Misplaced Pages

#924075

111-515: The Naankuse Foundation is based on a 10,000 hectare nature reserve. In January 2011, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie chose Naankuse to become a partner of the Shiloh Jolie-Pitt Foundation, in honour of their Namibian-born daughter. "We have known Rudie and Marlice for many years and continue to be impressed by their hard work and dedication to the people and conservation of the land and wildlife of Namibia. The new section of

222-528: A Primetime Emmy Award . One of the most influential celebrities, Pitt appeared on Forbes ' annual Celebrity 100 list from 2006 to 2008, and the Time 100 list in 2007. Pitt first gained recognition as a cowboy hitchhiker in the Ridley Scott road film Thelma & Louise (1991). Pitt emerged as a star taking on leading man roles in films such as the drama A River Runs Through It (1992),

333-489: A personification of death inhabiting the body of a young man to learn what it is like to be human. The film received mixed reviews, and many were critical of Pitt's performance. According to Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle , Pitt was unable to "make an audience believe that he knows all the mysteries of death and eternity." Roger Ebert remarked, "Pitt is a fine actor, but this performance

444-507: A television series of the same name loosely inspired by the film premiered on Amazon Prime Video , starring Donald Glover and Maya Erskine as two strangers paired up as spies and posing as a married couple; producer Arnon Milchan is the only cast or crew member returning from the original film. John Smith, a construction executive, and his wife Jane, a tech support consultant, are at marriage counseling, where they reveal that they have been married for five or six years, but their marriage

555-422: A February 2009 interview that he and Aniston "check in with each other", adding that they were both big parts of each other's lives. During Pitt's divorce proceedings, his involvement with his Mr. & Mrs. Smith co-star Angelina Jolie attracted media attention. Jolie and Pitt stated that they fell in love on the set and that there was no infidelity. In April 2005, one month after Aniston filed for divorce,

666-589: A Namibian passport. The couple sold the first pictures of their daughter through the distributor Getty Images ; the North American rights were purchased by People for over $ 4.1 million, while Hello! obtained the British rights for approximately $ 3.5 million. The proceeds from the sale were donated to charities serving African children. Madame Tussauds in New York unveiled a wax figure of

777-678: A PBS television series focused on worldwide efforts to build environmentally friendly structures through sustainable architecture and design. In 2000, he co-authored an architectural book on the Blacker House with the architects Thomas A. Heinz and Randell Makinson. In 2006, he founded the Make It Right Foundation , organizing housing professionals in New Orleans to finance and construct 150 sustainable, affordable new houses in New Orleans's Ninth Ward following

888-691: A Time in Hollywood , reuniting with DiCaprio after The Departed , which Pitt produced and DiCaprio starred in. For his performance in the film, he received awards for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, BAFTA Awards , Screen Actors Guild Awards , and Critics' Choice Movie Awards . This is the second Academy Award for Brad Pitt, his first that he received for acting. In 2019, he also starred in James Gray 's deep space epic Ad Astra , in which he played Roy McBride,

999-636: A Time in Hollywood co-star Margot Robbie in Babylon , directed by Damien Chazelle . On January 5, 2022, he signed on to star in and produce a racing film on Formula One , directed by Joseph Kosinski , for which he will earn $ 30 million. He reteamed with George Clooney in Wolfs , a comedy-thriller written and directed by Jon Watts , which was released in September 2024. Over his career Pitt has received numerous awards including two Academy Awards (as

1110-519: A bargaining chip. Danz tells them that he is merely bait and an intern hired by each of their employers after they discovered the Smiths were married; his clients hoped the Smiths would kill each other. Discarding each of their contingency plans, the Smiths make a last stand together, fending off an assault inside a home decorating store by heavily armed operatives. In the aftermath, the Smiths meet their marriage counselor again and say that their marriage

1221-489: A better understanding of their ecology for future conservation. The project also works to relocate proven problem animals (those that prey on farmers' cattle) to safer conservation areas and reduce the number needlessly shot or killed. The project is the first of its kind to monitor translocated and released carnivores on a continuous and intensive basis. The project aims to: The wildlife sanctuary accommodates orphaned and injured animals that cannot be released safely back into

SECTION 10

#1732772632925

1332-477: A bounty of $ 400,000 for each of them. The Smiths find themselves under attack from an army of assassins. Their pockmarked house is blown up and the Smiths steal their neighbor's minivan. They are able to destroy their attackers' pursuing armored sedans, while bickering about their fighting styles and personal secrets they have discovered about each other. They meet with Eddie and decide to save their marriage. The Smiths kidnap Danz from his high-security prison to use as

1443-648: A brief appearance in the cult hit True Romance as a stoner named Floyd, providing comic relief to the action film. He capped the year by winning a ShoWest Award for Male Star of Tomorrow. In 1994, Pitt portrayed the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac in the horror film Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles , based on Anne Rice 's 1976 novel of the same name . He was part of an ensemble cast that included Tom Cruise , Kirsten Dunst , Christian Slater , and Antonio Banderas . Despite his winning two MTV Movie Awards at

1554-435: A career-making performance, proving that Pitt could be more than a "cowboy-hatted hunk." He has admitted to feeling under pressure when making the film and thought it was one of his "weakest performances ... It's so weird that it ended up being the one that I got the most attention for." Pitt believed that he benefited from working with such a talented cast and crew. He compared working with Redford to playing tennis with

