William Bradley "Brad" Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. He has been cited as one of the world's most attractive men and his off-screen life is widely reported. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and has won one Golden Globe Award out of four nominations.

Pitt began his acting career with television guest appearances, which included a role on the CBS soap opera Dallas in 1987. He gained recognition as the cowboy hitchhiker who seduces Geena Davis's character in the 1991 road film Thelma & Louise. Pitt had his first leading roles in major productions A River Runs Through It (1992) and Interview with the Vampire (1994). He was cast opposite Anthony Hopkins in the 1994 drama Legends of the Fall, which earned him his first Golden Globe nomination. The following year he appeared in two contrasting, critically acclaimed starring roles, in the crime thriller Seven (1995) and the science fiction film Twelve Monkeys (1995), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor and earned an Academy Award nomination. Pitt received worldwide attention with the 1999 cult hit Fight Club, as well as the 2001 heist film Ocean's Eleven and its sequels Ocean's Twelve (2004) and Ocean's Thirteen (2007). He was nominated for a second Academy Award for playing the title role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008). Pitt has had his biggest commercial successes with Troy (2004) and Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005).

Following a high-profile relationship with actress Gwyneth Paltrow, Pitt was married to actress Jennifer Aniston for five years. As of 2009, he lives with actress Angelina Jolie, in a relationship that has attracted worldwide media attention. He and Jolie have three adopted children, Maddox, Zahara and Pax, as well as three biological children, Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne. Pitt owns a production company named Plan B Entertainment, which produced, among other films, the 2007 Academy Award winner for Best Picture, The Departed. Since his relationship with Jolie, he has become increasingly involved in social issues, both in the United States and internationally.

Early life

Pitt was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, the son of Jane Etta (née Hillhouse), a high school counselor, and William Alvin Pitt, a truck company owner. Along with his siblings Doug (born 1966) and Julie Neal (born 1969), he grew up in Springfield, Missouri, where the family moved soon after his birth. He was raised as a conservative Southern Baptist during childhood.

Pitt attended Kickapoo High School, where he was a member of the golf, tennis and swimming teams. In addition, he was a part of the school's Key and Forensics clubs. He participated in school debates and musicals. Following his graduation, Pitt enrolled at the University of Missouri in 1982. He belonged to the Sigma Chi fraternity, where he acted in several fraternity shows. He majored in journalism, with a focus on advertising. In 1985, two weeks prior to earning his degree, Pitt left the university and moved to Los Angeles, California to take acting lessons. When asked why he left the university, Pitt responded: "I had this sinking feeling as graduation approached. I saw my friends getting jobs. I wasn't ready to settle down. I loved films. They were a portal into different worlds for me, and Missouri wasn't where movies were made. Then it hit me: If they didn't come to me, I'd go to them."