Pitt born Oklahoma, grew up in Springfield, Missouri, is the eldest of three children in a devoutly Southern Baptist family. His father, Bill Pitt, owned a trucking company and his mother, Jane Pitt, was a family counselor. Pitt originally aspired to be an advertising art director, studying journalism at the University of Missouri. However, the young college student had other quiet aspirations of following a career as an actor. On a whim, Pitt dropped out of college, and headed to pursue an acting career in Los Angeles, just two credits shy of a college degree.
His parents were under the impression that he was heading to the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena because Brad feared that they would not let him go otherwise. Pitt`s ascension to his celluloid throne was a long and sometimes frustrating one. He had to do certain odd jobs to begin with such as donning a chicken suit for El Pollo Loco and working as a limo driver for strippers.
These odd jobs served to pay for acting classes, which eventually led to bit parts on the primetime soap ‘Dallas’, and the daytime soap, ‘Another World’.
Soon enough he made his substantial feature film debut, in the low-budget thriller, ‘Cutting Class’. After some unaccredited roles Brad Pitt gained recognition in 15 minutes of screen time as lone roamer J.D. in 1991`s ‘Thelma and Louise’. This mere 15 minutes of fame resulted in bringing Brad’s name to minds of filmmakers as films began to pour slowly but surely in.
Pitt has appeared in television commercials as well as made guest appearance in many sitcoms such as ‘Friends’, lent his voice on an episode of ‘King of the Hill’, and appeared on an episode of MTV`s ‘Jackass’. He 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’.
Together with Jennifer Aniston and Paramount Pictures head Brad Grey, Pitt founded the production company Plan B. The company produced the blockbuster ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, ‘The Departed’, and ‘The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford’.