#1 ·
I think this deserves its own thread.
He’s easily one of the most recognizable faces to ever grace the screen.
Since 1990, the guy hasn't had a single dry spell; there’s always been a hit in the mix. It's even more impressive when you consider he isn't just churning out various Avengers sequels or reality TV junk like they've been doing lately.
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Brad Pitt - biography:
He was once hailed as the successor to Robert Redford and the most attractive man alive. Yet, when it comes to his actual range as an actor, people rarely bother to talk about it.
With a face that has inspired countless magazine covers, massive web traffic, and the obsession of plastic surgeons everywhere, Brad Pitt is an actor whose name people often link more to raw physical beauty than to his actual craft.
It took a while for Pitt to climb his way up to the throne of cinema. Growing up in Missouri, he was the oldest of three in a pretty strict household—he had a brother, Doug, who was three years younger, and a sister, Julia, who was six years his junior. Back in high school, he was quite the standout, balancing life as an athlete, a debate club member, and an actor in school plays. He eventually headed off to the University of Missouri to study journalism and advertising, but he ended up walking away from his degree just before graduation once he decided to commit to acting. When the time came to move to Hollywood, he wasn't exactly ready to face his parents' reaction, so he just told them he was heading to Pasadena to study design.
Back in California, he spent his time taking acting classes while scraping by with odd jobs—everything from driving strippers around to working as a mascot for a local restaurant chain. His big break actually came in 1988 with a movie called Far from the Sun, which was filmed back in Yugoslavia. Most of that footage was lost during the war, but thankfully, all the reels were recovered in 1996 and sent over to producer Angela Arandjelović. In that film, Pitt played a young American whose family travels to the Adriatic Sea looking for a cure for a rare skin disease. Since that movie didn't actually hit screens until 1997, the rest of the world officially caught wind of this rising talent through a quick stint on Dallas, a TV movie titled A Stoning in Fulgham County, and that teen horror flick Cutting Class in 1989.
1991 was the massive turning point in his career. He landed a small but impossible-to-ignore role in Ridley Scott’s *Thelma & Louise*, and just like that, he was famous almost overnight. Unfortunately, his follow-up choices weren't exactly winning awards: he went from Ralph Bakshi’s *Cool World* to Tom DiCillo’s *Johnny Suede*. In fact, the friction between the director and the actor on that set actually inspired DiCillo to create the ego-driven, vain Chad Palomin for *Life in Oblivion* (1995). That said, Pitt's next move—the Robert Redford drama *A River Runs Through It* (1992)—gave the young actor a chance to prove he was more than just a pretty face; he could actually act.
Back in 1993, he hit the scene with *California* and *True Romance*. Both films lean heavily into that specific trope of a woman on the decline paired with a violent sociopath, and they were instrumental in proving what he could actually do as an actor—especially *California*. He followed that up in 1994 with a standout role playing a rebel in the drama *Legend of Autumn*. That same year, *People magazine* officially crowned him the sexiest man alive. To top it all off, everyone was buzzing about his upcoming project alongside the legendary Tom Cruise: an adaptation of Anne Rice’s gothic vampire novel, *Interview with the Vampire*.
Back in '94, he was just acting in that lukewarm romantic comedy *The Favor*, but he really made his grand entrance as the young detective unravelling a string of gruesome murders alongside Morgan Freeman in David Fincher's 1995 film *Se7en*. By '97, he was picking up a Golden Globe and an Oscar nod for his portrayal of a visionary mental patient in Terry Gilliam's *12 Monkeys*—a role that actually caused him to turn down an astronaut part in *Apollo 13*. That same year, he picked up an accent to play Heinrich Harrara in *Seven Years in Tibet*. Apparently, because of some political stances he took, China has slapped him with a lifetime ban on entering the country.
