Brad Pitt

Infobox actor

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imagesize =215px
caption =Brad Pitt in 2007
birthname =William Bradley Pitt
birthdate =birth date and age|mf=yes|1963|12|18
birthplace =Shawnee, Oklahoma
spouse =Jennifer Aniston (2000–2005)
domesticpartner =Angelina Jolie (2005–present)
years active =1987–present
goldenglobeawards =Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
1996 "Twelve Monkeys"
goldenraspberryawards =Worst Screen Couple
1994 ""
awards =Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
1995 "Twelve Monkeys"
Volpi Cup for Best Actor
2007 "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"

William Bradley "Brad" Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. He became famous during the mid-1990s after starring in several major Hollywood films.cite web| title=Brad Pitt Biography|publisher=tv-now.com|accessdate=2008-01-01|url=http://www.tv-now.com/stars/bradpitt.html] Pitt received a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for his role in the 1995 film "Twelve Monkeys".

Pitt is consistently cited by popular media as one of the most attractive men alivecite web| title=The Sexiest Men Alive - Brad Pitt|publisher="People Magazine"|accessdate=2008-01-01|url=http://www.people.com/people/package/sma2006/gallery/0,,1539441_1559557_15,00.html] cite web |first= Andrea |last=Thompson |title=Study Explains Why We're Not All Beautiful|quote=A new study explains why we aren't all born with Brad Pitt's perfectly chiseled features or Angelina Jolie's pouty lips.. |publisher=livescience.com |accessdate=2008-01-01 |url=http://www.livescience.com/health/070328_lek_paradox.html] cite web |first=Jeanna |last=Bryner |title=Study: Men With 'Cavemen' Faces Most Attractive to Women |publisher=Fox News Channel |date=2007-08-23 |accessdate=2008-01-01 |url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,294134,00.html] and is regarded as a Hollywood A-lister.cite web |title=BRAD PITT - BRAD PITT "VULNERABLE" AFTER FAN ATTACK|publisher=contactmusic.com |accessdate=2008-01-01 |url=http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/brad%20pitt%20vulnerable%20after%20fan%20attack_1043922] His former marriage to actress Jennifer Aniston and current relationship with Angelina Jolie have been widely covered in the world media. He is the father of six children with Jolie, three biological, all of whom have also received media coverage. Since his relationship with Jolie, who is known for humanitarianism, Pitt has become increasingly involved in social issues, both domestically and internationally.

Early life

Pitt was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, the son of Jane Etta (née Hillhouse), a high school counselor, and William Alvin Pitt, a truck company owner. [cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/24/Brad-Pitt.html|title=Brad Pitt Biography (1963-)|accessdate=2008-05-15|publisher=Film Reference] Along with his brother Doug and sister Julie Neal, he grew up in Springfield, Missouri, where the family moved soon after his birth. Pitt was raised a reBaptist. [cite web|url=http://www.genealogy.com/famousfolks/bpitt/index.html|title=Ancestry of Brad Pitt|accessdate=2008-05-15|publisher=Genealogy] [cite web|url=http://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/bradpitt/|title=Hello Magazine Profile - Brad Pitt|accessdate=2008-05-15|work=Hello Magazine] He attended Kickapoo High School, where he was involved in sports, debating, student government, and acting. He attended the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri. He is a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity.

Acting career

Early work

In 1988, Pitt had his first starring role, in "The Dark Side of the Sun", where he played a young American taken by his family to the Adriatic to find a remedy for a skin condition. The movie was shot in Yugoslavia in the summer of 1988. However, with editing nearly complete, war broke out and much of the footage was lost; the film was released years later. Pitt was then cast in the television movie "Too Young to Die?", about an abused teenager given the death penalty for murder. Pitt played the part of a drug addict, Billy Canton, who took advantage of a runaway played by Juliette Lewis.cite web|url=http://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/bradpitt/?view=jobs|title=Brad Pitt Filmography|accessdate=2008-05-16|work=Hello! Magazine]

In 1991, Pitt starred, along with Vera Martins, as Joe Maloney in "Across the Tracks", in which he portrayed a high school runner with a difficult criminal brother played by Ricky Schroder. Pitt attracted broader public attention from a supporting role in "Thelma & Louise", where he played a small-time criminal drifter who befriends Thelma (Geena Davis). His love scene with Davis, which showed Pitt topless and wearing a cowboy hat, has been referred to as "iconic", often cited as the moment that defined Pitt as a "sex symbol".

