aniston andBrad Grey, CEO ofParamount Pictures.[100]Ocean's Twelve earned $362 million worldwide,[36] and Pitt and Clooney's dynamic was described by CNN's Paul Clinton as "the best male chemistry since Paul Newman and Robert Redford."[101] In 2005, Pitt starred as John Smith in theDoug Liman-directed action comedyMr. & Mrs. Smith, in which a bored married couple discover that each is an assassin for a competing agency. The feature received reasonable reviews but was generally lauded for the chemistry between Pitt andAngelina Jolie, who played his character's wife Jane Smith. TheStar Tribune noted that "while the story feels haphazard, the movie gets by on gregarious charm, galloping energy and the stars' thermonuclear screen chemistry".[102]Mr. & Mrs. Smith earned $478 million worldwide, making it one of the biggest hits of 2005.[103]
Pitt's next appearance was in the 2008 black comedyBurn After Reading, his first collaboration with theCoen brothers. The film received a positive reception from critics, withThe Guardian calling it "a tightly wound, slickly plotted spy comedy",[117] noting that Pitt's performance was one of the funniest.[117] He was later cast as Benjamin Button, the lead inDavid Fincher's 2008 filmThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a loosely adapted version of a 1921short story byF. Scott Fitzgerald. The story follows a man who is born anoctogenarian and ages in reverse,[118] with Pitt's "sensitive" performance makingBenjamin Button a "timeless masterpiece", according toMichael Sragow ofThe Baltimore Sun.[119] The performance earned Pitt his firstScreen Actors Guild Award nomination,[120] as well as a fourth Golden Globe and second Academy Award nomination,[49] all in the category for Best Actor. The film received thirteen Academy Award nominations, and grossed $329 million at the box office worldwide.[36]
Artistic resurgence and production success (2009–2018)
In 2015, Pitt starred opposite his wife, Jolie, in her third directorial effort,By the Sea, a romantic drama about a marriage in crisis, based on her screenplay. The film was their first collaboration since 2005'sMr. & Mrs. Smith. Pitt's next role came with the biographical comedy-dramaThe Big Short, which he also produced and also co-starred alongsideChristian Bale,Steve Carell, andRyan Gosling. The film was a commercial and critical success. It went on to gross over $102 million worldwide[142] and received positive reviews from critics.[143][144] The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, earning Pitt his third Academy Award nomination as producer. In 2016, Pitt starred inRobert Zemeckis's romantic thrillerAllied, in which he plays an assassin who falls in love with a French spy (played byMarion Cotillard) during a mission to kill a German official inWorld War II.[145][146] In 2017, he starred in theNetflix satirical war comedyWar Machine,[147] which he also produced.[148] Pitt played a recurring role as a weatherman on the late-night talk showThe Jim Jefferies Show throughout 2017.[149]
A 2017 sequel toWorld War Z was announced in 2016,[150] then briefly delayed, then its director confirmed to be David Fincher, and finally shelved because of budget problems.[151][152]
In 2021, Pitt entered the recording business by creating a company with French record producerDamien Quintard. Set in Pitt'sChateau Miraval in South of France, Miraval Studios re-opened in 2022 after two decades of inactivity. The previous version of the studio was one of the most iconic studios in the world, producing the records forPink Floyd,the Cranberries,AC/DC,Sade andMuse, among others.[162] In 2022, Pitt starred inBullet Train, directed byDavid Leitch,[163] and reunited with hisOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood co-starMargot Robbie inBabylon, directed byDamien Chazelle.[164] On January 5, 2022, he signed on to star in and produce a racing film onFormula One titledF1, directed byJoseph Kosinski,[165] for which he earned $30 million.[166] He reteamed with George Clooney inWolfs, a comedy-thriller written and directed byJon Watts, which was released in September 2024.[167]F1 quickly became Apple's biggest hit at the box office.[168]
Pitt visited theUniversity of Missouri campus in October 2004 to encourage students to vote in the2004 U.S. presidential election,[169] in which he supportedJohn Kerry.[169][170] Later in October, he publicly supported the principle of public funding forembryonic stem-cell research. "We have to make sure that we open up these avenues so that our best and our brightest can go find these cures that they believe they will find", he said.[171] In support of this he endorsedProposition 71, a California ballot initiative intended to provide state government funding for stem-cell research.[172]
