The Life and Times of Brad Pitt

By Sredna Nesegleh


Brad Pitt is one heartthrob that many people know, both men and women. His classic good boy looks capture the attention of many people who enjoy watching movies of all different types. From his movie with Angelina Jolie, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, to his very first movie, Thelma and Louise, he has brightened movie screens in many different roles for over twenty years. Both his acting career and his personal life capture attention of people of all ages and sexes. Where did Brad Pitt start out his life?

The Beginning

Brad Pitt was born William Bradley Pitt on December 18, 1963. He was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma where he lived with his parents, Jane, who was a high school counselor, and William, who is a truck company owner. While his beginnings in Oklahoma may seem as far as possible from his movie career, he did start his career at the local high school, where he was in musicals. He attended the University of Missouri to get an advertising degree, but the acting bug had bit. He left school two weeks before graduation to move to Los Angeles and begin his career.

Starting His Career

Brad Pitt started his movie career with uncredited roles in several movies in 1987. He guest starred in a number of different television shows, including Another World, Growing Pains, Dallas, and 21 Jump Street. His first movie role was in a Yugoslavian-United States production called The Dark Side of the Sun. Many other movie and television roles followed. The supporting role that he had in Thelma and Louise in 1991 was one of his most well known roles and it was one that helped to boost his career.

Making Him a Star

In 1994, Interview With a Vampire was released and this movie is said to mark the turning point in Pitt's career. Even though it was not received well by most critics, it is a role that teenagers especially loved, as he won two MTV Awards that year. He had many more movie roles after this movie, including Legends of the Fall, Seven Years in Tibet, Seven, and 12 Monkeys. The latter movie garnered him his first Golden Globe award and helped to propel his career into new heights. Of his latest movies, most people know him for his role in the Ocean's Eleven series of movies, as well as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Inglourious Basterds, and Moneyball.

Brad's Interests

One of the most interesting things about Brad Pitt is that he is very involved in many different political and social causes. He encouraged people to vote in the 2004 Presidential Election and has supported the ONE Campaign, Proposition 71, many environmental causes, and more. He and Angelina Jolie have started their own foundation as well to aid humanitarian causes all over the world.

Personally

Brad Pitt has had many different women on his arm since he started his career. His marriage to Jennifer Aniston seemed to be that of a fairytale, but it ended in 2005. Some say that the divorce is due to his relationship with his co-star at the time, Angelina Jolie. Whatever the cause, he has been in a committed relationship with Jolie since then and they are parents to six children, both adopted and naturally born. Reports recently say that they are engaged, so time will tell in this situation.

Brad Pitt has come a long way since his uncredited roles and television guest experiences early in his career. Today, he is much sought after for movies and by paparazzi. From Thelma and Louise to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Brad Pitt has been and is in great demand by producers and directors all over the world. It will be exciting to see the roles and movies that he will share with us in the future. Brad Pitt is one star that you want to continue watching to rise.




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