After "Thelma & Louise", Pitt starred alongside Catherine Keener and Nick Cave in the low budget, Tom DiCillo-directed 1991 film "Johnny Suede", as an awkward dreamer who aspired to be a big-haired rock star. After appearing in "Cool World", Pitt starred in Robert Redford's "A River Runs Through It" in 1992, for which Pitt learned fly fishing by casting off of Hollywood buildings. In 1993 came "Kalifornia", a road movie in which he played a scruffy serial killer alongside Juliette Lewis and "X-Files" actor David Duchovny.

Early critical success

In 1994, Pitt played vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac in the movie adaptation of Anne Rice's novel "". The role of the eighteenth-century vampire required Pitt to endure several hours of make-up being applied every day to achieve the characteristic white skin; Pitt wore a pair of green contact lenses and vampire fangs to complete the appearance. Pitt's co-stars included the eleven-year-old Kirsten Dunst, Tom Cruise, Christian Slater, and Antonio Banderas. He then starred in "Legends of the Fall" and "Se7en". In "Se7en", Pitt starred alongside Morgan Freeman as the police detective David Mills who hunts a serial killer played by Kevin Spacey. Pitt was then nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor and won a "Best Supporting Actor" Golden Globe for his portrayal of Jeffrey Goines in the 1995 film "Twelve Monkeys". [cite web|url=http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/member/28464|title=HFPA - Awards Search|accessdate=2008-05-16|publisher=Golden Globes]

In 1997, Pitt starred alongside Harrison Ford as the IRA terrorist Rory Devany in "The Devil's Own", the first of several films where Pitt used an Irish accent in his performance. [cite video|year=1997|title=The Devil's Own|medium=DVD|publisher=Columbia Pictures] That same year he played the main role of Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer in the Jean Jacques Annaud film "Seven Years in Tibet". Pitt trained for months for the role, which demanded a great deal of trekking and mountain climbing, by rock climbing in California and the Alps with his co-star, David Thewlis. Due to the themes of Tibetan nationalism in the film, the Chinese government banned Pitt and Thewlis from entering China for life. [cite web|url=http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=B56988|title=Brad Pitt at AllMovie|accessdate=2008-05-15|publisher=All Movie] [cite web|url=http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=BP|70493|title=David Thewlis at AllMovie|accessdate=2008-05-15|publisher=All Movie]

1998 and beyond

In 1998, Pitt starred as the main character in the film "Meet Joe Black", where he played a personification of Death inhabiting the body of a young man in order to learn what it is like to be human. The film gave Pitt another chance to work alongside Welsh actor Sir Anthony Hopkins, with whom he had previously worked on "Legends of the Fall". In 1999, Pitt starred in "Fight Club", an adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's novel. Directed by "Se7en"'s David Fincher, Pitt portrayed the highly complex and colorful character of Tyler Durden.

In 2000, Pitt played the role of Mickey, an Irish Gypsy boxer in the gangster movie "Snatch", alongside Jason Statham, Vinnie Jones and Benicio del Toro. The film was a wild caper involving a diamond heist, the Russian and American mafia and the shady underground world, that saw Pitt brought in as a ringer by two failing promoters. The movie saw him moving on from the Northern Irish accent he attempted in "The Devil's Own"; Pitt created a just-barely-intelligible accent suggesting the Irish Gypsies, referred to as Pikeys in the movie. Pitt continued to train for the role, and honed his boxing skills at Ricky English's gym in Watford. [cite video|year=2003|title=Snatch: Special Edition|medium=DVD|publisher=Columbia Pictures]

Pitt's next role was the Cold War thriller "Spy Game" in which he starred alongside veteran actor Robert Redford, who played the role of his mentor. [cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/spy_game/|title=Spy Game Reviews|accessdate=2005-05-15|publisher=Rotten Tomatoes] In 2001, Pitt worked with long-time friend Julia Roberts in the comical road movie "The Mexican". [cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/mexican|title=Mexican, The (2001): Reviews|accessdate=2008-05-15|publisher=Meta Critic] At the end of the year, Pitt finished filming "Ocean's Eleven" with George Clooney and Matt Damon, a remake of the 1960s Rat Pack film.cite web|first=Stephen|last=Hunter|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2004/12/10/AR2005033114889.html|title=An Uneven 'Twelve'|accessdate=2008-05-15|date=2004-12-10|work=Washington Post]

