Brad Pitt's Life: From Movies to Relationships to Charity

Brad Pitt is an American actor of great status and fame. Pitt has appeared in many movies since his debut as a waiter in No Man's Land (1987), which was uncredited. His movies and acting ability have garnered him fame, but his personal life and love for charity seem to grab the attention of the press and his fans.

William Bradley Pitt was born on December 18, 1963 in Shawnee, Oklahoma; soon after his birth his parents and two siblings moved to Springfield, Missouri. Brad Pitt attended the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri - Columbia. In 1982, with only two credits left before graduating, Brad Pitt left the university and moved to Los Angeles, California to try and get his foot in the acting door.

Pitt's career jumped off in television when he appeared in his first credited roles in shows such as "Another World", "Dallas", "21 Jump Street", and "Growing Pains" between 1987-'89. In 1991, Brad Pitt appeared in Thelma & Louise, one of the year's biggest hits. He played JD, a rebel, hitchhiker who is picked up by the two women. His appearance in the movie grabbed every woman's attention along with making him one of the sexiest men in the acting industry.

After steaming up the big screen in Thelma & Louise Brad Pitt's film career grew, but with only little success. After a few below average films he startde to hit it big. He starred as a supporting actor in big time films such as A River Runs Through It, Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles, and Se7en; all which had mixed reviews. Brad Pitt's acting credentials were warranted in 1995 when he won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for his performance as a mental patient in the film Twelve Monkeys. With that performance, he became an A-list actor while leaving the supporting roles behind. Along with his 1995 Golden Globe win, his sex symbol status was made even greater by winning People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" in 1995.

The same year he won his Golden Globe he met Gwyneth Paltrow on the set of Se7en. They began their relationship and in 1996 Pitt proposed to Paltrow in Argentina while filming Seven Years in Tibet. Seven Years in Tibet and The Dark Side of the Sun were both released in 1997, and both were Pitt's first films where he was the lead role. In 1997, Pitt and Paltrow announced they're split seven months after their engagement.

After a public split with Paltrow, Brad Pitt embarked on an even more public relationship with Jennifer Aniston in 1998, they were dubbed as "the golden couple." In the same year Pitt began a string of starring roles such as Meet Joe Black (1998), Fight Club (1999), and 2000's Snatch. His role as Tyler Durden in Fight Club can be argued as his most complex role he has played throughout his career. Also in 2000, Pitt won his second People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" award along with marrying Jennifer Aniston on July 29 in Malibu.

Pitt set aside the lead role status in 2001 when he shared the spotlight with more A-listers such as George Clooney, Matt Damon, Julia Robert, and Andy Garcia in Ocean's Eleven. The movie started a close relationship between Pitt and Clooney. In 2004, Pitt starred in Ocean's Eleven's sequel, which was appropriately named Ocean's Twelve. He also played Achilles in the major motion picture Troy.

After a big 2004 year his personal life became more public than he and probably some of his fans wanted it to in 2005. Pitt starred in the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith costarring Angelina Jolie. While on set in 2004 rumors started swirling around between Pitt and Jolie being some sort of an item, both denied the rumors. The rumors picked up even more after Pitt and Aniston announced their separation in January of 2005; all three parties denied that the rumors of Pitt and Jolie being together were the reasons why Pitt and Aniston split. With all the publicity, the movie was a big hit in the box office. In October of 2005 Pitt and Aniston's divorce was final. Pitt had started a relationship with Jolie and they were nicknamed "Brangelina." In January 2006 the couple gave birth to their daughter Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt. Pitt also made it loud and clear that he and Angelina would not marry until everyone could legally marry.

For years to come Brad Pitt will continue to make big time box office hits, which already include The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and Ocean's Thirteen. His private life and relationship with Angelina Jolie will still be made public through the paparazzi. Pitt will continue to provide his work for charities that involve AIDS and poverty; one of his more famous charities is the ONE Campaign which takes acts on poverty. His life has been under the microscope for along time now so anything different would be out of the ordinary for the father, sex symbol, A-lister, and one of the best actors today.