American actor (born 1963)
William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. He is the💷 recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime💷 Emmy Award. As a public figure, Pitt has been cited as one of the most powerful and influential people in💷 the American entertainment industry.
Pitt first gained recognition as a cowboy hitchhiker in the Ridley Scott road film Thelma & Louise💷 (1991). His first leading roles in big-budget productions came with the drama films A River Runs Through It (1992) and💷 Legends of the Fall (1994). He also starred in the horror film Interview with the Vampire (1994), alongside Tom Cruise.💷 He gave critically acclaimed performances in David Fincher's crime thriller Seven (1995) and the science fiction film 12 Monkeys (1995).💷 The latter earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor and his first Academy Award nomination.
Pitt found greater💷 commercial success starring in Steven Soderbergh's heist film Ocean's Eleven (2001), and reprised his role in its sequels. He cemented💷 his leading man status starring in blockbusters such as the historical epic Troy (2004), the romantic crime film Mr. &💷 Mrs. Smith (2005), the horror film World War Z (2013), and the action film Bullet Train (2024). Pitt also starred💷 in the critically acclaimed films Fight Club (1999), Babel (2006), The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford💷 (2007), Burn After Reading (2008), Inglourious Basterds (2009), The Tree of Life (2011), and The Big Short (2024). Pitt received💷 Academy Award nominations for his performances in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) and Moneyball (2011), and he won💷 the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing a stuntman in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2024).
In 2001,💷 Pitt co-founded the production company Plan B Entertainment.[3] He produced The Departed (2006), 12 Years a Slave (2013), and Moonlight💷 (2024), all of which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, while others such as The Tree of Life (2011),💷 Moneyball (2011), Selma (2014), and The Big Short (2024) were nominated for the award.
Pitt was named People's Sexiest Man Alive💷 in 1995 and 2000. His personal life is the subject of wide publicity. He is divorced from actresses Jennifer Aniston💷 and Angelina Jolie. Pitt has six children with Jolie, three of whom were adopted internationally.
Early life
William Bradley Pitt was born💷 on December 18, 1963, in Shawnee, Oklahoma, to William Alvin Pitt, the proprietor of a trucking company, and Jane Etta💷 (née Hillhouse), a school counselor.[4] The family soon moved to Springfield, Missouri, where he lived together with his younger siblings,💷 Douglas Pitt (born 1966) and Julie Neal (born 1969).[5] Born into a conservative Christian household,[6][7] he was raised as Southern💷 Baptist and later "oscillate[d] between agnosticism and atheism."[8] He later reconciled his belief in spirituality.[9] Pitt has described Springfield as💷 "Mark Twain country, Jesse James country," having grown up with "a lot of hills, a lot of lakes."[10]
Pitt attended Kickapoo💷 High School, where he was a member of the golf, swimming, and tennis teams.[11] He participated in the school's Key💷 and Forensics clubs, in school debates, and in musicals.[12] Following his graduation from high school, Pitt enrolled in the University💷 of Missouri in 1982, majoring in journalism with a focus on advertising.[13] 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.[14][15] 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.[14] He has named Gary💷 Oldman, Sean Penn, and Mickey Rourke as his early acting heroes.[16]
Career
Early work (1987–1993)
While struggling to establish himself in Los Angeles,💷 Pitt took lessons from acting coach Roy London.[12][17] His acting career began in 1987, with uncredited parts in the films💷 No Way Out (1987), No Man's Land (1987) and Less than Zero (1987).[12][18] In May 1987, he made his television💷 debut in a two-episode role on the NBC soap opera Another World.[19] In November of the same year, Pitt had💷 a guest appearance on the CBS sitcom Trial and Error[20][21] and the ABC sitcom Growing Pains.[22] He appeared in four💷 episodes of the CBS primetime series Dallas between December 1987 and February 1988 as Randy, the boyfriend of Charlie Wade💷 (played by Shalane McCall).[23] Later in 1988, Pitt made a guest appearance on the Fox police drama 21 Jump Street.[24]💷 In the same year, the Yugoslavian–U.S. co-production The Dark Side of the Sun (1988) was his first leading film role,💷 starring as a young American taken by his family to the Adriatic to find a remedy for a skin condition.💷 The film was shelved at the outbreak of the Croatian War of Independence, and was not released until 1997.[12] Pitt💷 made two motion picture appearances in 1989: the first in a supporting role in the comedy Happy Together; the second💷 a featured role in the horror film Cutting Class, the first of Pitt's films to reach theaters.[22] He made guest💷 appearances on television series Head of the Class, Freddy's Nightmares, Thirtysomething, and (for a second time) Growing Pains.[25]
