- Brad Pitt is one of Hollywood's most recognizable actors, thanks to roles in the "Ocean's" franchise, "Twelve Monkeys," and "A River Runs Through It."
- He was born in Oklahoma and grew up in Missouri before making it big.
- Pitt is also a producer with his own production company called Plan B Entertainment. His credits include "The Departed" and "Moneyball."
- Next, he'll star in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" with Leonardo DiCaprio.
Brad Pitt arrived in Hollywood two decades ago.
Today, he's one of the most recognizable faces in the world.
While looks may have nabbed him some early roles, it took great ambition, talent, and the ability to swivel between acting and producing to create a career that could stand the test of time.
Even today, as he's moved more to producing rather than acting in films, his name is recognizable everywhere.
Pitt has starred in many of the most enduring and beloved movies in entertainment history, including "Thelma and Louise,""Interview With the Vampire,""Moneyball,""A River Runs Through It," and "Ocean's Eleven."
As with any Hollywood heart throb, Pitt's personal life has sold a great number of magazines. He has been attached to some of the biggest actresses in the entertainment business, from Gwyneth Paltrow to Jennifer Aniston, and his ex-wife Angelina Jolie.
Here's how this Missouri kid found his way to Hollywood and rose to fame:
Brad Pitt was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma on December 18, 1963 and grew up in Springfield, Missouri. He was the eldest of three children in a conservative household of parents, truck company owner Bill Pitt and family counselor Jane Pitt.
Brad Pitt attended Kickapoo High School, where he was a member of the golf, swimming and tennis teams.
Just two credits shy of a journalism degree at the University of Missouri, Pitt gave in to his love of films and set off for Los Angeles in the late-1980s.
Pitt originally aspired to be an advertising art director.
In LA, Pitt worked as a limousine driver for a few months, while taking acting classes. Within seven months, he found an agent and began booking acting work, including the soap opera “Another World"in 1987, and “Growing Pains” in 1987 and 1989 (in two different roles).
In his early Hollywood days, Pitt worked as a limo driver, a furniture mover, and a costumed mascot for El Pollo Loco.
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