For the next project, they’re picking Alan J. Pakula's 'The Devil's Advocate,' where he stars alongside Harrison Ford. Then there's his 1998 turn as the literal embodiment of Death in 'Meet Joe Black'—which, if you recall, holds the title for the most expensive film ever made without using special effects. Even though critics were pretty split on that three-hour slog, everyone seems to agree that Pitt's portrayal of Joe was a surprisingly charming take on the afterlife. That weird, offbeat streak of Brad's was exactly why he landed that cameo in the surreal comedy 'Being John Malkovich' in 1999, and it clearly paved the way for him to play Tyler Durden, that enigmatic anti-materialist soap maker in Fincher's controversial 'Fight Club' later that same year.
In 2000, Guy Ritchie cast him in 'Snatch', the follow-up to the acclaimed 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels', followed by a turn in the crime comedy 'Mexican' alongside Julia Roberts. He then pivoted to the thriller 'Spy Game' (2001) starring Robert Redford, which effectively ended his run playing a string of eccentric characters. That same year, he joined the ensemble for Soderbergh’s remake of the Rat Pack classic 'Ocean's 11', a heist flick about a crew planning to rob a casino. The sequel, 'Ocean's Twelve' (2004), was just as successful, eventually leading to 'Ocean's Thirteen' (2007), where the famous squad reunited and added Al Pacino to the mix as the casino owner the professional thieves are eyeing.
By 2004, he had landed the role of the Greek hero Achilles in the massive epic 'Troy', once again leaning into his most famous assets—his good looks and athletic build.
The news of his split from Jennifer Aniston (whom he married in 2000) caught the public off guard. They were considered the ultimate "dream couple," not just because they were both stunning, but because they seemed genuinely happy together. One major reason for the breakup was rumored to be his new connection with Angelina Jolie, whom he met while filming 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' (2005). That chemistry likely helped drive the film to massive box office numbers, even if the critics weren't exactly showering it with praise.
The Pitt/Jolie duo eventually started adopting children from around the world before deciding to have their own. Along with little Shiloh, Angelina gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. The couple lives under a constant media microscope, with paparazzi constantly hovering, though they seem to handle the scrutiny well enough since things haven't turned physical with the press yet.
After taking a year off from the big screen—though certainly not from the tabloids—Pitt returned in 'Babel' (2006). In this heavy drama, he delivered a mature, high-quality performance that resonated with both fans and critics alike. The film was shot across three continents—Asia, Africa, and North America—and featured an incredible Cate Blanchett alongside him. Following that, he ventured into unfamiliar territory and nailed it, playing the notorious American outlaw Jesse James in the Western 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford' (2007).
He picked up an acting award at the Venice Film Festival for that role, followed by several other industry nods. His next project, the wild 'Burn After Reading', earned him praise for a comedic turn and a BAFTA nomination. He racked up even more major nominations for 'Benjamin Button', nearly sweeping the BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Oscar categories. While he didn't walk away with all the statues, the demanding role playing an aging man solidified his status as a serious actor. Still, he didn't abandon comedy; Tarantino cast him as a commander in 'Inglourious Basterds'. Between the Southern accent and the thin mustache, maybe he’ll at least snag a Best Comedian award at the MTV Movie Awards.
His dating history is also well-documented, including relationships with Juliette Lewis (with whom he starred in 'California' back in 1993), Gene Davis, and Gwyneth Paltrow, whom he got engaged to in 1996 before an amicable split in 1997. It's a bit of a little-known fact that he almost played Neo in 'The Matrix' (1999). If he had, maybe Morpheus could have explained that in the real world, Pitt doesn't actually have teeth that bright. It isn't genetics, either. That dazzling, Coca-Cola-commercial smile is actually thanks to a dentist who did some serious work on his veneers.
Even nineteen-year-old Athena Rolando couldn't resist that smile; in 1999, she actually broke into his Hollywood home and spent the night wearing his clothes. Ten hours later, the alarm went off, she was busted, and handed a restraining order keeping her away from the star. Honestly, if his security system had been half as reliable as his dentist, Athena wouldn't have been rummaging through his laundry.