Since then, he has starred in numerous films, including "Ocean's Twelve" and the epic "Troy", based on the Iliad, in which he portrayed the legendary hero Achilles. During film production of "Troy", Pitt ironically injured his Achilles tendon, delaying production for several weeks. [cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/05/06/1083635286338.html?from=storyrhs|title=For Pitt's sake|accessdate=2008-05-15|date=2007-05-07|publisher-SMH] In 2005, Pitt starred in "Mr. & Mrs. Smith", in which he and Angelina Jolie played husband and wife assassins. [cite web|url=http://the-numbers.com/movies/2005/SMITH.php|title=Mr. And Mrs. Smith - Box Office Data, Movie News, Cast Information|accessdate=2008-05-15|publisher=The Numbers] In March 2006, it was announced that Paramount had purchased the rights to "The Sparrow" for Pitt's production company, Plan B, and that Pitt would be playing the lead role of Sandoz. [cite web|url=http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=22626|title=Warner Bros has captured a SPARROW and is planning on giving it to Brad Pitt!!!|accessdate=2008-05-15|date=2006-03-03|publisher=Aint it cool] In June 2006 it was announced that Paramount and Plan B will be working on a new zombie film called "World War Z", based on the book of the same name by Max Brooks. [cite web|url=http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_9032.html|title=Paramount Gets World War Z|accessdate=2008-05-15|publisher=Movie Online]

Pitt made his return to Hollywood in late 2006 with Alejandro González Iñárritu's critically acclaimed "Babel", starring alongside Cate Blanchett. [cite web|first=Peter|last=Travers|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/9387674/review/12087181/babel|title=Babel: Review|accessdate=2008-05-15|date=2006-10-20|work=Rolling Stone] The movie garnered a total of seven Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations, one of which was a Golden Globe nomination for Pitt as Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture. [cite web|url=http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/film/26056|title=HFPA - Awards Search|accessdate=2008-05-15|publisher=Golden Globes] That same year, he also produced the eventual Best Picture winner, "The Departed". [cite web|first=Cybil|last=Wallace|url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Movies/02/25/oscar.advance/index.html|title=Scorsese finally an Oscar winner|accessdate=2008-05-15|date=2007-02-26|publisher=CNN]

In 2005, he produced and starred in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford", directed by Andrew Dominik, but the film was not released until late 2007. [cite web|first=Manhola|last=Dargis|url=http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/09/21/movies/21assa.html|title=The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)|quote=Good, Bad or Ugly: A Legend Shrouded in Gunsmoke Remains Hazy|accessdate=2008-05-15|date=2007-09-21|work=The New York Times] Pitt won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the 64th Venice Film Festival for his part in the film; although Pitt attended the festival to promote the movie, he left early after being jumped by a crazed fan who pushed through his bodyguards, and he was not present to accept the award. The festival failed to ship Pitt the award, so he didn't collect it until the 65th festival the next year. [O'Neil, Tom. cite web|first=Tom|last=O'Neil|url=http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2008/08/brad-pitt-venic.html|title=Brad Pitt finally claims last year's best-actor trophy at the Venice Film Festival|accessdate=2008-08-27|date=2008-09-09|work=Los Angeles Times]

In 2008, Pitt appeared in "Burn After Reading", his first Coen brothers film. While promoting the movie and signing autographs at the 65th Venice Film Festival, Pitt saved a teenage fan who slipped and fell into a lake; Pitt quickly grabbed the fan, pulled him safely back into the boat and signed his autograph book. [cite web|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=7&entry_id=29605|title=Daily Dish: Pitt saves fan from lake|accessdate=2008-09-09|date=2008-08-28|work=San Francisco Chronicle]

Other projects

Pitt has appeared in television commercials designed for the Asian market, advertising such products as Edwin Jeans. [cite web|url=http://justjared.buzznet.com/2008/01/21/brad-pitt-edwin-jeans/|title=Brad Pitt for Edwin Jeans|accessdate=2008-05-21|date=2008-01-21|publisher=Just Jared] He also appeared in a Heineken commercial which aired during the 2005 Super Bowl; it was directed by David Fincher, who directed Pitt in the feature films "Se7en" and "Fight Club". [Super Bowl XXXIX cite book |title=Super Bowl XXXIX Game Program |last=Veneziano |first=John |year= |publisher=NFL Publishing |isbn=]

Together with Jennifer Aniston and Paramount Pictures head Brad Grey, Pitt founded the production company Plan B. [cite web|first=Roger|last=Friedman|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,174126,00.html|title=Aniston's Star Shines With and Without Pitt|accessdate=2005-05-16|date=2005-11-01|publisher=Fox News] Aniston is no longer a partner in the company, although she is still attached to many projects that were set up before her divorce from Pitt. [cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20187368,00.html|title=Jennifer Aniston's 'Plan C': A New Film Company|accessdate=2008-05-15|date=2008-04-01|work=People] The company produced the blockbuster "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", starring Johnny Depp, as well as "The Departed" and "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford". [cite web|url=http://www.inbaseline.com/company.aspx?company_id=2124371|title=Plan B Entertainment Filmography|accessdate=2008-05-16|publisher=In Baseline]