1665-615: A charitable organization, the Jolie-Pitt Foundation, to aid humanitarian causes around the world. The foundation made initial donations of $ 1 million each to Global Action for Children and Doctors Without Borders , followed by an October 2006 donation of $ 100,000 to the Daniel Pearl Foundation, an organization created in memory of the late American journalist Daniel Pearl . According to federal filings, Pitt and Jolie invested $ 8.5 million into

1776-415: A countersuit against Pitt during a legal battle over their formerly co-owned vineyard. Jolie's lawyers stated that during negotiations, Pitt had asked Jolie to sign "a nondisclosure agreement prohibiting her from speaking outside of court about his abuse of her and their children." Her complaint stated that he grabbed and shook her during the plane ride, strangled one of their children, and struck another in

1887-436: A demanding role. Troy was the first film produced by Plan B Entertainment , a film production company he had founded two years earlier with Jennifer Aniston and Brad Grey , CEO of Paramount Pictures . Ocean's Twelve earned $ 362 million worldwide, and Pitt and Clooney's dynamic was described by CNN's Paul Clinton as "the best male chemistry since Paul Newman and Robert Redford." In 2005, Pitt starred as John Smith in

1998-721: A guest appearance on the Fox police drama 21 Jump Street . In the same year, the Yugoslavian–U.S. co-production The Dark Side of the Sun (1988) was his first leading film role, starring as a young American taken by his family to the Adriatic to find a remedy for a skin condition. The film was shelved at the outbreak of the Croatian War of Independence , and was not released until 1997. Pitt made two motion picture appearances in 1989:

2109-514: A half years after proceedings began. However, in July, Los Angeles superior court judge John W. Ouderkirk was removed from the case due to concerns over his impartiality as he did not sufficiently disclose business relationships with Pitt's lawyers. This resulted in the custody arrangement reverting to a previous November 2018 agreement where Jolie has primary physical custody while Pitt has "custodial time" with their minor children. In September 2016,

2220-439: A historical drama based on the autobiography of Solomon Northup . The film received critical acclaim and was nominated for nine Academy Awards, winning three, including Best Picture . Also in 2013, Pitt had a supporting role in Ridley Scott 's The Counselor . Plan B Entertainment landed its first television series on the 2013–2014 schedule, as their joint venture with ABC Studios , the sci-fi/fantasy drama Resurrection ,

2331-646: A jewelry designer. In July 2005, Pitt accompanied Jolie to Addis Ababa , Ethiopia , where she adopted her second child, a girl. On December 3, 2005, Pitt was in the process of becoming the adoptive father of Jolie's daughter, and Jolie's first adopted child, a boy. On January 19, 2006, a California judge granted Jolie's request to change the children's surnames from "Jolie" to "Jolie-Pitt". The adoptions were finalized soon after. Jolie gave birth to their daughter in Swakopmund , Namibia , on May 27, 2006. Pitt confirmed that their newborn daughter would qualify for

SECTION 20

#1732772632925

2442-499: A large Colonial Revival house in the New York City suburbs, keeping up appearances by reluctantly socializing with their "conventionally" wealthy neighbors. Underneath their cover stories, John and Jane balance their marriage, which is apparently mundane—after a few years, both agree it is becoming dull and suffocating—with their secretive careers. After they are both assigned to kill DIA prisoner Benjamin "The Tank" Danz in

2553-404: A law firm willing to share proceeds, if successful, would approach him. The government of Colombia criticized the film in particular for showing the capital Bogotá as a small village in the middle of the jungle with a hot and humid climate. President Alvaro Uribe Vélez and Mayor Luis Eduardo Garzón invited Angelina Jolie , Brad Pitt , and the producers to get to know the city and realize

2664-505: A loosely adapted version of a 1921 short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald . The story follows a man who is born an octogenarian and ages in reverse, with Pitt's "sensitive" performance making Benjamin Button a "timeless masterpiece", according to Michael Sragow of The Baltimore Sun . The performance earned Pitt his first Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, as well as a fourth Golden Globe and second Academy Award nomination, all in

2775-723: A lot of lakes." Pitt attended Kickapoo High School , where he was a member of the golf, swimming, and tennis teams. He participated in the school's Key and Forensics clubs, in school debates, and in musicals. Following his graduation from high school, Pitt enrolled in the University of Missouri in 1982, majoring in journalism with a focus on advertising. As graduation approached, Pitt did not feel ready to settle down. He loved films—"a portal into different worlds for me"—and, since films were not made in Missouri, he decided to go to where they were made. Two weeks short of completing

2886-446: A prison transfer, they run into each other on the job and the hit is botched. Danz survives and John and Jane are assigned to kill each other instead. John is reluctant in killing Jane. Jane works with her team and steal Johns armoury from their home. Jane tries to kill John but he escapes everytime. After several attempts each other's lives escalate, the Smiths' conflict ends in a massive shootout which nearly demolishes their house. During

2997-531: A private wedding ceremony in Malibu on July 29, 2000. In January 2005, Pitt and Aniston announced they had decided to separate. Two months later, Aniston filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. Pitt and Aniston's divorce was finalized by the Los Angeles Superior Court on October 2, 2005. Despite media reports that Pitt and Aniston had an acrimonious relationship, Pitt said in

3108-586: A producer and actor), two BAFTA Awards , two Golden Globe Awards , a Primetime Emmy Award , and two Screen Actors Guild Awards . Over his career he has been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the following performances: Pitt visited the University of Missouri campus in October 2004 to encourage students to vote in the 2004 U.S. presidential election , in which he supported John Kerry . Later in October, he publicly supported