Pitt at the "Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict" in 2014
Pitt supportsOne Campaign, an organization aimed at combating AIDS and poverty in the developing world.[173][174] He narrated the 2005PBS public television seriesRx for Survival: A Global Health Challenge, which discusses current global health issues.[175] The following year Pitt and Jolie flew toHaiti, where they visited a school supported by Yéle Haïti, a charity founded by Haitian-born hip hop musicianWyclef Jean.[176] In May 2007, Pitt and Jolie donated $1 million to three organizations inChad andSudan dedicated to those affected by the crisis in the Darfur region.[177] Along with Clooney, Damon,Don Cheadle,David Pressman, andJerry Weintraub, Pitt is one of the founders of Not On Our Watch, an organization that focuses global attention on stopping "mass atrocities".[178]
Pitt has a sustained interest in architecture,[179] even taking time away from film to study computer-aided design at the Los Angeles offices of renowned architectFrank Gehry.[180] He narratede2 design, a PBS television series focused on worldwide efforts to build environmentally friendly structures through sustainable architecture and design.[181] In 2000, he co-authored an architectural book on theBlacker House with the architects Thomas A. Heinz and Randell Makinson.[182] In 2006, he founded theMake It Right Foundation, organizing housing professionals in New Orleans to finance and construct 150 sustainable, affordable new houses in New Orleans'sNinth Ward following the devastation caused byHurricane Katrina.[183][184]
The project involves 13 architectural firms and the environmental organizationGlobal Green USA, with several of the firms donating their services.[185][186] Pitt and philanthropistSteve Bing have each committed $5 million in donations.[187] The first six homes were completed in October 2008,[188] and in September 2009 Pitt received an award in recognition of the project from theU.S. Green Building Council, a non-profit trade organization that promotes sustainability in how buildings are designed, built and operated.[189][190] Pitt met with U.S.PresidentBarack Obama andSpeaker of the House of RepresentativesNancy Pelosi in March 2009 to promote his concept ofgreen housing as a national model and to discuss federal funding possibilities.[191]
In September 2006, Pitt and Jolie established a charitable organization, the Jolie-Pitt Foundation, to aid humanitarian causes around the world.[192] The foundation made initial donations of $1 million each toGlobal Action for Children andDoctors Without Borders,[193] followed by an October 2006 donation of $100,000 to the Daniel Pearl Foundation, an organization created in memory of the late American journalistDaniel Pearl.[194] According to federal filings, Pitt and Jolie invested $8.5 million into the foundation in 2006; it gave away $2.4 million in 2006[195] and $3.4 million in 2007.[196] In June 2009, the Jolie-Pitt Foundation donated $1 million to a U.N. refugee agency to help Pakistanis displaced by fighting between troops andTaliban militants.[197] In January 2010, the foundation donated $1 million to Doctors Without Borders for emergency medical assistance to help victims of theHaiti earthquake.[198][199]
From the late 1980s to early 1990s, Pitt was romantically involved with several of his co-stars, includingShalane McCall (Dallas),[206]Robin Givens (Head of the Class),[207]Jill Schoelen (Cutting Class),[207]Geena Davis (Thelma & Louise),[208] andJuliette Lewis (Too Young to Die? andKalifornia).[39] McCall and Lewis were 15 and 17 respectively when Pitt started dating them.[209][210] Subsequently, Pitt had a much-publicized romance and engagement to hisSeven co-star,Gwyneth Paltrow, whom he dated from 1994 to 1997.[207]
Pitt met actressJennifer Aniston in 1998; they married in a private wedding ceremony inMalibu on July 29, 2000.[211] In January 2005, Pitt and Aniston announced they had decided to separate. Two months later, Aniston filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.[212] Pitt and Aniston's divorce was finalized by theLos Angeles Superior Court on October 2, 2005.[212] Despite media reports that Pitt and Aniston had an acrimonious relationship, Pitt said in a February 2009 interview that he and Aniston "check in with each other", adding that they were both big parts of each other's lives.[213]