Pitt made a guest appearance in an eighth-season episode of "Friends", as a man who has a grudge against Aniston's character Rachel Green, [cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1228733_628143_1,00.html|title=Truly Madly Deeply|accessdate=2008-05-16|date=2001-11-28|work=People] lent his voice on an episode of "King of the Hill", where he played Boomhauer's brother, "Patch Boomhauer", [cite episode |title=Patch Boomhauer |episodelink= |series=King of the Hill |serieslink= |credits=J.B. Cooke, Anthony Lioi |network=Fox |station= |airdate=2003-11-02 |season=8 |number=150 |minutes= ] and appeared on an episode of MTV's "Jackass", in which he took part in a staged abduction of himself. In a later "Jackass" episode, he and several cast members ran wild through the streets of Los Angeles in gorilla suits. [cite video|year=2005|title=Jackass 1|medium=DVD|publisher=MTV]

Pitt has been an active supporter of research into diseases such as AIDS. He is the narrator of the acclaimed Public Television series "Rx for Survival: A Global Health Challenge",cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/rxforsurvival/series/about/series.html|title=Rx for Survival - The Television Broadcasts - The Complete Series|accessdate=2008-05-15|publisher=PBS] which discusses current important global health issues. Pitt is behind "Not On Our Watch", an organization that focuses global attention and resources to stop and prevent mass atrocities such as in Darfur, along with George Clooney, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, and Jerry Weintraub. [cite web|url=http://notonourwatchproject.org/|title=Not On Our Watch: Darfur | George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Jerry Weintraub|accessdate=2008-05-15|publisher=Not On Our Watch]

On September 17, 2008, Pitt donated $100,000 to fight California's November 2008 ballot initiative that would overturn the state Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage. He stated, "Because no one has the right to deny another their life, even though they disagree with it, because everyone has the right to live the life they so desire if it doesn't harm another and because discrimination has no place in America, my vote will be for equality and against Proposition 8. [cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/17/brad-pitt-donates-100000_n_127263.html|title=Brad Pitt Donates $100,000 To Fight Gay Marriage Ban|date=2008-09-17|work=Associated Press|publisher=The Huffington Post|accessdate=2008-09-18]

Pitt is also a knowledgeable fan of architecture, particularly that of Frank Lloyd Wright, and has helped the National Trust for Historic Preservation raise money. [cite news
url=http://www.nationaltrust.org/magazine/archives/arc_news_2007/082207.htm
title=Brad Pitt Visits Farnsworth House
author=Margaret Foster
date=2007-08-22
publisher=Preservation Online
accessdate=2007-08-26]

Personal life

In the late 1980s and 1990s, Pitt dated several of his co-stars, including Robin Givens ("Head Of The Class"),cite web| title=Brad Pitt|publisher=channel4.com|accessdate=2008-03-12|url=http://www.channel4.com/film/reviews/person.jsp?id=15123] cite web| title=Robin Givens Profile|publisher=E!|accessdate=2008-03-12|url=http://www.eonline.com/celebrities/profile/index.jsp?uuid=7b3f1f1d-20b6-4df5-9419-6ae581ae02d8] cite web| title=Spotlight: Brad Pitt|publisher=movies.aol.com|accessdate=2008-03-12|url=http://movies.aol.com/celebrity/brad-pitt/56988/main] Jill Schoelen ("Cutting Class"), Juliette Lewis ("Too Young to Die?" and "Kalifornia"), who at sixteen was ten years his junior when they started dating,cite web| title=Brad Pitt|publisher="People Magazine"|accessdate=2008-03-12|url=http://www.people.com/people/brad_pitt] and Gwyneth Paltrow ("Se7en"), with whom he had a much-publicized engagement. Pitt also dated actresses Sinitta and Thandie Newton.