Pitt was cast💷 as Billy Canton, a drug addict who takes advantage of a young runaway (played by Juliette Lewis) in the 1990💷 NBC television movie Too Young to Die?, the story of an abused teenager sentenced to death for a murder. Ken💷 Tucker of Entertainment Weekly wrote: "Pitt is a magnificent slimeball as her hoody boyfriend; looking and sounding like a malevolent💷 John Cougar Mellencamp, he's really scary."[26] The same year, Pitt co-starred in six episodes of the short-lived Fox drama Glory💷 Days and took a supporting role in the HBO television film The Image.[27] His next appearance came in the 1991💷 film Across the Tracks; Pitt portrayed Joe Maloney, a high school runner with a criminal brother, played by Rick Schroder.[28]💷 The same year he featured in a Levi's jeans TV commercial based around the song "20th Century Boy" which played💷 in the background.[29] After years of supporting roles in film and frequent television guest appearances, Pitt attracted wider recognition in💷 his supporting role in Ridley Scott's 1991 road film Thelma & Louise.[27] 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 a sex💷 symbol.[22][30] After Thelma & Louise, Pitt starred in the 1991 film Johnny Suede, a low-budget picture about an aspiring rock💷 star,[31] and the 1992 live-action/animated fantasy film Cool World,[22] although neither furthered his career, having poor reviews and box office💷 performance.[32][33]
Pitt took on the role of Paul Maclean in the 1992 biographical film A River Runs Through It, directed by💷 Robert Redford.[34] His portrayal of the character was described by People's Janet Mock as a career-making performance,[35] proving that Pitt💷 could be more than a "cowboy-hatted hunk."[36] He has admitted to feeling under pressure when making the film[5] 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."[5] 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."[35][36] In 1993, Pitt reunited with Juliette Lewis for the road film Kalifornia. He played Early Grayce,💷 a serial killer and the abusive husband of Lewis' character, in a performance described by Peter Travers of Rolling Stone💷 as "outstanding, all boyish charm and then a snort that exudes pure menace."[37] Pitt also garnered attention for a brief💷 appearance in the cult hit True Romance as a stoner named Floyd, providing comic relief to the action film.[38] He💷 capped the year by winning a ShoWest Award for Male Star of Tomorrow.[39]
Breakthrough (1994–1998)
Pitt with Losang Thonden in Argentina on💷 the set of Seven Years in Tibet in 1997
In 1994, Pitt portrayed the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac in💷 the horror film Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles, based on Anne Rice's 1976 novel of the same name.[40]💷 He was part of an ensemble cast that included Tom Cruise, Kirsten Dunst, Christian Slater, and Antonio Banderas.[40] Despite his💷 winning two MTV Movie Awards at the 1995 ceremony,[41] his performance was poorly received. According to the Dallas Observer, "Brad💷 Pitt [...] is a large part of the problem [in the film]. When directors play up his cocky, hunkish, folksy💷 side [...] he's a joy to watch. But there's nothing about him that suggests inner torment or even self-awareness, which💷 makes him a boring Louis."[42]
Following the release of Interview with the Vampire, Pitt starred in Legends of the Fall (1994),[43]💷 based on a novel by the same name by Jim 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) a Cornish immigrant,[44] Pitt received💷 his first Golden Globe Award nomination, in the Best Actor category.[45] Aidan Quinn and Henry Thomas co-starred as Pitt's brothers.💷 Although the film's reception was mixed,[46] many film critics praised Pitt's performance. Janet Maslin of The 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."[47] The Deseret News predicted that Legends of the Fall would solidify Pitt's reputation as a lead actor.[48]
In 1995,💷 Pitt starred alongside Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kevin Spacey in the crime thriller Seven, playing a detective on the💷 trail of a serial killer who preys on people he considers guilty of the Seven Deadly Sins.[49] Pitt called it💷 a great movie and declared the part would expand his acting horizons.[50] He expressed his intent to move on from💷 "this 'pretty boy' thing [...] and play someone with flaws."[51] His performance was critically well received, with Variety 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.[52] Seven earnedR$327 million at the international box office.[32]
Following the success of Seven, Pitt played psychotic anarchist Jeffrey💷 Goines in Terry Gilliam's 1995 science fiction film 12 Monkeys. The movie received predominantly positive reviews, with Pitt praised in💷 particular. Janet Maslin of The New York Times called Twelve 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."[53] He won a💷 Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film[45] and received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting💷 Actor.[54]
The following year, he appeared in the legal drama Sleepers (1996), based on Lorenzo Carcaterra's novel of the same name.[55]💷 The film received mixed reviews.[56] In the 1997 film The Devil's Own Pitt starred, opposite Harrison Ford, as Irish Republican💷 Army terrorist Rory Devany,[57] a role for which he was required to learn an Irish accent.[58] 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 the San Francisco Chronicle.[59] The Charleston Gazette opined that it had💷 favored Pitt's accent over the movie.[60] The Devil's Own grossedR$140 million worldwide,[32] but was a critical failure.
