Profile of Brad Pitt on Famous Like Me

Brad Pitt

Date of birth:	December 18, 1963
Place of birth:	Shawnee, Oklahoma, USA
Marriage:	Jennifer Aniston, divorced
Children:	-
Profession:	Actor

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

He was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma to strictly Southern 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. & 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.

Trivia

• Like many A-List stars, Pitt does not normally perform in 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, Alice Wilkinson 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.
• He was taught to ride a horse by Albertan John Scott, a rancher/stunt co-ordinator who also taught numerous other Hollywood stars the same skill.
• Together with Paramount Pictures head Brad Grey and Jennifer Aniston, he is the owner of the production company Plan B.The company produced the Johnny Depp starring blockbuster Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
• Has been awarded a Blue Peter badge.
• Despite being one of the most popular actors, he hasn't achieved major box office success like Tom Cruise or Arnold Schwarzenneger. His biggest hit was Troy, which is considered a flop by many because of its budget.The 2005 film Mr. and Mrs. Smith defied all expectations and took in over $300 million at the international box office -- still less than what Tom Cruise's War of the Worlds took in.

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