Pitt is a vegetarian. [cite web|url=http://www.happycow.net/famous/brad_pitt/|title=Brad Pitt Info.|accessdate=2008-07-18|publisher=Happy Cow.net]

Marriage to Jennifer Aniston

Pitt met "Friends" actress Jennifer Aniston in 1998 and married her during an enclosed wedding ceremony in Malibu on July 29, 2000.cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/brad_pitt/biography/0,,20004328_10,00.html|title=Brad Pitt Biography|accessdate=2008-05-16|work=People] The couple ensured that the ceremony would be a private affair by hiring hundreds of guards to block any attempts of invasion by the paparazzi; just one wedding picture was released to the media. [cite web|first=Stef|last=Mcdonald|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,26334,618140,00.html|title=Brad & Jennifer Get Married|accessdate=2008-05-16|date=2000-08-18|work=People] Not long after the wedding, Pitt sued Damiani International, the company which had made the wedding ring he gave 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 would design jewelry for Damiani that Aniston would model in ads, and the company would stop selling the copies. [cite web|first=Stephen M.|last=Silverman|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,622236,00.html|title=Brad & Jennifer Steamed Over Rings|quote=The star couple has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles seeking to stop a jewelry designer from selling copies of their wedding bands to the public.|accessdate=2008-05-21|date=2001-07-19|work=People] [cite web|first=Stephen M.|last=Silverman|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,622422,00.html|title=Pitt-Aniston Suit Rings False: CEO|accessdate=2008-05-16|date=2002-08-10|work=People]

Though their marriage was for years considered the rare Hollywood success, rumors of marital problems began circulating, and the Pitts announced their separation on January 7, 2005.cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1015778,00.html|title=Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt Separate|accessdate=2008-05-16|date=2005-01-07|work=People] As Pitt's marriage to Aniston drew to a close, he and actress Angelina Jolie were involved in a well-publicized Hollywood scandal in which Jolie was often painted as the "other woman", largely due to their chemistry during the filming of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith". While Jolie and Pitt both denied any claims of adultery, speculations continued to mount throughout 2004 and early 2005. In an interview with Ann Curry in June 2005, Jolie explained, "To be intimate with a married man, when my own father cheated on my mother, is not something I could forgive. I could not look at myself in the morning if I did that. I wouldn't be attracted to a man who would cheat on his wife." [cite web|authors=Julian Kesner and Michelle Megna|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20060207100110/http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/387860p-329048c.html|title=Angelina, saint vs. sinner|accessdate=2008-05-16|date=2006-02-07|work=New York Daily]

In early 2005, the concept of a "troubled marriage" - and arguably his own - inspired Pitt to cooperate with photographer Steven Klein for a photoshoot entitled "Domestic Bliss" for "W magazine". The spread showed Pitt and Jolie as a 1963 married couple with children. Pitt expressed the desire to tell a darker, truer tale, one that explored the "unidentifiable malaise" that often haunts a seemingly happy couple. "You don't know what's wrong", he remarked, "because the marriage is everything you signed up for." For her part, Aniston later cited the shoot as evidence that Pitt has "a sensitivity chip that's missing." [cite web|first=Leslie|last=Bennetts|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/fame/features/2005/09/aniston200509?currentPage=1|title=The Unsinkable Jennifer Aniston|accessdate=2007-09-04|date=September 2005|work=Vanity Fair]

Aniston filed for divorce on March 25, 2005;cite web|first=Stephen M.|last=Silverman|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1042412,00.html|title=Jennifer Files for Divorce from Brad|accessdate=2008-05-15|date=2005-03-25|work=People] the divorce was finalized on October 2, 2005. [cite web|first=Serena|last=Kappes|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1112350,00.html|title=Brad & Jen Finalize Divorce|accessdate=2008-05-15|date=2005-09-30|work=People]

Relationship with Angelina Jolie

One month after Aniston filed for divorce, in April 2005, a set of paparazzi photos emerged that seemed to confirm the rumors of a relationship between Pitt and actress Angelina Jolie. The photos, which were reportedly sold for $500,000, showed Pitt, Jolie and her son Maddox at a beach in Kenya. [cite web|authors=Jason Lynch and Susan Bell|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1057551,00.html|title=Brad & Angelina's Latest Getaway|accessdate=2008-05-16|date=2005-05-04|work=People] During the summer, the pair were seen together with increasing frequency, and the entertainment media dubbed the couple "Brangelina". Two months later, the highly anticipated July 2005 issue of "W magazine" hit newsstands, featuring Pitt and Jolie posed as a couple.cite web|first=Christopher|last=Bagley|url=http://www.wmagazine.com/celebrities/archive/brad_pitt_angelina_jolie|title=Domestic Bliss|accessdate=2008-05-16|date=July 2005|work=W]