3219-407: A protracted and evenly-matched fight, John pull guns aiming at each other. John declines to shoot saying that he loves Jane and lays his gun down. Jane discovers that she cannot shoot John either and they spend a passionate night together. The renewed Smith partnership is quickly threatened by their employers, who join forces to eliminate the couple. Eddie, John's best friend and co-worker, turns down

3330-491: A recurring role as a weatherman on the late-night talk show The Jim Jefferies Show throughout 2017. A 2017 sequel to World War Z was in announced in 2016, before the film was briefly delayed, then confirmed to be directed by David Fincher, and then ultimately shelved due to budget issues. Pitt starred as Cliff Booth, a stunt double, opposite Leonardo DiCaprio , in Quentin Tarantino 's 2019 film Once Upon

3441-411: A relationship inside of an action film." Two soundtrack albums were released from the film: a soundtrack album by various artists and a film score composed by John Powell . The albums were released at different times to avoid confusion; the soundtrack was released on June 7, 2005, and the score on June 28, 2005. All music is composed by John Powell Mr. & Mrs. Smith opened on June 10, 2005 in

Naankuse Foundation Wildlife Sanctuary - Misplaced Pages Continue

3552-433: A role for which he was required to learn an Irish accent. Critical opinion was divided on his accent; "Pitt finds the right tone of moral ambiguity, but at times his Irish brogue is too convincing – it's hard to understand what he's saying", wrote the San Francisco Chronicle . The Charleston Gazette opined that it had favored Pitt's accent over the movie. The Devil's Own grossed $ 140 million worldwide, but

3663-472: A romantic relationship, marriage, and children from 2005 to 2016. Mr. & Mrs. Smith was released in the United States on June 10, 2005 and received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Pitt and Jolie's performances and chemistry but criticized the screenplay. The film was a box-office success, grossing $ 487.3 million worldwide and becoming the seventh highest-grossing film of 2005 . In 2024,

3774-470: A sequel to the film but were dissatisfied with the story. Jolie remarked, "We did ask somebody to look into Mr. & Mrs. to see if they could crack a sequel, but there wasn't anything original. It was just, 'Well, they're going to get married, or they've got kids, or they get separated.' Never great." In February 2021, Amazon Studios announced that a television series reboot based on the original film, starring Donald Glover and Phoebe Waller-Bridge ,

3885-519: A set of paparazzi photographs emerged showing Pitt, Jolie, and her son Maddox at a beach in Kenya ; the press interpreted the pictures as evidence of a relationship between Pitt and Jolie. Throughout 2005, the two were seen together with increasing frequency, and the entertainment media dubbed the couple " Brangelina ". On January 11, 2006, Jolie confirmed to People that she was pregnant with Pitt's child, thereby publicly acknowledging their relationship for

3996-426: A space engineer searching the galaxy for his father. Pitt's performance was praised as one of his career-best turn, delivering a performance "that weaponizes passivity into a lethal form of self-defense". On April 25, 2020 , Pitt portrayed Dr. Anthony Fauci in the cold open on Saturday Night Live earning a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series nomination. In 2021, Pitt entered

4107-439: A superior player, saying "when you play with somebody better than you, your game gets better." In 1993, Pitt reunited with Juliette Lewis for the road film Kalifornia . He played Early Grayce, a serial killer and the abusive husband of Lewis' character, in a performance described by Peter Travers of Rolling Stone as "outstanding, all boyish charm and then a snort that exudes pure menace." Pitt also garnered attention for

4218-553: A two-episode role on the NBC soap opera Another World . In November of the same year, Pitt had a guest appearance on the CBS sitcom Trial and Error and the ABC sitcom Growing Pains . He appeared in four episodes of the CBS primetime series Dallas between December 1987 and February 1988 as Randy, the boyfriend of Charlie Wade (played by Shalane McCall ). Later in 1988, Pitt made

4329-503: A weird magnetism that becomes important later in the film." He won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film and received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor . The following year, he appeared in the legal drama Sleepers (1996), based on Lorenzo Carcaterra 's novel of the same name. The film received mixed reviews. In the 1997 film The Devil's Own Pitt starred, opposite Harrison Ford , as Irish Republican Army terrorist Rory Devany,

4440-557: A worse-than-expected box office performance, Fight Club became a cult classic after its DVD release in 2000. Pitt was cast as an Irish Traveller boxer with a barely intelligible accent in Guy Ritchie 's 2000 gangster film Snatch . Several reviewers were critical of Snatch ; however, most praised Pitt. Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle said Pitt was "ideally cast as an Irishman whose accent

4551-406: A young runaway (played by Juliette Lewis ) in the 1990 NBC television movie Too Young to Die? , the story of an abused teenager sentenced to death for a murder. Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly wrote: "Pitt is a magnificent slimeball as her hoody boyfriend; looking and sounding like a malevolent John Cougar Mellencamp , he's really scary." The same year, Pitt co-starred in six episodes of

Naankuse Foundation Wildlife Sanctuary - Misplaced Pages Continue

4662-459: Is a 2005 American action comedy film directed by Doug Liman and written by Simon Kinberg . The film stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as a bored upper middle class married couple, who are surprised to learn that they are assassins belonging to competing agencies and that they have been assigned to kill each other. Incidentally, the filming marked the beginning of Pitt and Jolie's real-life personal relationship , which would later result in