Later that year, he💷 led as Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer in the Jean-Jacques Annaud film Seven Years in Tibet.[61] Pitt trained for months for💷 the role, which demanded significant mountain climbing and trekking practice, including rock climbing in California and the European Alps with💷 his co-star David Thewlis.[62] Pitt had the lead role in 1998's fantasy romance film Meet Joe Black. He portrayed a💷 personification of death inhabiting the body of a young man to learn what it is like to be human.[63] The💷 film received mixed reviews, and many were critical of Pitt's performance. According to Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle,💷 Pitt was unable to "make an audience believe that he knows all the mysteries of death and eternity."[64] Roger Ebert💷 remarked, "Pitt is a fine actor, but this performance is a miscalculation."[65]
Rise to prominence (1999–2003)
In 1999, Pitt portrayed Tyler Durden💷 in Fight Club,[66][67] a film adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's novel of the same name, directed by David Fincher.[68] Pitt prepared💷 for the part with lessons in boxing, taekwondo, and grappling.[69] To look the part, Pitt consented to the removal of💷 pieces of his front teeth which were restored when filming ended.[70] While promoting Fight 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."[71] Fight Club premiered at the 1999 Venice International Film Festival.[72] Despite divided💷 critical opinion on the film as a whole,[73][74] Pitt's performance was widely praised. Paul Clinton of CNN noted the risky💷 yet successful nature of the film,[75] while Variety remarked upon Pitt's ability to be "cool, charismatic and more dynamically physical,💷 perhaps than [...] his breakthrough role in Thelma and Louise".[76] In spite of a worse-than-expected box office performance, Fight Club💷 became a cult classic after its DVD release in 2000.[77]
Pitt in 2001
Pitt was cast as an Irish Traveller boxer with💷 a barely intelligible accent in Guy Ritchie's 2000 gangster film Snatch.[78] Several reviewers were critical of Snatch; however, most praised💷 Pitt.[79] Mick LaSalle of the San 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, before Snatch, 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;"[80] while Amy💷 Taubin of The Village Voice claimed that "Pitt gets maximum comic mileage out of a one-joke role".[81]
The following year Pitt💷 starred opposite Julia Roberts in the romantic comedy The Mexican,[82] a film that garnered a range of reviews[83] but enjoyed💷 box office success.[32] Pitt's next role, in 2001'sR$143 million-grossing Cold War thriller Spy Game,[32] was as Tom Bishop, an operative💷 of the CIA's Special Activities Division, mentored by Robert Redford's character.[84] Mark Holcomb of Salon enjoyed the film, although he💷 noted that neither Pitt nor Redford provided "much of an emotional connection for the audience".[85]
On November 22, 2001, Pitt made💷 a guest appearance in the eighth season of the television series Friends, playing a man with a grudge against Rachel💷 Green, played by Jennifer Aniston, to whom Pitt was married at the time.[86] For this performance he was nominated for💷 an Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.[87] In December 2001, Pitt played Rusty💷 Ryan in the heist film Ocean's Eleven, a remake of the 1960 Rat Pack original. He joined an ensemble cast💷 including George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy García, and Julia Roberts.[88] Well received by critics, Ocean's Eleven was highly successful at💷 the box office, earningR$450 million worldwide.[32]
Pitt appeared in two episodes of MTV's reality series Jackass in February 2002, first running💷 through the streets of Los Angeles with several cast members in gorilla suits,[89] and in a subsequent episode participating in💷 his own staged abduction.[90] In the same year, Pitt had a cameo role in George Clooney's directorial debut Confessions of💷 a Dangerous Mind.[91] He took on his first voice-acting roles in 2003, speaking as the titular character of the DreamWorks💷 animated film Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas[92] and playing Boomhauer's brother, Patch, in an episode of the animated television💷 series King of the Hill.[93]
Worldwide recognition (2004–2008)
