Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt (born William Bradley Pitt on December 18, 1963), is an American film actor.

He was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma to strictly Baptist parents, and raised in Springfield, Missouri.

In high school, Pitt was involved in sports, debating, student government, and school musicals. He attended the University of Missouri School of Journalism where he was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. He was two credits shy of graduating with a journalism degree, before trying his luck in Hollywood.

Before he became successful at acting, Pitt supported himself by driving strippers in limos, moving refrigerators, and dressing as a giant chicken while working for the restaurant chain El Pollo Loco. In the late 1980s, Pitt started landing acting gigs on prime-time series such as Dallas, thirtysomething, 21 Jump Street, Growing Pains, and Head of the Class. In 1988, He finally landed his first starring role in The Dark Side of the Sun. But as the film was being edited, civil war tore apart Yugoslavia, where location shooting was taking place. Most of the footage remained lost until 1996, when the film was finally released.

In 1991, Pitt finally got his big break in one of that year's biggest hits: Thelma & Louise as J.D., Thelma (Geena Davis)'s one-night stand who gives her tips on robbing 7-11 stores. He followed up that success with A River Runs Through It and Se7en.

In 1995, he was chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 25 sexiest stars in film history.

Pitt was involved in a long-term relationship with actress Gwyneth Paltrow. They became engaged in December 1996, but it didn't last long and the two split up in June 1997. Extensive tabloid coverage surrounded the relationship. Nude photographs of the couple ��taken by paparazzi without permission ��controversially appeared in magazines.

He married Jennifer Aniston on July 29, 2000. Their separation was announced on January 7, 2005, and Aniston filed for a divorce on March 25 the same year. There has been speculation that on the set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie had an affair. Photographs have circulated in magazines of them as a couple. Pitt and Jolie have refused to speak about their current relationship, but deny having an affair while he was still married to Aniston.

Pitt accompanied Jolie to Ethiopia in July 2005 to pick up her adopted daughter Zahara from an orphanage in that country. After returning, Pitt was diagnosed with a mild case of viral meningitis. He checked himself into Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles but was released a few days later.

He was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the 1995 film Twelve Monkeys.

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Trivia
Like many A-List stars, Pitt won't normally do American commercials. Instead, he does commercials that are seen in Asia only, most notably for Edwin Jeans, the Toyota Altis, and Japanese canned coffee, ROOTS. The one exception to this is the Heineken commercial which aired during the 2005 Super Bowl, it was directed by David Fincher who he worked with on Se7en and Fight Club.
He was previously engaged to Gwyneth Paltrow, and dated actresses Juliette Lewis, Robin Givens, and Geena Davis. Gwyneth Paltrow confessed in an interview that she regretted breaking up with him.
He tore his Achilles tendon during the production of Troy, in which he plays, coincidentally, Achilles.
He sued Damiani International, the company which made the wedding ring he gave Jennifer Aniston, for selling replica "Brad and Jennifer" rings. According to Pitt, the ring was his design and was to be exclusive. Under the settlement reached in January 2002, Pitt will design jewelry for Damiani that Aniston will model in ads, and the company will stop selling the copies.
On August 6, 2005, a man was arrested for trespassing on Pitt's property. Reportedly, the tresspasser was a photographer for People Magazine, who was there to take pictures of a possible birthday party for Angelina Jolie's adopted son Maddox.
He is a vegetarian.
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Filmography
Year Title Role
1987 No Man's Land Waiter
1987 Less Than Zero Partygoer
1989 Happy Together Brian
1989 Cutting Class Dwight Ingalls
1991 Across the Tracks Joe Maloney
1991 Thelma & Louise J.D.
1991 Johnny Suede Johnny Suede
1992 Cool World Detective Frank Harris
1992 A River Runs Through It Paul Maclean
1993 Kalifornia Early Grayce
1993 True Romance Floyd
1994 The Favor Elliott Fowler
1994 Interview with the Vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac
1994 Legends of the Fall Tristan Ludlow
1995 Se7en Detective David Mills
1995 Twelve Monkeys Jeffrey Goines
1996 Sleepers Michael Sullivan
1997 The Devil's Own Rory Devaney/Francis Austin McGuire
1997 Seven Years in Tibet Heinrich Harrer
1997 The Dark Side of the Sun Rick
1998 Meet Joe Black Joe Black
1999 Fight Club Tyler Durden
2000 Snatch Mickey O'Neil
2001 The Mexican Jerry Welbach
2001 Spy Game Tom Bishop
2001 Ocean's Eleven Rusty Ryan
2002 Full Frontal Brad and himself
2002 Confessions of a Dangerous Mind Guest in TV show (cameo)
2003 Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas Sindbad the Sailor (voice)
2004 Troy Achilles
2004 Ocean's Twelve Rusty Ryan
2005 Mr. and Mrs. Smith John Smith
2006 The Outlaw (movie) Jesse James
2006 Chad Schmidt Chad Schmidt and himself
2006 Babel N/A
2006 Benjamin Button Benjamin Button