4773-485: Is a miscalculation." In 1999, Pitt portrayed Tyler Durden in Fight Club , a film adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk 's novel of the same name , directed by David Fincher . Pitt prepared for the part with lessons in boxing , taekwondo , and grappling . To look the part, Pitt consented to the removal of pieces of his front teeth which were restored when filming ended. While promoting Fight Club , Pitt said that

4884-456: Is contained entirely in the premise. The follow-through is nonexistent". In 2006, New Zealand author Gavin Bishop accused the makers of the movie of plagiarizing his 1997 school book, " The Secret Lives of Mr. and Mrs. Smith ", which features a husband and wife living apparently dull suburban lives, but unbeknownst to each other, both work as spies. Bishop stated that he intended to sue, and if

4995-483: Is on the rocks. They talk about how they first met in Bogotá , Colombia , claiming to be together to avoid being questioned by Colombian authorities. The two fell in love and got married. In reality, John and Jane are both skilled field operatives working for separate contract-killing firms and are both among the best in their field. They are also adept at concealing their true profession from each other. The Smiths live in

5106-430: Is so thick even Brits can't understand him", going on to say that, before Snatch , Pitt had been "shackled by roles that called for brooding introspection, but recently he has found his calling in black comic outrageousness and flashy extroversion;" while Amy Taubin of The Village Voice claimed that "Pitt gets maximum comic mileage out of a one-joke role". The following year Pitt starred opposite Julia Roberts in

5217-494: Is thriving. In July 2000, it was announced Summit Entertainment had purchased screenwriter Simon Kinberg 's spec script Mr. and Mrs. Smith with Weed Road Pictures slated to produce. Kinberg had written and sold the screenplay while working as a grad student for Columbia University's film program. Producers had managed to secure Brad Pitt for one of the leads, but the original choice of Nicole Kidman dropped out due to scheduling conflicts with The Stepford Wives leaving

5328-534: The Chicago Sun-Times gave 3/4 stars and praised the chemistry between the lead actors, saying "What makes the movie work is that Pitt and Jolie have fun together on the screen and they're able to find a rhythm that allows them to be understated and amused even during the most alarming developments". In a negative review, Mick LaSalle of San Francisco Chronicle described the film as "awful" and stated that "The tiny smidgen of cleverness on display here

5439-473: The 1995 ceremony , his performance was poorly received. According to the Dallas Observer , "Brad Pitt [...] is a large part of the problem [in the film]. When directors play up his cocky, hunkish, folksy side [...] he's a joy to watch. But there's nothing about him that suggests inner torment or even self-awareness, which makes him a boring Louis." Following the release of Interview with

5550-463: The 2007 Venice Film Festival , with Pitt playing a "scary and charismatic" role, according to Lewis Beale of Film Journal International , and earning Pitt the Volpi Cup award for Best Actor at the 64th Venice International Film Festival . He eventually collected the award one year later at the 2008 festival . As of January 2019, it was his own favorite of his films. Pitt's next appearance

5661-610: The Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe. That same year, Pitt's company Plan B Entertainment produced The Departed , which won the Academy Award for Best Picture . Pitt was credited on-screen as a producer; however, only Graham King was ruled eligible for the Oscar win. Reprising his role as Rusty Ryan in a third picture, Pitt starred in 2007's Ocean's Thirteen . While less lucrative than

SECTION 50

#1732772632925

5772-501: The Doug Liman -directed action comedy Mr. & Mrs. Smith , in which a bored married couple discover that each is an assassin sent to kill the other. The feature received reasonable reviews but was generally lauded for the chemistry between Pitt and Angelina Jolie , who played his character's wife Jane Smith. The Star Tribune noted that "while the story feels haphazard, the movie gets by on gregarious charm, galloping energy and

5883-675: The FBI and the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services investigated Pitt for child abuse following an incident on a plane, where Pitt was accused by an anonymous person of being "verbally abusive" and "physical" towards one of his children. Pitt was not criminally charged for the incident by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, or by the FBI. In 2022, Jolie filed

5994-552: The Haiti earthquake . Pitt is a supporter of same-sex marriage . In an October 2006 interview with Esquire , Pitt said that he would marry Jolie when everyone in America is legally able to marry. In September 2008, he donated $ 100,000 to the campaign against California's 2008 ballot proposition Proposition 8 , an initiative to overturn the state Supreme Court decision that had legalized same-sex marriage . In March 2012, Pitt

6105-664: The Palme d'Or at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival . In a performance that attracted strong praise, he portrayed the Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane in the drama Moneyball , which is based on the 2003 book of the same name written by Michael Lewis . Moneyball received six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Actor for Pitt. His next role was as mob hitman Jackie Cogan in Andrew Dominik 's 2012 Killing Them Softly , based on

6216-512: The romantic comedy The Mexican , a film that garnered a range of reviews but enjoyed box office success. Pitt's next role, in 2001's $ 143 million-grossing Cold War thriller Spy Game , was as Tom Bishop, an operative of the CIA 's Special Activities Division , mentored by Robert Redford 's character. Mark Holcomb of Salon.com enjoyed the film, although he noted that neither Pitt nor Redford provided "much of an emotional connection for

6327-446: The 1991 film Johnny Suede , a low-budget picture about an aspiring rock star, and the 1992 live-action/animated fantasy film Cool World , although neither furthered his career, having poor reviews and box office performance. Pitt took on the role of Paul Maclean in the 1992 biographical film A River Runs Through It , directed by Robert Redford . His portrayal of the character was described by People ' s Janet Mock as