In July 2005, Pitt accompanied Jolie to Ethiopia,cite web|first=Stephen B.|last=Silverman|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1080452,00.html|title=Brad, Angelina Pick Up Adopted Baby|accessdate=2008-05-15|date=2005-07-07|work=People] where Jolie adopted her second child, a six-month-old girl named Zahara; later Jolie indicated that she and Pitt made the decision to adopt the child together. [ [http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0606/20/acd.01.html Angelina Jolie: Her Mission and Motherhood] ] In December 2005, it was confirmed that Pitt was seeking to legally adopt Jolie's two (adopted) children as his own; per the legal requirements, classified advertisements in the Los Angeles paper "Daily Commerce" announced the name change request. [cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1137595,00.html|title=Brad Pitt to Adopt Angelina's Kids|accessdate=2008-05-15|date=2005-12-05|work=People] On January 19, 2006, a judge in California approved this request, and the children's legal surnames were formally changed to "Jolie-Pitt". [cite web|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10927183/|title=Judge says Jolie's children can take Pitt's name|accessdate=2008-05-15|date=2006-01-19|publisher=MSNBC]

On January 11, 2006, Jolie confirmed to "People" magazine that she was pregnant with Pitt's child. [cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,1145171,00.html|title=Angelina Jolie Pregnant|accessdate=2008-05-15|date=2006-01-11|work=People] On May 27, 2006, Jolie gave birth to a daughter, Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt, in Swakopmund, Namibia by a scheduled caesarean section. Pitt confirmed that their newly-born daughter will have a Namibian passport, and Jolie decided to offer the first pictures of Shiloh through the distributor Getty Images herself, rather than allowing paparazzi to make these extremely valuable snapshots. "People" paid more than $4.1 million for the North American rights, while British magazine "Hello!" obtained the international rights for roughly $3.5 million; the total rights sale earned up to $10 million worldwide, which became the most expensive celebrity image of all time. [ [http://www.gawker.com/news/brangelina/gossip-roundup-people-kidnaps-shiloh-for-41m-178712.php Gossip Roundup: 'People' Kidnaps Shiloh for $4.1m] ] [cite web|url=http://in.search.yahoo.com/search?p=Angelina+Jolie&yhdr_submit_button=Web+Search&fr=ush-news|title=Angelina Jolie - Yahoo! Profile|accessdate=2008-05-16|publisher=Yahoo] All profits were donated to an undisclosed charity by Jolie and Pitt. Madame Tussauds in New York unveiled a wax figure of two-month-old Shiloh; it was the first infant re-created in wax by Madame Tussauds. [cite web|url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2006-07-27-shiloh_x.htm|title=NYC wax museum shows off Jolie-Pitt baby|accessdate=2008-05-16|date=2006-07-27|work=USA Today]

On March 15, 2007, Jolie adopted a three-year-old boy from Vietnam, Pax Thien Jolie-Pitt, (originally Pax Thien Jolie). Since the orphanage does not allow unmarried couples to adopt, Jolie adopted Pax as a single parent, with Pitt later adopting him as his son domestically. [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6411339.stm|title=Jolie and Pitt 'to adopt again'|accessdate=2008-05-15|date=2007-03-02|publisher=BBC] [cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20013922,00.html|title=Official: Angelina Jolie Files to Adopt in Vietnam|accessdate=2008-05-15|date=2007-03-02|work=People]

Following media reports suggesting Jolie might be pregnant again, she attended the Independent Spirit Awards 2008 in a close-fitting dress, indirectly confirming those rumors. "People" quoted a source who confirmed her pregnancy. [cite web|first=Mary|last=Green|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20180064,00.html|title=Jolie-Pitts 'Thrilled To Be Adding to Their Brood'|accessdate=2008-05-15|date=2008-02-23|work=People] In May 2008, Jolie confirmed on the "Today" show that they were expecting twins. [cite web|first=Marla|last=Lehner|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20200092,00.html|title=Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Expecting Twins|accessdate=2008-05-15|date=2008-05-14|work=People] On July 12, 2008, Jolie gave birth to the couple's twins, a boy named Knox Léon Jolie-Pitt and a girl named Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt. [cite web|authors=Dana Kennedy and Kristin Boehm|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20203411,00.html|title=The Jolie-Pitts Welcome a Son & Daughter|accessdate=2008-07-18|date=2008-07-13|work=People] On that afternoon, Jolie's lawyers, Lavely-Singer registered the domain names KnoxLeon.com and VivienneMarcheline.com, confirming the reports and verifying the twin's names. [cite web|url=http://stargina.com/436/exclusive-its-official-brad-angelina-give-birth-to-knox-leon-and-vivienne-marcheline/|title=Exclusive: It’s Official! Brad & Angelina Give Birth to Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline|accessdate=2008-07-18|publisher=Stargina.com] The next morning, Jolie's Dr. Michel Sussmann confirmed the birth details, Knox weighing 5.03 pounds, and Vivienne 5 pounds, both delivered via an early caesarean section. [cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/la-et-jolietwins13-2008jul13,0,1424381.story|title=Dr. Michel Sussmann Reports Jolie-Pitt Birth Details|accessdate=2008-07-18|date=2008-07-13|work=Los Angeles Times] [cite web|url=http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b146266_angie_delivers_two_more_jolie-pitts_are.html|title=Angie Delivers|accessdate=2008-07-18|publisher=E! Online] [cite web|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25657370/ |title=It’s a boy and a girl for Jolie and Pitt |publisher=MSNBC.com |date=2008-07-13 |accessdate=2008-07-13 ] Knox is named for Pitts' grandfather, and Vivienne's middle name, Marcheline, is the name of Jolie's mother. The rights for the first images of Knox and Vivienne were jointly sold to "People" and "Hello!" for $14 million - the most expensive celebrity pictures ever taken. The money went to the Jolie/Pitt Foundation. [cite web|first=Erin|last=Carlson|url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iyiFKfZaxmbectlDdKL8cl3GegvQD929NRU82|title=Person close to deal: Jolie-Pitt pix for $14 mil|accessdate=2008-08-01|work=AP]

