Brad Pitt's Real Name: William Bradley Pitt

Quick answer: Brad Pitt's real name is William Bradley Pitt. He was born on December 18, 1963, in Shawnee, Oklahoma. "Brad" comes from his middle name, Bradley (Britannica).

The name

Pitt has always gone by Brad, a short form of his middle name. Legal records use William Bradley Pitt, including the court filings in his long-running divorce from Angelina Jolie.

Early life

Pitt grew up in Springfield, Missouri. His father, Bill, managed a trucking company and his mother, Jane, was a school counselor. He studied journalism at the University of Missouri. Shortly before graduating in 1986, he left for Los Angeles to try acting. He worked odd jobs, including dressing as a chicken to promote a restaurant, while taking acting classes.

Breakthrough

After TV guest spots, Pitt got noticed as the drifter J.D. in Thelma & Louise (1991). Leading roles followed in A River Runs Through It (1992), Interview with the Vampire (1994), Legends of the Fall (1994) and Se7en (1995). He earned a first Oscar nomination for 12 Monkeys (1995) (Britannica).

Career highlights

• Fight Club (1999): as Tyler Durden.
• Ocean's Eleven (2001) and its sequels.
• Moneyball (2011): Best Actor nomination.
• 12 Years a Slave (2013): won Best Picture as a producer.
• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019): won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor as stuntman Cliff Booth (Oscars.org).
• F1 (2025): the Formula 1 racing film.

His production company Plan B Entertainment also produced The Departed (2006) and Moonlight (Best Picture 2016) and many other films.

Personal life

Pitt was married to Jennifer Aniston from 2000 to 2005. He and Angelina Jolie were together from about 2005, married in 2014, and have six children. Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, and the divorce was finalized in December 2024.