During Pitt's divorce proceedings, his involvement with hisMr. & Mrs. Smith co-starAngelina Jolie attracted media attention. Jolie and Pitt stated that they fell in love on the set[214][215] and that there was no infidelity.[214] In April 2005, one month after Aniston filed for divorce, a set of paparazzi photographs emerged showing Pitt, Jolie, and her son Maddox at a beach inKenya; the press interpreted the pictures as evidence of a relationship between Pitt and Jolie. Throughout 2005, the two were seen together with increasing frequency, and the entertainment media dubbed the couple "Brangelina".[216] On January 11, 2006, Jolie confirmed toPeople that she was pregnant with Pitt's child, thereby publicly acknowledging their relationship for the first time.[217] Pitt and Jolie announced their engagement in April 2012 after seven years together.[218] They were legally married on August 14, 2014, and had their wedding in a private ceremony at theChâteau Miraval, France, on August 23, 2014.[219] On September 19, 2016, Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt, citing irreconcilable differences.[220] On April 12, 2019, the divorce became legal.[221][2] After Pitt sued Jolie for selling her share of a winery they owned to a third party, she filed a countersuit, in which she alleged that he physically and verbally abused her and their children during a plane flight in 2016.[222]
In 2022, he began dating Ines de Ramon (b. 1992), a jewelry executive and the ex-wife of actorPaul Wesley.[223]
Children
In July 2005, Pitt accompanied Jolie toAddis Ababa, Ethiopia, where she adopted her second child, a girl named Zahara.[224][225] On December 3, 2005, Pitt was in the process of becoming the adoptive father of Jolie's daughter, and Jolie's first adopted child, a boy named Maddox.[226] On January 19, 2006, a California judge granted Jolie's request to change the children's surnames from "Jolie" to "Jolie-Pitt".[227] The adoptions were finalized soon after.[228]
Jolie gave birth to their daughter Shiloh inSwakopmund, Namibia, on May 27, 2006. Pitt confirmed that she would qualify for a Namibian passport.[229] The couple sold the first pictures of their daughter through the distributorGetty Images; the North American rights were purchased byPeople for over $4.1 million, whileHello! obtained the British rights for approximately $3.5 million. The proceeds from the sale were donated to charities serving African children.[230]Madame Tussauds in New York unveiled awax figure of the two-month-old; it marked the first time an infant had been honoured with a statue in the museum.[231]
On March 15, 2007, Jolie adopted a 3-year-old boy, Pax, from an orphanage inHo Chi Minh City, Vietnam.[232] Pitt adopted the boy in the United States on February 21, 2008.[233] At theCannes Film Festival in May 2008, Jolie confirmed that she was expecting twins.[234] She gave birth to son and daughter, Knox and Vivienne, on July 12, 2008, inNice, France.[235] The rights for the first images of the twins were jointly sold toPeople andHello! for $14 million—the most expensive celebrity pictures ever taken.[236][237] The couple donated the proceeds to the Jolie-Pitt Foundation.[236][238]
Since Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt on September 19, 2016, they have been embroiled in a custody battle over their children. Jolie had full custody until May 2021 when Pitt was granted joint custody, over four and a half years after proceedings began.[239] However, in July, Los Angeles superior court judge John W. Ouderkirk was removed from the case due to concerns over his impartiality as he did not sufficiently disclose business relationships with Pitt's lawyers. This resulted in the custody arrangement reverting to a previous November 2018 agreement where Jolie has primary physical custody while Pitt has "custodial time" with their minor children.[240][241]
In 2025 Pitt's 18-year-old second-eldest daughter with Jolie changed her name legally from Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt to Shiloh Nouvel Jolie (Shi Joli for short).[242] Zahara Marley Jolie and Vivienne Marceline Jolie are also reported to have dropped "-Pitt" from the surnames they use, but it is not known if this was changed in law.[243]
Abuse allegation
In September 2016, theFBI and the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services investigated Pitt forchild abuse following an incident on a plane, where Pitt was accused by an anonymous person of being "verbally abusive" and "physical" towards one of his children.[244] Pitt was not criminally charged for the incident by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, or by the FBI.[245]