He’s easily one of the most recognizable faces to ever grace the screen.
Since 1990, the guy hasn't had a single dry spell; there’s always been a hit in the mix. It's even more impressive when you consider he isn't just churning out various Avengers sequels or reality TV junk like they've been doing lately.
----------------------------------------------------------
Brad Pitt - biography:
He was once hailed as the successor to Robert Redford and the most attractive man alive. Yet, when it comes to his actual range as an actor, people rarely bother to talk about it.
With a face that has inspired countless magazine covers, massive web traffic, and the obsession of plastic surgeons everywhere, Brad Pitt is an actor whose name people often link more to raw physical beauty than to his actual craft.
It took a while for Pitt to climb his way up to the throne of cinema. Growing up in Missouri, he was the oldest of three in a pretty strict household—he had a brother, Doug, who was three years younger, and a sister, Julia, who was six years his junior. Back in high school, he was quite the standout, balancing life as an athlete, a debate club member, and an actor in school plays. He eventually headed off to the University of Missouri to study journalism and advertising, but he ended up walking away from his degree just before graduation once he decided to commit to acting. When the time came to move to Hollywood, he wasn't exactly ready to face his parents' reaction, so he just told them he was heading to Pasadena to study design.
Back in California, he spent his time taking acting classes while scraping by with odd jobs—everything from driving strippers around to working as a mascot for a local restaurant chain. His big break actually came in 1988 with a movie called Far from the Sun, which was filmed back in Yugoslavia. Most of that footage was lost during the war, but thankfully, all the reels were recovered in 1996 and sent over to producer Angela Arandjelović. In that film, Pitt played a young American whose family travels to the Adriatic Sea looking for a cure for a rare skin disease. Since that movie didn't actually hit screens until 1997, the rest of the world officially caught wind of this rising talent through a quick stint on Dallas, a TV movie titled A Stoning in Fulgham County, and that teen horror flick Cutting Class in 1989.
1991 was the massive turning point in his career. He landed a small but impossible-to-ignore role in Ridley Scott’s *Thelma & Louise*, and just like that, he was famous almost overnight. Unfortunately, his follow-up choices weren't exactly winning awards: he went from Ralph Bakshi’s *Cool World* to Tom DiCillo’s *Johnny Suede*. In fact, the friction between the director and the actor on that set actually inspired DiCillo to create the ego-driven, vain Chad Palomin for *Life in Oblivion* (1995). That said, Pitt's next move—the Robert Redford drama *A River Runs Through It* (1992)—gave the young actor a chance to prove he was more than just a pretty face; he could actually act.
Back in 1993, he hit the scene with *California* and *True Romance*. Both films lean heavily into that specific trope of a woman on the decline paired with a violent sociopath, and they were instrumental in proving what he could actually do as an actor—especially *California*. He followed that up in 1994 with a standout role playing a rebel in the drama *Legend of Autumn*. That same year, *People magazine* officially crowned him the sexiest man alive. To top it all off, everyone was buzzing about his upcoming project alongside the legendary Tom Cruise: an adaptation of Anne Rice’s gothic vampire novel, *Interview with the Vampire*.
Back in '94, he was just acting in that lukewarm romantic comedy *The Favor*, but he really made his grand entrance as the young detective unravelling a string of gruesome murders alongside Morgan Freeman in David Fincher's 1995 film *Se7en*. By '97, he was picking up a Golden Globe and an Oscar nod for his portrayal of a visionary mental patient in Terry Gilliam's *12 Monkeys*—a role that actually caused him to turn down an astronaut part in *Apollo 13*. That same year, he picked up an accent to play Heinrich Harrara in *Seven Years in Tibet*. Apparently, because of some political stances he took, China has slapped him with a lifetime ban on entering the country.