Pitt had two major film roles in 2004, starring as Achilles in Troy, and💷 reprising his role, Rusty Ryan, in the sequel Ocean's Twelve. He spent six months sword training before the filming of💷 Troy, based on the Iliad.[94] An on-set injury to his Achilles tendon delayed production on the picture for several weeks.[95]💷 Stephen Hunter of The Washington Post stated that Pitt excelled at such a demanding role.[96] Troy was the first film💷 produced by Plan B Entertainment, a film production company he had founded two years earlier with Jennifer Aniston and Brad💷 Grey, CEO of Paramount Pictures.[97] Ocean's Twelve earnedR$362 million worldwide,[32] and Pitt and Clooney's dynamic was described by CNN's Paul💷 Clinton as "the best male chemistry since Paul Newman and Robert Redford."[98] In 2005, Pitt starred as John Smith in💷 the Doug Liman-directed action comedy Mr. & Mrs. Smith, in which a bored married couple discover that each is an💷 assassin sent to kill the other. The feature received reasonable reviews but was generally lauded for the chemistry between Pitt💷 and Angelina Jolie, who played his character's wife Jane Smith. The Star Tribune noted that "while the story feels haphazard,💷 the movie gets by on gregarious charm, galloping energy and the stars' thermonuclear screen chemistry".[99] Mr. & Mrs. Smith earnedR$478💷 million worldwide, making it one of the biggest hits of 2005.[100]
Pitt at the premiere of Burn After Reading in 2008
For💷 his next film, Pitt starred opposite Cate Blanchett in Alejandro González Iñárritu's multi-narrative drama Babel (2006).[101] Pitt's performance was critically💷 well-received, and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer said that he was credible and gave the film visibility.[102] Pitt later said he regarded💷 taking the part as one of the best decisions of his career.[103] The film was screened at a special presentation💷 at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival[104] and was later featured at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival.[105] Babel received seven💷 Academy and Golden Globe award nominations, winning the Best Drama Golden Globe, and earned Pitt a nomination for the Best💷 Supporting Actor Golden Globe.[45] That same year, Pitt's company Plan B Entertainment produced The Departed, which won the Academy Award💷 for Best Picture. Pitt was credited on-screen as a producer; however, only Graham King was ruled eligible for the Oscar💷 win.[106]
Reprising his role as Rusty Ryan in a third picture, Pitt starred in 2007's Ocean's Thirteen.[107] While less lucrative than💷 the first two films, this sequel earnedR$311 million at the international box office.[32] Pitt's next film role was as American💷 outlaw Jesse James in the 2007 Western drama The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, adapted from💷 Ron Hansen's 1983 novel of the same name.[108] Directed by Andrew Dominik and produced by Pitt's company Plan B Entertainment,💷 the film premiered at the 2007 Venice Film Festival,[109] with Pitt playing a "scary and charismatic" role, according to Lewis💷 Beale of Film Journal International,[110] and earning Pitt the Volpi Cup award for Best Actor at the 64th Venice International💷 Film Festival.[111] He eventually collected the award one year later at the 2008 festival.[112] As of January 2024, it was💷 his own favorite of his films.[113]
Pitt's next appearance was in the 2008 black comedy Burn After Reading, his first collaboration💷 with the Coen brothers. The film received a positive reception from critics, with The Guardian calling it "a tightly wound,💷 slickly plotted spy comedy",[114] noting that Pitt's performance was one of the funniest.[114] He was later cast as Benjamin Button,💷 the lead in David Fincher's 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a loosely adapted version of a 1921💷 short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The story follows a man who is born an octogenarian and ages in reverse,[115]💷 with Pitt's "sensitive" performance making Benjamin Button a "timeless masterpiece", according to Michael Sragow of The Baltimore Sun.[116] The performance💷 earned Pitt his first Screen Actors Guild Award nomination,[117] as well as a fourth Golden Globe and second Academy Award💷 nomination,[45][118] all in the category for Best Actor. The film received thirteen Academy Award nominations, and grossedR$329 million at the💷 box office worldwide.[32]
Established actor (2009–present)
Pitt at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival
