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He was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma to strict, Southern Baptist parents of mainly English and Irish descent and was raised in Springfield, Missouri. In high school, Pitt was involved in sports, debating, student government, and school musicals. He attended the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri - Columbia 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. Career Before he became successful at acting, Pitt supported himself as a chauffeur, a furniture mover, and a costumed mascot for the restaurant chain El Pollo Loco. In the late 1980s, Pitt started landing acting gigs on primetime series such as Dallas, thirtysomething, 21 Jump Street, Freddy's Nightmares, Another World, Growing Pains, and Head of the Class. In 1988, he finally landed his first starring role in The Dark Side of the Sun. However, as the film was being edited, civil war tore apart Yugoslavia, where location shooting was taking place. Most of the footage remained lost until 1998, 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. He was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the 1995 film Twelve Monkeys. In 1995, he 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, the only person to ever receive this honor more than once. He is consistently rated among the world's sexiest men in womens' polls worldwide. Personal life Pitt was involved in a long-term relationship with actress Gwyneth Paltrow. They became engaged in December 1996, but the couple split in June 1997. Extensive tabloid coverage surrounded the relationship. Nude photographs of the couple, taken by paparazzi without permission, controversially appeared in magazines. Also in 1997, the film Seven Years in Tibet was released. This film, which chronicled China's invasion of Tibet, was hailed by Tibetan nationalists and resulted in Brad Pitt, along with his co-star David Thewlis, being banned from entering China for life. Pitt married actress 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 the marriage ended due to Aniston's refusal to have children with Pitt, which he greatly desired. Aniston has denied this. She claims their personal reasons for entering the marriage were not completely honest and they could not sustain the deceit, both in their private and public lives. Further speculation surrounded Pitt's relationship with his then co-star Angelina Jolie, while filming Mr. & Mrs. Smith The couple were quickly dubbed "Brangelina" by the media. Both Pitt and Jolie denied such relationship during his marriage to Aniston. Aniston, however, is also believed to have desired freedom from Pitt, wanting to divorce as she felt held back from him also, also feeling kept in his shadow. After separation from Aniston, Pitt began dating Jolie, though initially the two were adamant of purely being professional friends. Pitt accompanied the actress to Ethiopia in July 2005 to pick up her adopted daughter Zahara from an orphanage in that country. In late 2005,Pitt and Jolie visited Pakistan twice as ambassadors of Unicef to support earth quake victims in that country.It was announced on December 2, 2005, that Pitt was seeking to legally adopt Angelina Jolie's two children, Maddox and Zahara, and to have the childrens' surnames legally changed to Jolie-Pitt. On January 19, 2006, a judge in California approved this request. It was confirmed by Pitt and Jolie's representatives on January 11, 2006 that she is pregnant with their first biological child. After returning from Africa, Pitt was diagnosed with a mild case of viral meningitis. He checked himself into Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles but was released a few days later. Though reluctant to embrace celebrity status, the philanthropic Pitt has been an active supporter of research into diseases such as AIDS. Unlike many Hollywood celebrities, he has remained largely bipartisan, working with members of both parties to help fight poverty, disease, and improve global environmental conditions. Along with U2 frontman Bono and TV evangelist Pat Robertson, Pitt has used his celebrity to campaign for assistance to Africa, and he is the marquee spokesman for the ONE Campaign. Brad Pitt has also traveled overseas to visit and entertain U.S. and allied troops. Trivia
Filmography
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William Bradley "Brad" Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American film actor.