For the next project, they’re picking Alan J. Pakula's 'The Devil's Advocate,' where he stars alongside Harrison Ford. Then there's his 1998 turn as the literal embodiment of Death in 'Meet Joe Black'—which, if you recall, holds the title for the most expensive film ever made without using special effects. Even though critics were pretty split on that three-hour slog, everyone seems to agree that Pitt's portrayal of Joe was a surprisingly charming take on the afterlife. That weird, offbeat streak of Brad's was exactly why he landed that cameo in the surreal comedy 'Being John Malkovich' in 1999, and it clearly paved the way for him to play Tyler Durden, that enigmatic anti-materialist soap maker in Fincher's controversial 'Fight Club' later that same year.
In 2000, Guy Ritchie cast him in 'Snatch', the follow-up to the acclaimed 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels', followed by a turn in the crime comedy 'Mexican' alongside Julia Roberts. He then pivoted to the thriller 'Spy Game' (2001) starring Robert Redford, which effectively ended his run playing a string of eccentric characters. That same year, he joined the ensemble for Soderbergh’s remake of the Rat Pack classic 'Ocean's 11', a heist flick about a crew planning to rob a casino. The sequel, 'Ocean's Twelve' (2004), was just as successful, eventually leading to 'Ocean's Thirteen' (2007), where the famous squad reunited and added Al Pacino to the mix as the casino owner the professional thieves are eyeing.
By 2004, he had landed the role of the Greek hero Achilles in the massive epic 'Troy', once again leaning into his most famous assets—his good looks and athletic build.
The news of his split from Jennifer Aniston (whom he married in 2000) caught the public off guard. They were considered the ultimate "dream couple," not just because they were both stunning, but because they seemed genuinely happy together. One major reason for the breakup was rumored to be his new connection with Angelina Jolie, whom he met while filming 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' (2005). That chemistry likely helped drive the film to massive box office numbers, even if the critics weren't exactly showering it with praise.
The Pitt/Jolie duo eventually started adopting children from around the world before deciding to have their own. Along with little Shiloh, Angelina gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. The couple lives under a constant media microscope, with paparazzi constantly hovering, though they seem to handle the scrutiny well enough since things haven't turned physical with the press yet.
After taking a year off from the big screen—though certainly not from the tabloids—Pitt returned in 'Babel' (2006). In this heavy drama, he delivered a mature, high-quality performance that resonated with both fans and critics alike. The film was shot across three continents—Asia, Africa, and North America—and featured an incredible Cate Blanchett alongside him. Following that, he ventured into unfamiliar territory and nailed it, playing the notorious American outlaw Jesse James in the Western 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford' (2007).
He picked up an acting award at the Venice Film Festival for that role, followed by several other industry nods. His next project, the wild 'Burn After Reading', earned him praise for a comedic turn and a BAFTA nomination. He racked up even more major nominations for 'Benjamin Button', nearly sweeping the BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Oscar categories. While he didn't walk away with all the statues, the demanding role playing an aging man solidified his status as a serious actor. Still, he didn't abandon comedy; Tarantino cast him as a commander in 'Inglourious Basterds'. Between the Southern accent and the thin mustache, maybe he’ll at least snag a Best Comedian award at the MTV Movie Awards.
His dating history is also well-documented, including relationships with Juliette Lewis (with whom he starred in 'California' back in 1993), Gene Davis, and Gwyneth Paltrow, whom he got engaged to in 1996 before an amicable split in 1997. It's a bit of a little-known fact that he almost played Neo in 'The Matrix' (1999). If he had, maybe Morpheus could have explained that in the real world, Pitt doesn't actually have teeth that bright. It isn't genetics, either. That dazzling, Coca-Cola-commercial smile is actually thanks to a dentist who did some serious work on his veneers.
Even nineteen-year-old Athena Rolando couldn't resist that smile; in 1999, she actually broke into his Hollywood home and spent the night wearing his clothes. Ten hours later, the alarm went off, she was busted, and handed a restraining order keeping her away from the star. Honestly, if his security system had been half as reliable as his dentist, Athena wouldn't have been rummaging through his laundry.