6438-599: The 2005 single-disc DVD release but does not include additional material from the 2006 two-disc unrated version. In 2007, a pilot for a spin-off television series was made for the network ABC . Set six months after the end of the film, it was written by Simon Kinberg and directed by Doug Liman. Kinberg described the proposed television series as " Married... with Children with guns." The roles of John and Jane were played by Martin Henderson and Jordana Brewster . On website The Futon Critic , Brian Ford Sullivan criticized

6549-545: The Coward Robert Ford (2007), Burn After Reading (2008), Inglourious Basterds (2009), The Tree of Life (2011), and The Big Short (2015). In 2001, Pitt co-founded the production company Plan B Entertainment . As a producer he won the Academy Award for Best Picture for 12 Years a Slave (2013) and was nominated for Moneyball (2011) and The Big Short (2015). Pitt was named People's Sexiest Man Alive in 1995 and 2000. William Bradley Pitt

6660-540: The Sea , a romantic drama about a marriage in crisis, based on her screenplay. The film was their first collaboration since 2005's Mr. & Mrs. Smith . Pitt's next role came with the biographical comedy-drama The Big Short , which he also produced and also co-starred alongside Christian Bale , Steve Carell , and Ryan Gosling . The film was a commercial and critical success. It went on to gross over $ 102 million worldwide and received positive reviews from critics. The film

6771-812: The United States and Canada in 3,424 theaters. The film ranked at the top in its opening weekend, accumulating $ 50,342,878. Mr. & Mrs. Smith went on to gross $ 186,336,279 in North America and had a worldwide total of $ 478,207,520. It was the highest-grossing film for both superstars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie , but was later surpassed by World War Z for Pitt and Maleficent for Jolie. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gave Mr. & Mrs. Smith an approval rating of 60% based on 212 reviews, with an average score of 6.10/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Although this action-romance suffers from weak writing and one too many explosions,

SECTION 60

#1732772632925

6882-738: The Vampire , Pitt starred in Legends of the Fall (1994), based on a novel by the same name by Jim Harrison , set in the American West during the first four decades of the twentieth century. Portraying Tristan Ludlow, son of Colonel William Ludlow ( Anthony Hopkins ) a Cornish immigrant, Pitt received his first Golden Globe Award nomination, in the Best Actor category. Aidan Quinn and Henry Thomas co-starred as Pitt's brothers. Although

6993-518: The animals have featured in a number of documentaries, films and photographs. Naankuse and their three legged cheetah Lucky, featured in an advert for a Volkswagen Golf , shown on South African TV in May 2009. Brad Pitt William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of various accolades , including two Academy Awards , two British Academy Film Awards , two Golden Globe Awards , and

7104-616: The animated television series King of the Hill . Pitt had two major film roles in 2004, starring as Achilles in Troy , and reprising his role, Rusty Ryan , in the sequel Ocean's Twelve . He spent six months sword training before the filming of Troy , based on the Iliad . An on-set injury to his Achilles tendon delayed production on the picture for several weeks. Stephen Hunter of The Washington Post stated that Pitt excelled at such

7215-420: The audience". On November 22, 2001, Pitt made a guest appearance in the eighth season of the television series Friends , playing a man with a grudge against Rachel Green , played by Jennifer Aniston , to whom Pitt was married at the time. For this performance he was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series . In December 2001, Pitt played Rusty Ryan in

7326-432: The background. After years of supporting roles in film and frequent television guest appearances, Pitt attracted wider recognition in his supporting role in Ridley Scott 's 1991 road film Thelma & Louise . He played J.D., a small-time criminal who befriends Thelma ( Geena Davis ). His love scene with Davis has been cited as the event that defined Pitt as a sex symbol . After Thelma & Louise , Pitt starred in

7437-505: The category for Best Actor. The film received thirteen Academy Award nominations, and grossed $ 329 million at the box office worldwide. Pitt's next leading role came in 2009 with the Quentin Tarantino -directed war film Inglourious Basterds , which premiered at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival . Pitt played Lieutenant Aldo Raine, an American resistance fighter battling Nazis in German-occupied France. The film

7548-486: The chemistry between Henderson and Brewster and ended his review stating, "While there's always a few gems that get locked away in the networks' vaults each year, this decidedly isn't one of them". ABC decided not to commission the series. The film is parodied in Treehouse of Horror XVIII , a 2007 episode of the animated television series The Simpsons . In June 2010, Jolie said that she and Pitt had inquired about

7659-482: The chemistry generated by onscreen couple Pitt and Jolie is palpable enough to make this a thoroughly enjoyable summer action flick." At Metacritic , which assigns a normalized rating out to reviews from mainstream critics, the film has received a rating average of 55 out of 100, based on 41 critics, which indicated "mixed or average reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale. Simon Braund of Empire gave

7770-712: The claims and accused the ministry of incompetence. The Clever Cubs School opened in November 2009 to provide free pre-primary education for the San children on the farm. The school currently has nearly 30 pupils ranging from under 1 to 15 years old. Naankuse also work to secure places at mainstream schools in Windhoek for the older children. Naankuse's work with the San community is voluntarily funded and relies on donations from supporters and uptake of their "sponsor-a-child" scheme to continue. Naankuse, its owner Marlice van Vuuren and