In 2022, Jolie filed a countersuit against Pitt during a legal battle over their formerly co-owned vineyard. Jolie's lawyers stated that during negotiations, Pitt had asked Jolie to sign "anondisclosure agreement prohibiting her from speaking outside of court about his abuse of her and their children."[222] Her complaint stated that he grabbed and shook her during the plane ride,strangled one of their children, and struck another in the face, among other allegations.[222]
On the release of Pitt's 2025 filmF1, to much praise from most sources,Angelica Jade Bastién wrote an article published inVulture criticizing his "rehabilitation", saying, "It isn't that people don't believe what happened to Jolie on that plane—they just don't care."[246]
Alcohol and drug use
In September 2016, Pitt got sober and began attendingAlcoholics Anonymous meetings.[247] In December 2019, he wrote an article forInterview in which he talked with hisLegends of the Fall andMeet Joe Black costar and fellow recovering alcoholicAnthony Hopkins about their experiences with addiction and recovery.[248] Pitt credits fellow actorBradley Cooper with helping him in his sobriety.[249]
Pitt has admitted to usingcannabis in the late 1990s as a way to deal with his increasing fame.[250][251] According to Pitt: "I was hiding out from the celebrity thing; I was smoking way too much dope; I was sitting on the couch and just turning into a doughnut."[250][251][252] He reduced his cannabis use and focused on his work after a trip to Morocco, where he witnessed extreme poverty and suffering.[250][251]
Face blindness
In 2022, Pitt said that he had struggled for years to recognize people's faces due toprosopagnosia (face blindness),[253] for which he has not been formally diagnosed.[253][254] In a 2013 interview, he said that his inability to recognize people's faces had become so severe that he often wanted to stay home.[255]
Artworks
Pitt has an interest in art, learned pottery,[256] and has created sculptures. Nine of his sculptures were exhibited together with works by musicianNick Cave and artistThomas Houseago at the Sara Hildén Art Museum inTampere, Finland, in 2022 and 2023.[257][258]
Pitt has been frequently cited as one of the most attractive actors of all time and has been described as asex symbol by many sources, includingEmpire, who named him one of the 25 sexiest stars in film history in 1995.[16][259][260] The same year, he was namedPeople'sSexiest Man Alive, an accolade he received again in 2000.[259][261] Pitt appeared onForbes' annualCelebrity 100 list of the 100 most powerful celebrities from 2006 to 2008 placing at numbers 20, 5 and 10, respectively.[262][263][264] In 2007, he appeared on theTime 100 list, a compilation of the 100 most influential people in the world, as selected annually byTime magazine.[265] The magazine credited Pitt for using "his star power to get people to look at places and stories that cameras don't usually catch".[265] He was again included on theTime 100 in 2009, this time in the "Builders and Titans" list.[266] As of 2025[update], Pitt's films have grossed over $7.5billion worldwide, according toThe Numbers.[267]
Beginning in 2005, Pitt's relationship with Angelina Jolie became one of the world's most reported celebrity stories. After Jolie was confirmed to be pregnant in early 2006, the intense media hype surrounding the couple reached whatReuters, in a story titled "The Brangelina fever," called "the point of insanity".[268] To avoid media attention, the couple flew toNamibia for the birth of their daughter, which was described by a paparazzi blog as "the most anticipated baby since Jesus Christ."[269] Similarly, intense media interest greeted the announcement of Jolie's second pregnancy two years later; for the two weeks Jolie spent in a seaside hospital inNice, reporters and photographers camped outside on the promenade to report on the birth.[270]
In a 2006 global industry survey byACNielsen in 42 international markets, Pitt, together with Jolie, were found to be the favorite celebrity endorsers for brands and products worldwide.[271] Pitt has appeared in several television commercials. For the U.S. market, he starred in aHeineken commercial aired during the2005 Super Bowl; it was directed by David Fincher, who had directed Pitt inSeven andFight Club.[272] Other commercial appearances came in television spots includingAcura Integra, in which he was featured opposite Russian modelTatiana Sorokko,[273] as well asSoftBank, andEdwin Jeans.[274] On June 2, 2015, theminor planet 29132 Bradpitt was named in his honor.[275]
Pitt does not usesocial media and has no accounts on any social media platform.[276][277]
^ab"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. RetrievedJuly 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.
