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 won one Golden Globe Award out of four nominations.
Pitt began his acting career in television guest spots, including a recurring role on the CBS soap opera Dallas in 1987. He gained recognition as the cowboy hitchhiker who seduces Geena Davis' character in 1991's Thelma & Louise. Pitt's first leading role in a major film was in 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 came two contrasting, widely acclaimed starring roles, in the crime thriller Seven (1995) and the science fiction Twelve Monkeys (1995), in which he won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor. Pitt received worldwide attention in the 1999 film Fight Club, for his role as Tyler Durden. Following the success of Fight Club, he was cast as Rusty Ryan in the 2001 film Ocean's Eleven, and its sequels Ocean's Twelve (2004) and Ocean's Thirteen (2007). He has had his biggest commercial successes with Ocean's Eleven (2001), Spy Game (2001), Troy (2004), the action-comedy Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008).
Following a high profile relationship with actress Gwyneth Paltrow, and marriage to Jennifer Aniston, as of 2009, Pitt 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. 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. Growing up, he was raised as a conservative Southern Baptist.
Pitt attended Kickapoo High School, where he excelled; he was a member of the golf, tennis and swimming teams, as well as the Key and Forensics clubs. He also participated in school debates and musicals. Following his graduation, Pitt attended the University of Missouri in 1982, where he belonged to the Sigma Chi fraternity, where he frequently 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."