Life in New Orleans

The family divides its time between Los Angeles, California and New Orleans, Louisiana. [cite web|url=http://www.usmagazine.com/i_us_i_exclusive_jolie_confirms_she_and_pitts_move_to_new_orleans|title=Us Exclusive: Jolie Confirms She and Pitt Have Moved to New Orleans|accessdate=2008-05-16|date=2007-01-16|work=Us] In an interview with "the Times-Picayune", while filming "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", Pitt said:

In December 2006, Pitt gathered a group of housing professionals together in the Hurricane Katrina-stricken New Orleans to begin planning a project that Pitt calls "Make It Right", with the goal of financing and constructing 150 new houses in New Orleans' Ninth Ward. [cite web | title =Make It Right Project webpage | date =2007 | url =http://makeitrightnola.org/mir_SUB.php?section=mir&page=vision | accessdate = 2007-12-03 ] The houses are being designed with an emphasis on sustainability and affordability, with the hope that the project can and will be replicated throughout the city. Thirteen architectural firms are involved in the project, many of which are donating their services. Pitt and philanthropist Steve Bing have each committed to matching $5 million in donations. [cite news | last =Pogrebin | first =Robin | title =Brad Pitt Commissions Designs for New Orleans | work =The New York Times | date =December 3, 2007 | url =http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/03/arts/design/03pitt.html | accessdate = 2007-12-03 ]

Religious views

In an October 7, 2007 interview, Pitt told "Parade" magazine that he is no longer a fundamentalist Christian or believes in an afterlife. [cite news | last =Rader | first =Dotson | title =I have faith in my family | work =Parade | date =2007-10-07 | url =http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2007/edition_10-07-2007/Brad_Pitt | accessdate=2008-03-03 ] In this interview, Pitt said:

Popular esteem

In 1995, Pitt was chosen by "Empire" magazine as one of the 25 sexiest stars in film history. Pitt has also twice been named the Sexiest Man Alive by "People" magazine.

Pitt was also prominently featured in the December 2006 Art Issue of "Vanity Fair". He appears on the cover in nothing but a pair of white boxers. The cover promotes an article on the Robert Wilson video portraits, a production of LAB HD that includes numerous celebrities and noted personalities. This cover has drawn criticism from Pitt because, although he had signed a release for the image, he did not expect it to end up on the cover of "Vanity Fair" more than a year later. The video portrait, which represents Pitt's first effort in avant-garde cinema, was exhibited at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. [cite web|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/toc/2006/toc200612|title=December 2006 Table of Contents|quote=Brad Pitt, posing for one of Robert Wilson's life-size, high-definition-video portraits. Photographed in Los Angeles on September 21, 2005|accessdate=2008-05-16|date=December 2006|work=Vanity Fair]

In 2007, Pitt was listed among artists and entertainers as one of "Time" magazine's 100 Most Influential People in The World. He was credited, along with his best friend Tiago Miranda Paulo, with using "his star power to get people to look at places and stories that cameras don't usually catch." [cite web|first=Rebecca|last=Winters Keegan|url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/time100/article/0,28804,1595326_1595332_1616809,00.html|title=Brad Pitt|accessdate=2007-07-11|date=2007|work=Time]