^Portman, Jamie (September 16, 1995). "Into the Pitt: The actor talks about how he chooses roles – and how his last one may have done him permanent injury".The Hamilton Spectator. p. 7.
^Ratliff, Larry (March 28, 1997). "Sexy integrity – Brad Pitt worked hard to match co-star Ford's 'every day look'".San Antonio Express-News. p. 10H.[Brad] Pitt had to master an Irish accent [inThe Devil's Own] to play the bitter freedom fighter who befriends the New York cop portrayed by [Harrison] Ford.
^David Rooney (September 13, 1999)."Fight Club Review".Variety.Archived from the original on December 8, 2008. RetrievedOctober 15, 2008.
^Dennis Lim (November 8, 2009)."'Fight Club' Fight Goes On".The New York Times.Archived from the original on March 10, 2012. RetrievedDecember 10, 2009.
^Mick LaSalle (January 19, 2001)."Pitt Finds His Groove".San Francisco Chronicle.Archived from the original on October 18, 2011. RetrievedDecember 31, 2008.
^Geoff Pevere (May 24, 2006). "Babel speaks volumes – Movie lauded as first hit at 2006 Cannes film fest Star Brad Pitt a no-show as he awaits baby's birth".Toronto Star. p. E01.
^Claudia Eller (January 24, 2007)."Academy to ponder credit for 'Departed'".Los Angeles Times. p. 2. Archived fromthe original on October 18, 2017. RetrievedNovember 14, 2008.Along with [Graham] King, [Brad] Grey and his former producing partner, actor Brad Pitt, were given screen credit on the movie by Warner.
^abAndrew Pulver (August 27, 2008)."Review: Burn After Reading".The Guardian. UK.Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. RetrievedOctober 15, 2008.
^Scott Lamb (January 17, 2006)."The Fix".Salon.com. Archived fromthe original on February 9, 2011. RetrievedJanuary 28, 2009.
^"Big Lenders".RedEye (Chicago Tribune). May 11, 2007. p. 72.Archived from the original on May 4, 2017. RetrievedMay 4, 2017.Refugee camps in Darfur and neighboring Chad are receiving a big dose of help from Bradgelina. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are donating $1 million to humanitarian efforts there through their Jolie-Pitt Foundation ... The money ... will go to three organizations that help millions of displaced refugees in and around Darfur.
^Heinz, Thomas A.; Makinson, Randell L.; Pitt, Brad (2000).Greene & Greene : the Blacker House (1st ed.). Salt Lake City: Gibbs Smith.ISBN978-0879059491.OCLC43095954.
^"Does Jolie lead Hollywood by example?".Access Hollywood.MSNBC. July 17, 2006.Archived from the original on September 2, 2012. RetrievedNovember 14, 2008.Brad Pitt—whose most recent cause has been close to home and heart—working with Global Green USA ... on a competition to choose ecologically sound designs for rebuilding neighborhoods in post-Katrina New Orleans.
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