Biography

William Bradley "Brad" Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer whose career has combined mainstream stardom with a sustained interest in challenging, director-driven cinema. Born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and raised in Springfield, Missouri, Pitt studied journalism at the University of Missouri before leaving college shortly before graduation to pursue acting in Los Angeles. His earliest work came in television, including guest appearances and a recurring role on the series Dallas, but his career changed direction with a brief appearance in Ridley Scott's Thelma & Louise (1991). As the alluring drifter J.D., Pitt made a strong impression despite limited screen time and quickly became one of Hollywood's most sought-after young actors.

He initially seemed destined for conventional leading-man roles, appearing in Johnny Suede (1991), A River Runs Through It (1992), Legends of the Fall (1994), and Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994). Yet Pitt repeatedly used those opportunities to move beyond his looks and public image. His performance as a troubled detective in David Fincher's Seven (1995) established a darker, more serious dimension to his work. Later that year, he played the manic and unpredictable Jeffrey Goines in Terry Gilliam's Twelve Monkeys, winning a Golden Globe Award and receiving his first Academy Award nomination.

Pitt's filmography became increasingly varied during the late 1990s and 2000s. He reunited with Fincher for Fight Club (1999), portraying the charismatic and destructive Tyler Durden, and showed a lighter comic side as the fast-talking Irish thief Mickey in Snatch (2000). He also became a major commercial star through the Ocean's trilogy, playing the relaxed, capable thief Rusty Ryan opposite George Clooney. Other prominent roles included Troy (2004), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), Babel (2006), The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007), Burn After Reading (2008), and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), which earned him another Academy Award nomination, this time for Best Actor.

As a producer, Pitt helped establish Plan B Entertainment as one of the more influential production companies in contemporary American film. The company backed projects including The Departed (2006), Moonlight (2016), The Big Short (2015), Minari (2020), and 12 Years a Slave (2013). Pitt shared the Academy Award for Best Picture as a producer of 12 Years a Slave, marking his first Oscar win.

His later acting work continued to alternate between large-scale productions and more distinctive projects. He appeared in Inglourious Basterds (2009), Moneyball (2011), World War Z (2013), 12 Years a Slave (2013), Fury (2014), The Big Short (2015), Ad Astra (2019), and Babylon (2022). In Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), Pitt played the understated stuntman Cliff Booth, earning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The role confirmed his ability to make restraint, physical confidence, and comic timing central to a leading performance. He subsequently appeared in Bullet Train (2022), Wolfs (2024), and F1: The Movie (2025), maintaining his position as both a durable box-office star and a prominent figure in film production.