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.
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 heartthrob, 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 ex-wives Jennifer Aniston and 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.
Brad Pitt was born in Oklahoma.
Bio Channel
He was the eldest of three children in a conservative household of parents, truck company owner Bill Pitt and family counselor Jane Pitt.
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.
Brad Pitt attended the University of Missouri.
Kickapoo High School/Public Domain
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).
Brad Pitt had odd jobs before his acting career took off.
Kickapoo High School/Public Domain
Pitt's big break was a small, but memorable role in 1991's "Thelma and Louise," in which he played a charming hitchhiker and one-night-stand to Geena Davis' character.
Ridley Scott directed "Thelma and Louise."
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon played the titular characters in "Thema and Louise."
After doing a few more films after "Thelma and Louise," Pitt landed the part of a gambling fly-fisher in Robert Redford's 1992 film "A River Runs Through It."
Brad Pitt starred as Paul Maclean in "A River Runs Through It."
Columbia Pictures
This would earn Pitt respect in Hollywood for his dramatic acting chops.
By 1992, Brad Pitt had been romantically linked to actresses Jill Schoelen, Robin Givens, and Juliette Lewis. He would go on to co-star with Lewis in "Kalifornia," about a couple on a cross-country murder spree.
Brad Pitt dated his "Kalifornia" co-star, Juliette Lewis.
AP Photo/Reed Saxon
His next major career step would be the coveted lead role in "Interview With the Vampire" opposite one of the hottest actors in Hollywood, Tom Cruise, and a young Kirsten Dunst in 1994.
"Interview with the Vampire" was nominated for two Oscars.
Warner Bros.
Anne Rice, the author of the book "Interview With the Vampire" was based on, was unhappy about the casting of Cruise and Pitt. She later changed her mind after watching the film.
In 1995, People magazine named Pitt that year's "Sexiest Man Alive."
1995 is also the year that Brad Pitt starred in "Seven" and "Twelve Monkeys."
People
You can see all the guys who have been given the title here.
Officially part of Hollywood's A-List, Pitt followed "Interview" with 1994's "Legends of the Fall" and David Fincher thriller, "Seven." But it was Terry Gilliam's 1995 psychological thriller "Twelve Monkeys" that would earn Pitt his first Oscar nomination and first Golden Globe win.
Brad Pitt at the Golden Globes in 1996.
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Pitt played Jeffrey Goines in the 1995 movie.
In 1995, Pitt began dating Hollywood it girl Gwyneth Paltrow. They dated for two years and became engaged. In 1997, they called off the engagement and broke up for unknown reasons.
Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow at the 1996 Oscars.
AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
Pitt shot in Argentina for his most ambitious film to date, 1997's "Seven Years in Tibet."
Brad Pitt played Heinrich Harrer in "Seven Years in Tibet."
Mandalay Entertainment
"Seven Years in Tibet" got Pitt banned for life from returning by China.
In 1998, Brad Pitt and "Friends" star Jennifer Aniston were set up on a date by their agents. They married two years later.
Brad Pitt guest-starred on an episode of "Friends."
AP Photo/Michael Caulfield
They had a huge wedding in Malibu, California.
Pitt did several big films between 1998 and 2001, including David Fincher's "Fight Club," Guy Ritchie's "Snatch," "The Mexican," opposite Julia Roberts, "Meet Joe Black," and Steven Soderbergh's "Ocean's Eleven," costarring George Clooney and Matt Damon.
From left to right: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Elliott Gould, and Don Cheadle.
Warner Bros.
In 2000, People once again named Pitt its "Sexiest Man Alive," making him the first male to hold the title twice.
In 2000, Brad Pitt starred in the movie "Snatch."
People
In the years after, the title was given to Ben Affleck, Matthew McConaughey, and Hugh Jackman.
The 2004 movie "Troy" would become Pitt's next big role, but its box office didn't meet expectations and it got mixed reviews from critics.
Brad Pitt played Achilles in "Troy."
Warner Bros.
It has a critics rating of 54% and an audience score of 73% on Rotten Tomatoes.
But "Troy" was important for another reason: It was the first film under Pitt's production company, Plan B Entertainment. "The Departed" was the first film Pitt produced to win a Best Picture Oscar, in 2007, but Pitt wasn't personally eligible for the award.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and Jack Nicholson starred in "The Departed."
Warner Bros.
Through Plan B, Pitt has been producing some of Hollywood's most beloved movies, like "The Departed."
2004 would be a big year in Pitt's life. He began shooting "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" with Angelina Jolie. At the same time, there were reports of a romance between the costars and marital problems between Pitt and Aniston.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in "Mr. and Mrs. Smith."
Fox
In 2008, Pitt told Rolling Stone that "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" was his favorite Jolie movie because he "fell in love."
Aniston and Pitt announced their separation in January 2005 and their divorce was finalized in October.
Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt at the "Troy" premiere at Cannes in 2004.
Bruno Vincent/Getty Images
Over the next several years, Pitt would star in several well-received films, including "Babel" (2006), the Coen brothers' "Burn After Reading" (2008), "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (2008), Quentin Tarantino's "Inglorious Basterds" (2009), and "Moneyball" (2011).
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" was released in 2008.
Warner Bros./Paramount Pictures
In "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Pitt played a man who ages backwards.
In 2014, Pitt won his first Oscar for "12 Years a Slave" – but not for acting.
Brad Pitt in "12 Years a Slave."
Twentieth Century Fox
It was for producing the epic historical drama, under his production company, Plan B Entertainment.
After dating since 2005, Pitt and Jolie married in 2014 in a private ceremony in France.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards in 2014.
Getty Images
Pitt and Jolie have six children together, including three adopted children: Maddox, Pax Thien, and Zahara.
In 2015, Pitt costarred with Jolie in the art house film, "By the Sea."
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in "By the Sea."
Universal Pictures
Jolie also wrote and directed the film about a couple trying to repair their marriage while staying at a hotel in France.
In 2015, Pitt produced and appeared in "The Big Short," a movie about the housing market bubble.
Pitt sometimes appears in the movies he produces to give them star power, like in "The Big Short."
Paramount Pictures
The film earned him another Oscar nomination for producing.
In September 2016, Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt after two years of marriage and 11 years together. Divorce negotiations are still ongoing.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie arrive at Narita International Airport with their children, from left, Maddox, Vivienne, Zahara and Knox in 2009.
Junko Kimura/Getty Images
While his acting career has slowed down — his Netflix film "War Machine" got mixed reviews — Pitt is actively producing movies like Oscar winner "Moonlight" and the well-received "Lost City of Z."
Brad Pitt in "War Machine."
Netflix
He remains one of the most recognizable stars in the world.
In 2019, he starred alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."
Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."
Sony
You can read about how the film's ending differed from real-life events here.
Pitt also delivered a crowd-pleasing performance as an astronaut in 2019's "Ad Astra."
Brad Pitt in "Ad Astra."
Fox
He played Roy McBride in the film, which was directed by James Gray.
Pitt won his first Oscar for acting in 2020, thanks to his role in "OUATIH."
Brad Pitt with his Academy Award.
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
It was one of several trophies that the actor recently received for his performance in the film. In 2020, Pitt also won a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, and a BAFTA for the role.
"I definitely write them," he said backstage at the 2020 Oscars. "I have some very, very funny friends that helped me with some laughs, but it's got to come from the heart."