7881-583: The coursework for a degree, Pitt left the university and moved to Los Angeles, where he took acting lessons and worked odd jobs. He has named Gary Oldman , Sean Penn , and Mickey Rourke as his early acting heroes. While struggling to establish himself in Los Angeles , Pitt took lessons from acting coach Roy London . His acting career began in 1987, with uncredited parts in the films No Way Out (1987), No Man's Land (1987) and Less than Zero (1987). In May 1987, he made his television debut in

7992-488: The crime thriller Seven , playing a detective on the trail of a serial killer who preys on people he considers guilty of the Seven Deadly Sins . Pitt called it a great movie and declared the part would expand his acting horizons. He expressed his intent to move on from "this 'pretty boy' thing [...] and play someone with flaws." His performance was critically well received, with Variety saying that it

8103-559: The crisis in the Darfur region. Along with Clooney, Damon, Don Cheadle , David Pressman , and Jerry Weintraub , Pitt is one of the founders of Not On Our Watch, an organization that focuses global attention on stopping "mass atrocities". Pitt has a sustained interest in architecture, even taking time away from film to study computer-aided design at the Los Angeles offices of renowned architect Frank Gehry . He narrated e2 design ,

8214-406: The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina . The project involves 13 architectural firms and the environmental organization Global Green USA , with several of the firms donating their services. Pitt and philanthropist Steve Bing have each committed $ 5 million in donations. The first six homes were completed in October 2008, and in September 2009 Pitt received an award in recognition of

8325-517: The developing world. He narrated the 2005 PBS public television series Rx for Survival: A Global Health Challenge , which discusses current global health issues. The following year Pitt and Jolie flew to Haiti , where they visited a school supported by Yéle Haïti, a charity founded by Haitian-born hip hop musician Wyclef Jean . In May 2007, Pitt and Jolie donated $ 1 million to three organizations in Chad and Sudan dedicated to those affected by

8436-509: The face, among other allegations. In September 2016, Pitt got sober and began attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. In December 2019, he wrote an article for Interview in which he talked with his Legends of the Fall and Meet Joe Black costar and fellow recovering alcoholic Anthony Hopkins about their experiences with addiction and recovery. Pitt credits fellow actor Bradley Cooper with helping him in his sobriety. Mr. %26 Mrs. Smith (2005 film) Mr. & Mrs. Smith

8547-493: The film a positive review, describing it as "a full-on action flick, subversive rom-com and weapons-grade star vehicle that's drenched in Tinseltown glitz, from a director who knows how to put the money on the screen while his tongue's firmly in his cheek". Daniel Saney of Digital Spy gave 4/5 stars, saying "Its ideas are often borrowed, and it's hardly deep and meaningful, but it's a fantastically fun film". Roger Ebert of

8658-637: The film explored not taking one's aggressions out on someone else but to "have an experience, take a punch more and see how you come out on the other end." Fight Club premiered at the 1999 Venice International Film Festival . Despite divided critical opinion on the film as a whole, Pitt's performance was widely praised. Paul Clinton of CNN noted the risky yet successful nature of the film, while Variety remarked upon Pitt's ability to be "cool, charismatic and more dynamically physical, perhaps than [...] his breakthrough role in Thelma and Louise ". In spite of

8769-483: The film visibility. Pitt later said he regarded taking the part as one of the best decisions of his career. The film was screened at a special presentation at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and was later featured at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival . Babel received seven Academy and Golden Globe award nominations, winning the Best Drama Golden Globe, and earned Pitt a nomination for

8880-432: The film without a co-lead. This even led to Pitt dropping from the film. The directorial team considered Will Smith and Catherine Zeta-Jones as well as Johnny Depp , Cate Blanchett , Gwyneth Paltrow and Gwen Stefani before they were finally able to sign Jolie. Once Jolie was signed, Pitt was back in and the pair was set. Brad Pitt and Nicole Kidman were originally cast as the leads when Doug Liman received

8991-519: The film's reception was mixed, many film critics praised Pitt's performance. Janet Maslin of The New York Times said, "Pitt's diffident mix of acting and attitude works to such heartthrob perfection it's a shame the film's superficiality gets in his way." The Deseret News predicted that Legends of the Fall would solidify Pitt's reputation as a lead actor. In 1995, Pitt starred alongside Morgan Freeman , Gwyneth Paltrow , and Kevin Spacey in

9102-431: The first images of the twins were jointly sold to People and Hello! for $ 14 million— the most expensive celebrity pictures ever taken . The couple donated the proceeds to the Jolie-Pitt Foundation. Since Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt on September 19, 2016, they have been embroiled in a custody battle over their children. Jolie had full custody until May 2021 when Pitt was granted joint custody, over four and

9213-455: The first in a supporting role in the comedy Happy Together ; the second a featured role in the horror film Cutting Class , the first of Pitt's films to reach theaters. He made guest appearances on television series Head of the Class , Freddy's Nightmares , Thirtysomething , and (for a second time) Growing Pains . Pitt was cast as Billy Canton, a drug addict who takes advantage of

9324-553: The first time. Pitt and Jolie announced their engagement in April 2012 after seven years together. They were legally married on August 14, 2014, and had their wedding in a private ceremony at the Château Miraval , France on August 23, 2014. On September 19, 2016, Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt, citing irreconcilable differences. On April 12, 2019, the divorce became legal. In 2022, he began dating Ines de Ramon (b. 1992),