Pitt's next leading role came in 2009 with the Quentin💷 Tarantino-directed war film Inglourious Basterds, which premiered at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.[119] Pitt played Lieutenant Aldo Raine, an American💷 resistance fighter battling Nazis in German-occupied France.[120] The film was a box office hit, takingR$311 million worldwide,[32] and garnered generally💷 favorable reviews.[121] The film received multiple awards and nominations, including eight Academy Award nominations and seven MTV Movie Award nominations,💷 including Best Male Performance for Pitt.[122][123] He next voiced the superhero character Metro Man in the 2010 animated feature Megamind.[124]💷 Pitt produced and appeared in Terrence Malick's experimental drama The Tree of Life, co-starring Sean Penn, which won the Palme💷 d'Or at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.[125] In a performance that attracted strong praise, he portrayed the Oakland Athletics general💷 manager Billy Beane in the drama Moneyball, which is based on the 2003 book of the same name written by💷 Michael Lewis.[126] Moneyball received six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Actor for Pitt.[127]
His next role was as💷 mob hitman Jackie Cogan in Andrew Dominik's 2012 Killing Them Softly, based on the novel Cogan's Trade by George V.💷 Higgins.[128] In 2013, Pitt starred in World War Z, a thriller about a zombie apocalypse, based on Max Brooks's novel💷 of the same name. Pitt also produced the film.[129] World War Z grossedR$540 million at the box office worldwide,[32] becoming💷 Pitt's highest grossing picture.[130] Next in 2013, he produced, and played a small role in, 12 Years a Slave, a💷 historical drama based on the autobiography of Solomon Northup.[131] The film received critical acclaim[132] and was nominated for nine Academy💷 Awards, winning three, including Best Picture.[133] Also in 2013, Pitt had a supporting role in Ridley Scott's The Counselor.[134] Plan💷 B Entertainment landed its first television series on the 2013–2014 schedule, as their joint venture with ABC Studios, the sci-fi/fantasy💷 drama Resurrection, was picked up by ABC.[135]
Pitt at the Japan premiere of War Machine in 2024
Pitt starred in Fury, a💷 World War II film directed and written by David Ayer, and co-starring Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Jon Bernthal, Michael Peña,💷 and Jason Isaacs.[136][137][138] The film was released on October 17, 2014.[136] By the end of its run, Fury proved to💷 be a commercial and critical success; it grossed more thanR$211 million worldwide[32] and received highly positive reviews from critics.[139] In💷 2024, 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's Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Pitt's💷 next role came with the biographical comedy-drama The Big Short, which he also produced and also co-starred alongside Christian Bale,💷 Steve Carell, and Ryan Gosling. The film was a commercial and critical success. It went on to gross overR$102 million💷 worldwide[140] and received positive reviews from critics.[141][142] The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, earning Pitt💷 his third Academy Award nomination as producer. In 2024, Pitt starred in Robert Zemeckis's romantic thriller Allied, in which he💷 plays an assassin who falls in love with a French spy (played by Marion Cotillard) during a mission to kill💷 a German official in World War II.[143][144] In 2024, he starred in the Netflix satirical war comedy War Machine,[145] which💷 he also produced.[146] Pitt played a recurring role as a weatherman on the late-night talk show The Jim Jefferies Show💷 throughout 2024.[147]
A 2024 sequel to World War Z was in announced in 2024,[148] before the film was briefly delayed, then💷 confirmed to be directed by David Fincher, and then ultimately shelved due to budget issues.[149][150] Pitt starred as Cliff Booth,💷 a stunt double, opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, in Quentin Tarantino's 2024 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, reuniting with DiCaprio💷 after The Departed, which Pitt produced and DiCaprio starred in.[151] For his performance in the film, he received awards for💷 Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, BAFTA Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and Critics' Choice Movie💷 Awards.[152] This is the second Academy Award for Brad Pitt, his first that he received for acting.[153] In 2024, he💷 also starred in James Gray's deep space epic Ad Astra, in which he played Roy McBride, a space engineer searching💷 the galaxy for his father.[154] Pitt's performance was praised as one of his career-best turn,[155][156] delivering a performance "that weaponizes💷 passivity into a lethal form of self-defense".[157] On April 25, 2024 Pitt portrayed Dr. Anthony Fauci in the cold open💷 on Saturday Night Live earning a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series nomination.