Filmography

Producer

*"The Departed" (2006)
*"Running with Scissors" (2006)
*"Year of the Dog" (2007) (executive producer)
*"A Mighty Heart" (2007) (Co-producer)
*"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" (2007)
*"Shantaram" (2009) (Co-producer)

Awards and nominations

Awards won:
*1993: ShoWest Convention: Male Star of Tomorrow
*1995: MTV Movie Awards: Best Male Performance for ""
*1995: MTV Movie Awards: Most Desirable Male for ""
*1996: MTV Movie Awards: Most Desirable Male for "Se7en"
*1996: Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films: Best Supporting Actor for "Twelve Monkeys"
*1996: Golden Globes: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for "Twelve Monkeys"
*1996: Sci-Fi Universe Magazine: Best Supporting Actor in a Genre Motion Picture for "Twelve Monkeys"
*1997: Blockbuster Entertainment Awards: Favorite Supporting Actor, Science Fiction for "Twelve Monkeys"
*1998: Rembrandt Awards: Best Actor for "Seven Years in Tibet"
*2004: Teen Choice Awards: Choice Movie Actor, Drama/Action Adventure for "Troy"
*2005: People's Choice Awards: Favorite Leading Man
*2006: MTV Movie Awards: Best Fight Scene for Mr. & Mrs. Smith
*2007: Venice Film Festival Volpi Cup best actor: Best Actor for "The Assassination of Jesse James"

Awards nominations:
*1995: Golden Globes: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama for "Legends of the Fall"
*1995: Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films: Best Actor for ""
*1996: Academy Awards: Best Actor in a Supporting Role for "Twelve Monkeys"
*1995: MTV Movie Awards: Best On-Screen Duo for ""
*1996: MTV Movie Awards: Best Male Performance for "Twelve Monkeys"
*1996: MTV Movie Awards: Best On-Screen Duo for "Se7en"
*2000: Blockbuster Entertainment Awards: Favorite Action Team for "Fight Club"
*2001: Golden Satellite Awards: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Comedy or Musical for "Snatch"
*2001: Teen Choice Awards: Choice Chemistry for "The Mexican"
*2002: Emmy Awards: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for "Friends" ("The One with the Rumor")
*2002: MTV Movie Awards: Best On-Screen Team for "Ocean's Eleven"
*2004: Kids' Choice Awards: Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie for ""
*2005: Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards: Best Acting Ensemble for "Ocean's Twelve"
*2006: MTV Movie Awards: Best On-Screen Kiss for "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"
*2007: Golden Globes: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for "Babel"

ee also

*Supercouple

References

Further reading

* Dempsey, Amy. "Superstars of Film: Brad Pitt". Facts on File, 1997. ISBN 0791046494
* Guzzetti, Paula. "Brad Pitt". Silver Burdett Pr, 1998. ISBN 0382397959
* Newman, Bruce. "Brad Pitt: A Biography". "Time", 1999.
* Robb, Brian J. "Brad Pitt: The Rise to Stardom". Plexus, 2002. ISBN 0859652882
* Taylor, Nancy. "Brad Pitt". Pearson Education Limited, 2000. ISBN 058240830X

External links

*imdb name|id=0000093|name=Brad Pitt
*ymovies name|1800018965
*people.com
*worldcat id|id=lccn-no92-31176
* [http://notonourwatchproject.org/ Not On Our Watch: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Jerry Weintraub]

Persondata
NAME=Pitt, William Bradley
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Pitt, Brad
SHORT DESCRIPTION=American actor
DATE OF BIRTH=December 18, 1963
PLACE OF BIRTH=Shawnee, Oklahoma, USA
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=

###@@@KEY@@@###succession box
title=People's Sexiest Man Alive
years=1995

before=Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford
(as Sexiest Couple Alive in 1993)
(no award given in 1994)

after=Denzel Washingtonsuccession box
title=People's Sexiest Man Alive
years=2000

before=Richard Gere
after=Pierce Brosnan
-! colspan="3" style="background: #DAA520;" | Saturn Award
-succession box
title = Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
years = 1995
for "Twelve Monkeys"
before= Gary Sinise
for "Forrest Gump"
after = Brent Spiner
for ""
-! colspan="3" style="background: #DAA520;" | Golden Globe Award
-succession box
title = Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
years = 1996
for "Twelve Monkeys"
before= Martin Landau
for "Ed Wood"
after = Edward Norton
for "Primal Fear"
-! colspan="3" style="background: #DAA520;" | Venice Film Festival
-succession box
title = Best Actor
years = 2007
for "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
before= Ben Affleck
for "Hollywoodland"
after = TBD
-