9435-406: The first two films, this sequel earned $ 311 million at the international box office. Pitt's next film role was as American outlaw Jesse James in the 2007 Western drama The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford , adapted from Ron Hansen 's 1983 novel of the same name . Directed by Andrew Dominik and produced by Pitt's company Plan B Entertainment, the film premiered at

9546-401: The foundation in 2006; it gave away $ 2.4 million in 2006 and $ 3.4 million in 2007. In June 2009, the Jolie-Pitt Foundation donated $ 1 million to a U.N. refugee agency to help Pakistanis displaced by fighting between troops and Taliban militants. In January 2010, the foundation donated $ 1 million to Doctors Without Borders for emergency medical assistance to help victims of

9657-466: The heist film Ocean's Eleven , a remake of the 1960 Rat Pack original . He joined an ensemble cast including George Clooney , Matt Damon , Andy García , and Julia Roberts. Well received by critics, Ocean's Eleven was highly successful at the box office, earning $ 450 million worldwide. Pitt appeared in two episodes of MTV's reality series Jackass in February 2002, first running through

9768-554: The horror film World War Z (2013), and the action film Bullet Train (2022). Pitt won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing a stuntman in Quentin Tarantino 's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019). He was Oscar-nominated for his roles in the science fiction drama 12 Monkeys (1995), the fantasy romance The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) and the sports drama Moneyball (2011). He also starred in acclaimed films such as Fight Club (1999), Babel (2006), The Assassination of Jesse James by

9879-561: The late 1980s to early 1990s, Pitt was romantically involved with several of his co-stars, including Robin Givens ( Head of the Class ), Jill Schoelen ( Cutting Class ), and Juliette Lewis ( Too Young to Die? and Kalifornia ). Pitt was 27 and Lewis was 17 at the time of their relationship. Subsequently, Pitt had a much-publicized romance and engagement to his Seven co-star, Gwyneth Paltrow , whom he dated from 1994 to 1997. Pitt met actress Jennifer Aniston in 1998; they married in

9990-448: The mistakes they made. A single-disc DVD of the film was released on November 29, 2005, and a two-disc unrated version of the film was released on DVD on June 6, 2006. During director Doug Liman's audio commentary which is on the single-disc DVD release, he says that the film was edited for sexual and violent content to get a PG-13 rating. Mr. & Mrs. Smith was released on Blu-ray on December 4, 2007. It includes extra material from

10101-459: The novel Cogan's Trade by George V. Higgins . In 2013, Pitt starred in World War Z , a thriller about a zombie apocalypse , based on Max Brooks 's novel of the same name . Pitt also produced the film. World War Z grossed $ 540 million at the box office worldwide, becoming Pitt's highest grossing picture. Next in 2013, he produced, and played a small role in, 12 Years a Slave ,

10212-460: The principle of public funding for embryonic stem-cell research . "We have to make sure that we open up these avenues so that our best and our brightest can go find these cures that they believe they will find", he said. In support of this he endorsed Proposition 71 , a California ballot initiative intended to provide state government funding for stem-cell research. Pitt supports One Campaign , an organization aimed at combating AIDS and poverty in

10323-547: The project from the U.S. Green Building Council , a non-profit trade organization that promotes sustainability in how buildings are designed, built and operated. Pitt met with U.S. President Barack Obama and Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi in March 2009 to promote his concept of green housing as a national model and to discuss federal funding possibilities. In September 2006, Pitt and Jolie established

10434-529: The project will be under Naankuse and in Shiloh's name. We want her to be very involved and grow up with the understanding of her country of birth," Jolie said. Naankuse started a carnivore research project in early 2008 to help protect and conserve large wild carnivores and reduce human-wildlife conflict . Captured cats are fitted with a radio collar before being released back into the wild allowing Naankuse to track their movements, check on their condition and gain

10545-728: The recording business by creating a company with French record producer Damien Quintard . Set in Pitt's Chateau Miraval in South of France, Miraval Studios will re-open in 2022 after two decades of inactivity. The previous version of the studio was one of the most iconic studios in the world, producing the records for Pink Floyd , the Cranberries , AC/DC , Sade and Muse , among others. In 2022, Pitt starred in Bullet Train , directed by David Leitch , and reunited with his Once Upon

10656-410: The script. However, Kidman's shooting schedule conflicted with Liman's at the time and she had to exit the film, and Pitt dropped out as a result. Liman then considered Will Smith and Catherine Zeta-Jones as the leads. Liman also considered the pairing of Johnny Depp and Cate Blanchett for the film. Gwen Stefani also auditioned for Jane Smith. The casting of the two leads was set once Liman

10767-502: The short-lived Fox drama Glory Days and took a supporting role in the HBO television film The Image . His next appearance came in the 1991 film Across the Tracks ; Pitt portrayed Joe Maloney, a high school runner with a criminal brother, played by Rick Schroder . The same year he featured in a Levi's jeans TV commercial based around the song " 20th Century Boy " which played in

10878-566: The stars' thermonuclear screen chemistry". Mr. & Mrs. Smith earned $ 478 million worldwide, making it one of the biggest hits of 2005. For his next film, Pitt starred opposite Cate Blanchett in Alejandro González Iñárritu 's multi-narrative drama Babel (2006). Pitt's performance was critically well-received, and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer said that he was credible and gave

