Brad Pitt (William Bradley Pitt, born 18 December 1963) is an American actor and film producer whose career has lasted more than 35 years. He has won two Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) and Best Picture as a producer of 12 Years a Slave (2013). His films as a leading actor have grossed over $7.5 billion worldwide. This biography follows his life and career up to November 2026.
Brad Pitt at a Glance
| Full name | William Bradley Pitt |
| Born | 18 December 1963, Shawnee, Oklahoma, United States |
| Age | 62 (as of November 2026) |
| Profession | Actor and film producer |
| Breakthrough | Thelma & Louise (1991) |
| Production company | Plan B Entertainment (co-founded 2001) |
| Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actor (2020 ceremony) and Best Picture as producer (2014 ceremony) |
| Recent film | F1 (2025) |
Early Life
Pitt was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, the eldest of three children of William Alvin Pitt, who ran a trucking company, and Jane Etta Pitt, a school counsellor. The family soon moved to Springfield, Missouri, where he grew up with his younger siblings Doug and Julie. He attended Kickapoo High School, where he took part in golf, swimming and tennis as well as school debates and musicals.
Pitt enrolled at the University of Missouri in 1982 to study journalism with a focus on advertising. As graduation approached he decided to move to Los Angeles to work in film, since films were not made in Missouri.
Rise to Stardom
Pitt first drew attention as a cowboy hitchhiker in Ridley Scott's Thelma & Louise (1991). He then took leading roles in A River Runs Through It (1992), Legends of the Fall (1994) and Interview with the Vampire (1994). In 1995 he starred opposite Morgan Freeman in the crime thriller Seven and earned his first Oscar nomination for 12 Monkeys. His performance in Fight Club (1999) and the crime comedy Snatch (2000) made him a cult favourite.
Blockbusters and Prestige Roles
Pitt confirmed his leading-man status with the Ocean's trilogy (2001 to 2007), Troy (2004) and Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005). He also worked in more demanding films such as Babel (2006), The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007), Burn After Reading (2008) and The Tree of Life (2011). He earned Oscar nominations for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) and Moneyball (2011).
Later hits include Inglourious Basterds (2009), World War Z (2013), Bullet Train (2022) and F1 (2025). His portrayal of a stuntman in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) won him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Producer and Plan B
In 2001 Pitt co-founded the production company Plan B Entertainment. As a producer he won the Academy Award for Best Picture for 12 Years a Slave and was nominated for Moneyball and The Big Short (2015). In 2021 he entered the recording business by creating a company with the French producer Damien Quintard, and Miraval Studios, based at his Château Miraval in the south of France, reopened in 2022.
What He Is Working on Now
Trade reports in 2026 link Pitt with The Riders, an adaptation of Tim Winton's novel directed by Edward Berger for A24, and with a World War Z sequel at Paramount, but the full details are not yet confirmed by the studios and release dates have not been announced.
Personal Life
Pitt met Jennifer Aniston in 1998 and they married in July 2000 and separated in January 2005. He then became involved with Angelina Jolie, whom he met while making Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and they have six children. Jolie filed for divorce on 19 September 2016, and the former couple were involved in a lengthy custody dispute. In 2022 he began dating Ines de Ramon, a jewellery executive.
Philanthropy
Pitt supports the ONE Campaign, which works against AIDS and poverty in developing countries. In 2006 he and Jolie founded the Jolie-Pitt Foundation to support humanitarian causes, and he has been involved in rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. He has also been a vocal supporter of same-sex marriage.
Awards and Recognition
Besides two Academy Awards, Pitt has won two British Academy Film Awards, two Golden Globes, two Primetime Emmy Awards and the Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival. He appeared on the Time 100 list in 2007 and was named People's Sexiest Man Alive in 1995 and 2000.
Conclusion
Brad Pitt has stayed at the top of Hollywood by balancing blockbusters with demanding roles and by building a production company that has backed award-winning films. At 62 he continues to take on large projects, with F1 showing that he can still carry a major release.