In 2024, Pitt💷 entered the recording business by creating a company with French record producer Damien Quintard. Set in Pitt's Chateau Miraval in💷 South of France, Miraval Studios will re-open in 2024 after two decades of inactivity. The previous version of the studio💷 was one of the most iconic studios in the world, producing the records for Pink Floyd, the Cranberries, AC/DC, Sade💷 and Muse, among others.[158]
In 2024, Pitt starred in Bullet Train, directed by David Leitch,[159] and reunited with his Once Upon💷 a Time in Hollywood co-star Margot Robbie in Babylon, directed by Damien Chazelle.[160] In September 2024, it was revealed that💷 he will reteam with George Clooney in a thriller film written and directed by Jon Watts.[161] On January 5, 2024,💷 he signed on to star in and produce a racing film on Formula One, directed by Joseph Kosinski,[162] for which💷 he will earnR$30 million.[163]
Philanthropy and activism
Pitt visited the University of Missouri campus in October 2004 to encourage students to vote💷 in the 2004 U.S. presidential election,[164] in which he supported John Kerry.[164][165] Later in October, he publicly supported the principle💷 of public funding for embryonic 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.[166] In support💷 of this he endorsed Proposition 71, a California ballot initiative intended to provide state government funding for stem-cell research.[167]
Pitt at💷 the "Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict" in 2014
Pitt supports One Campaign, an organization aimed at combating AIDS💷 and poverty in the developing world.[168][169] He narrated the 2005 PBS public television series Rx for Survival: A Global Health💷 Challenge, which discusses current global health issues.[170] The following year Pitt and Jolie flew to Haiti, where they visited a💷 school supported by Yéle Haïti, a charity founded by Haitian-born hip hop musician Wyclef Jean.[171] In May 2007, Pitt and💷 Jolie donatedR$1 million to three organizations in Chad and Sudan dedicated to those affected by the crisis in the Darfur💷 region.[172] Along with Clooney, Damon, Don Cheadle, David Pressman, and Jerry Weintraub, Pitt is one of the founders of Not💷 On Our Watch, an organization that focuses global attention on stopping "mass atrocities".[173]
Pitt has a sustained interest in architecture,[174] even💷 taking time away from film to study computer-aided design at the Los Angeles offices of renowned architect Frank Gehry.[175] He💷 narrated e2 design, a PBS television series focused on worldwide efforts to build environmentally friendly structures through sustainable architecture and💷 design.[176] In 2000, he co-authored an architectural book on the Blacker House with the architects Thomas A. Heinz and Randell💷 Makinson.[177] In 2006, he founded the Make It Right Foundation, organizing housing professionals in New Orleans to finance and construct💷 150 sustainable, affordable new houses in New Orleans's Ninth Ward following the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.[178][179]
The project involves 13💷 architectural firms and the environmental organization Global Green USA, with several of the firms donating their services.[180][181] Pitt and philanthropist💷 Steve Bing have each committedR$5 million in donations.[182] The first six homes were completed in October 2008,[183] and in September💷 2009 Pitt received an award in recognition of the project from the U.S. Green Building Council, a non-profit trade organization💷 that promotes sustainability in how buildings are designed, built and operated.[184][185] Pitt met with U.S. President Barack Obama and Speaker💷 of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi in March 2009 to promote his concept of green housing as a national💷 model and to discuss federal funding possibilities.[186]
In September 2006, Pitt and Jolie established a charitable organization, the Jolie-Pitt Foundation, to💷 aid humanitarian causes around the world.[187] The foundation made initial donations ofR$1 million each to Global Action for Children and💷 Doctors Without Borders,[188] followed by an October 2006 donation ofR$100,000 to the Daniel Pearl Foundation, an organization created in memory💷 of the late American journalist Daniel Pearl.[189] According to federal filings, Pitt and Jolie investedR$8.5 million into the foundation in💷 2006; it gave awayR$2.4 million in 2006[190] andR$3.4 million in 2007.[191] In June 2009, the Jolie-Pitt Foundation donatedR$1 million to💷 a U.N. refugee agency to help Pakistanis displaced by fighting between troops and Taliban militants.[192] In January 2010, the foundation💷 donatedR$1 million to Doctors Without Borders for emergency medical assistance to help victims of the Haiti earthquake.[193][194]