10989-656: The streets of Los Angeles with several cast members in gorilla suits, and in a subsequent episode participating in his own staged abduction. In the same year, Pitt had a cameo role in George Clooney's directorial debut Confessions of a Dangerous Mind . He took on his first voice-acting roles in 2003, speaking as the titular character of the DreamWorks animated film Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas and playing Boomhauer 's brother, Patch , in an episode of

11100-633: The two-month-old; it marked the first time an infant had been honoured with a statue in the museum. On March 15, 2007, Jolie adopted a 3-year-old boy from an orphanage in Ho Chi Minh City , Vietnam. Pitt adopted the boy in the United States on February 21, 2008. At the Cannes Film Festival in May 2008, Jolie confirmed that she was expecting twins. She gave birth to son and daughter on July 12, 2008 in Nice , France. The rights for

11211-520: The western Legends of the Fall (1994), the horror film Interview with the Vampire (1994), and the crime thriller Seven (1995). Pitt found greater commercial success starring in Steven Soderbergh 's heist film Ocean's Eleven (2001), and reprised his role in its sequels. He cemented his leading man status starring in blockbusters such as the historical epic Troy (2004), the romantic crime film Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005),

11322-470: The wild including leopards , lions , cheetah , wild dogs and baboons all housed in purpose-built enclosures. N/'an ku sê has been repeatedly investigated by the Namibian Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism for permit violations and illegal breeding and translocating of wild animals, particularly cheetahs and elephants. When confronted with the allegations, Rudie van Vuuren denied

11433-566: Was a box office hit, taking $ 311 million worldwide, and garnered generally favorable reviews. The film received multiple awards and nominations , including eight Academy Award nominations and seven MTV Movie Award nominations, including Best Male Performance for Pitt. He next voiced the superhero character Metro Man in the 2010 animated feature Megamind . Pitt produced and appeared in Terrence Malick 's experimental drama The Tree of Life , co-starring Sean Penn , which won

11544-687: Was a critical failure. Later that year, he led as Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer in the Jean-Jacques Annaud film Seven Years in Tibet . Pitt trained for months for the role, which demanded significant mountain climbing and trekking practice, including rock climbing in California and the European Alps with his co-star David Thewlis . Pitt had the lead role in 1998's fantasy romance film Meet Joe Black . He portrayed

11655-537: Was able to sign Angelina Jolie. Once Jolie was signed, Pitt re-committed to the film. John Leguizamo was offered the role of Eddie, but he turned it down as he was going to get paid on scale; a decision he later regretted. Parker Posey auditioned for the role of Jasmine, which eventually went to Kerry Washington. Kinberg had an idea for a screenplay after listening to a couple of his friends who went to marriage therapy. He thought it sounded "aggressive and mercenary" and felt "it would make an interesting template for

11766-698: Was born on December 18, 1963, in Shawnee, Oklahoma , to William Alvin Pitt, the proprietor of a trucking company, and Jane Etta (née Hillhouse), a school counselor. The family soon moved to Springfield, Missouri , where he lived together with his younger siblings, Douglas Pitt (b. 1966) and Julie (née Pitt) Neal (b. 1969). Born into a conservative Christian household, he was raised as Southern Baptist and later "oscillate[d] between agnosticism and atheism ." He later reconciled his belief in spirituality. Pitt has described Springfield as " Mark Twain country, Jesse James country," having grown up with "a lot of hills,

11877-516: Was featured in a performance of Dustin Lance Black 's play, 8  – a staged reenactment of the federal trial that overturned California's Prop 8 ban on same-sex marriage – as Judge Vaughn Walker . In September 2012, Pitt reaffirmed his support for Obama, saying, "I am an Obama supporter and I'm backing his U.S. election campaign ." In October 2020, he narrated an advertisement for Joe Biden 's 2020 presidential campaign . From

11988-524: Was in the 2008 black comedy Burn After Reading , his first collaboration with the Coen brothers . The film received a positive reception from critics, with The Guardian calling it "a tightly wound, slickly plotted spy comedy", noting that Pitt's performance was one of the funniest. He was later cast as Benjamin Button, the lead in David Fincher 's 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ,

12099-650: Was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, earning Pitt his third Academy Award nomination as producer. In 2016, Pitt starred in Robert Zemeckis 's romantic thriller Allied , in which he plays an assassin who falls in love with a French spy (played by Marion Cotillard ) during a mission to kill a German official in World War II . In 2017, he starred in the Netflix satirical war comedy War Machine , which he also produced. Pitt played

12210-574: Was picked up by ABC . Pitt starred in Fury , a World War II film directed and written by David Ayer , and co-starring Shia LaBeouf , Logan Lerman , Jon Bernthal , Michael Peña , and Jason Isaacs . The film was released on October 17, 2014. By the end of its run, Fury proved to be a commercial and critical success; it grossed more than $ 211 million worldwide and received highly positive reviews from critics. In 2015, Pitt starred opposite his wife, Jolie, in her third directorial effort, By

12321-686: Was screen acting at its best, further remarking on Pitt's ability to turn in a "determined, energetic, creditable job" as the detective. Seven earned $ 327 million at the international box office. Following the success of Seven , Pitt played psychotic anarchist Jeffrey Goines in Terry Gilliam 's 1995 science fiction film 12 Monkeys . The movie received predominantly positive reviews, with Pitt praised in particular. Janet Maslin of The New York Times called Twelve Monkeys "fierce and disturbing" and remarked on Pitt's "startlingly frenzied performance", concluding that he "electrifies Jeffrey with

#924075