Pitt is a supporter💷 of same-sex marriage.[195] In an October 2006 interview with Esquire, Pitt said that he would marry Jolie when everyone in💷 America is legally able to marry.[196] In September 2008, he donatedR$100,000 to the campaign against California's 2008 ballot proposition Proposition💷 8, an initiative to overturn the state Supreme Court decision that had legalized same-sex marriage.[197] In March 2012, Pitt was💷 featured in a performance of Dustin Lance Black's play, 8 – a staged reenactment of the federal trial that overturned💷 California's Prop 8 ban on same-sex marriage – as Judge Vaughn Walker.[198]
In September 2012, Pitt reaffirmed his support for Obama,💷 saying, "I am an Obama supporter and I'm backing his U.S. election campaign."[199] In October 2024, he narrated an advertisement💷 for Joe Biden's 2024 presidential campaign.[200]
Personal life
Relationships
From the late 1980s to early 1990s, Pitt was romantically involved with several of💷 his co-stars, including Robin Givens (Head of the Class),[201] Jill Schoelen (Cutting Class),[201] and Juliette Lewis (Too Young to Die?💷 and Kalifornia).[35] Subsequently, Pitt had a much-publicized romance and engagement to his Seven co-star, Gwyneth Paltrow, whom he dated from💷 1994 to 1997.[201]
Pitt met actress Jennifer Aniston in 1998; they married in a private wedding ceremony in Malibu on July💷 29, 2000.[202] In January 2005, Pitt and Aniston announced they had decided to separate. Two months later, Aniston filed for💷 divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.[203] Pitt and Aniston's divorce was finalized by the Los Angeles Superior Court on October 2, 2005.[203]💷 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.[204]
During Pitt's divorce💷 proceedings, his involvement with his Mr. & Mrs. Smith co-star Angelina Jolie attracted media attention. Jolie and Pitt stated that💷 they fell in love on the set[205][206] and that there was no infidelity.[205] 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 in💷 Kenya; 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".[207] On January 11, 2006, Jolie confirmed to💷 People that she was pregnant with Pitt's child, thereby publicly acknowledging their relationship for the first time.[208] Pitt and Jolie💷 announced their engagement in April 2012 after seven years together.[209] They were legally married on August 14, 2014, in Los💷 Angeles. They had their wedding in a private ceremony in Château Miraval, France on August 23, 2014.[210] On September 19,💷 2024, Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt, citing irreconcilable differences.[211] On April 12, 2024, the court declared Jolie and Pitt💷 legally single.[212]
In 2024, Pitt began dating Ines de Ramon, a jewelry designer who is 29 years younger than he.[213]
Children
In July💷 2005, Pitt accompanied Jolie to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where she adopted her second child, Zahara Marley.[214][215] On December 3, 2005,💷 Pitt was in the process of becoming the adoptive father of Zahara, and Jolie's first adopted child, Maddox Chivan.[216] On💷 January 19, 2006, a California judge granted Jolie's request to change the children's surnames from "Jolie" to "Jolie-Pitt".[217] The adoptions💷 were finalized soon after.[218]
Jolie gave birth to daughter Shiloh Nouvel in Swakopmund, Namibia, on May 27, 2006. Pitt confirmed that💷 their newborn daughter would qualify for a Namibian passport.[219] The couple sold the first pictures of Shiloh through the distributor💷 Getty Images; the North American rights were purchased by People for overR$4.1 million, while Hello! obtained the British rights for💷 approximatelyR$3.5 million. The proceeds from the sale were donated to charities serving African children.[220] Madame Tussauds in New York unveiled💷 a wax figure of two-month-old Shiloh; it marked the first time an infant had been honoured with a statue in💷 the museum.[221]
On March 15, 2007, Jolie adopted three-year-old Pax Thien from an orphanage in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.[222] Pitt💷 adopted Pax in the United States on February 21, 2008.[223]
At the Cannes Film Festival in May 2008, Jolie confirmed that💷 she was expecting twins.[224] She gave birth to son Knox Léon and daughter Vivienne Marcheline on July 12, 2008 in💷 Nice, France.[225] The rights for the first
of Knox and Vivienne were jointly sold to People and Hello! forR$14💷 million—the most expensive celebrity pictures ever taken.[226][227] The couple donated the proceeds to the Jolie-Pitt Foundation.[226][228]
In September 2024, the FBI💷 and the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services investigated Pitt for child 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.[229]💷 In its final report on the investigation, the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services ruled that Pitt💷 did not physically abuse any of his children. Pitt was also cleared by the FBI of any wrongdoing.[230]
Since Jolie filed💷 for divorce from Pitt on September 19, 2024, they have been embroiled in a custody battle over their children. Jolie💷 had full custody until May 2024 when Pitt was granted joint custody, over four and a half years after proceedings💷 began.[231] 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 2024 agreement where Jolie has primary physical custody while Pitt has "custodial time" with their💷 minor children.[232][233]
Alcoholism
In September 2024, Pitt got sober and began attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.[234] In December 2024, he wrote an article💷 for Interview in which he talked with his Legends of the Fall and Meet Joe Black costar and fellow recovering💷 alcoholic Anthony Hopkins about their experiences with addiction and recovery.[235]
Cannabis use
Pitt has admitted to using cannabis in the late '90s💷 as a way to deal with his increasing fame.[236][237] 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."[236][237][238] He💷 reduced his cannabis use and focused on his work after a trip to Morocco, where he witnessed extreme poverty and💷 suffering.[236][237]
Prosopagnosia
In 2024, Pitt said that he had struggled for years to recognize people's faces due to prosopagnosia (face blindness).[239] 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.[240] Formally, however, Pitt has not been diagnosed with prosopagnosia.[239][241]
Artworks
Pitt has an interest in art, learned pottery,[242] and💷 has created sculptures. Nine of his sculptures were exhibited together with works by musician Nick Cave and artist Thomas Houseago💷 at the Sara Hildén Art Museum in Tampere, Finland in 2024–2024.[243][244]
Public image
Pitt has been described as a sex symbol by💷 many sources, including Empire, who named him one of the 25 sexiest stars in film history in 1995.[12][245][246] The same💷 year, he was named People's Sexiest Man Alive, an accolade he received again in 2000.[245][247] Pitt appeared on Forbes' annual💷 Celebrity 100 list of the 100 most powerful celebrities from 2006 to 2008 placing at numbers 20, 5 and 10,💷 respectively.[248][249][250] In 2007, he appeared on the Time 100 list, a compilation of the 100 most influential people in the💷 world, as selected annually by Time magazine.[251] The magazine credited Pitt for using "his star power to get people to💷 look [to where] cameras don't usually catch".[251] He was again included on the Time 100 in 2009, this time in💷 the "Builders and Titans" list.[252]
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 what💷 Reuters, in a story titled "The Brangelina fever," called "the point of insanity".[253] To avoid media attention, the couple flew💷 to Namibia for the birth of their daughter Shiloh, which was described by a paparazzi blog as "the most anticipated💷 baby since Jesus Christ."[254] 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 in Nice, reporters and photographers camped outside on the promenade to report💷 on the birth.[255]
In a 2006 global industry survey by ACNielsen in 42 international markets, Pitt, together with Jolie, were found💷 to be the favorite celebrity endorsers for brands and products worldwide.[256] Pitt has appeared in several television commercials. For the💷 U.S. market, he starred in a Heineken commercial aired during the 2005 Super Bowl; it was directed by David Fincher,💷 who had directed Pitt in Seven, Fight Club, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.[257] Other commercial appearances came in💷 television spots including Acura Integra, in which he was featured opposite Russian model Tatiana Sorokko,[258] as well as SoftBank, and💷 Edwin Jeans.[259] On June 2, 2024, the minor planet 29132 Bradpitt was named in his honor.[260]
